Pressure Canning Meat

Pressure Canning Meat

by Donna Martin

I have had an aversion to pressure cookers my whole life, and I have known and spoken with many women who once used them as a means of cooking. Some of the tales I’ve heard caused me not to want to learn how to use one. I recall my mother safely using one when I was very young. She would make mashed potatoes in hers. But when I heard my childhood girlfriend tell me that they once had to scrape their dinner off of the ceiling, I abandoned all thoughts of ever using one.

Pressure canners work on the same principle, even though they may be designed slightly different. They are primarily used to raise the food temperature substantially higher than boiling, to 240 - 250 F. This is done to kill the bacteria that can cause botulism, which can survive normal boiling temperatures.

Purchasing a pressure canner is a major expense, but there is a broad price range to choose from in finding an affordable one. Like other homemaking tools, it will pay great dividends in the years you use it.

In fact, a pressure canner can serve two purposes: one as a canner and the other as a pressure cooker. In the manual that comes with your canner, there are instructions for using it both ways. So when you read the instructions to learn how to use your canner, make sure you’re in the correct section of the book, since they appear the same.

What You’ll Need & Why

Other than your canner, the following items should be on-hand the day you start to can:

1. Rubber gloves - in order to handle hot jars and splashes.

2. Jar lifter- to lift the hot processed jars out of the canner after canning.

3. Wide-mouth funnel - to neatly fill and pack the food into your jars.

4. Jars & Lids – Used jars can be purchased, however you’ll need new lids. Avoid using cracked or chipped jars.

5. White vinegar - to reduce the white water marks on the outside of your jars during canning.

6. Canning salt - which is different than table salt. Using canning salt will prevent clouding of the liquid in your canning jar. Clouding of meat juices can also indicate that the food is contaminated. Using canning salt will help to reduce confusion.

7. Canning ingredients -which is the meat you plan to can.

8. Time - when there are no small children around, so you can concentrate on what you’re doing. It will also avoid accidents and keep you from getting stressed out.

The Day Before You Get Started

Whenever I am learning something new, I always read up on it, and then I mull it over in my mind for days before I actually do it. I’m not procrastinating, but trying to troubleshoot what may go wrong along the way. So, you’ll want to:

1. Read, read, and re-read your instruction manual that comes with the canner. You can always do a trial run with just water in the canner to get a feel for it before the day you actually can your meat. I didn’t do this because I have water-bath canning experience, but I wish I had. It would have given me more confidence when I canned the first time.

2. Plan to pressure-can a few jars the first time. Get a feel for what it is like to do a small amount, and then work your way up to processing larger amounts of meat and other recipes. It will also keep you from making mistakes and losing a large amount of meat.

3. My instruction manual was divided into two sections: pressure cooking and pressure canning. Dog-ear or paper clip all of the important pages the information is printed on. You can even use highlight on those pages, so you can quickly focus in on the important information. My memory isn’t as good as it once was, so it was nice having all the important points highlighted.

What the Book Didn’t Tell Me - Canning Day

1. The instruction manual nicely breaks down the steps for using your canner, but not the steps of setting up for your canning session, which I’ll cover here. After you have all the things gathered and cleaned, like your jars, lids and rings; and your canner has been newly cleaned with hot soap and water, then set up the pots of water that need to be boiled. You’ll need three pots of boiling water: one pot for pouring over your meat, one large pot with the 3 quarts of water that will go into your canner, and one for sterilizing the lids.

2. Once the jars are clean, place them on a cookie sheet set, and set them in the oven. After they are situated in the oven, turn it on and set it to 200 F. You can move and manage all of your jars with your rubber gloves on, which actually give you more mobility than oven mitts.

3. Now that you have all of your pots ready and your jars are heating up, you can start pre-cooking your meat of choice. Only cook it halfway, since the canner will cook it the remainder of the way. It is possible to pack the meat into the jars raw, but this can only be done with low fat foods. For example, you wouldn’t want hamburger grease floating around in your canning jars. All fat content should be poured off before placing it into the jars.

4. When you see that you’re about five minutes away from the food being cooked halfway, make sure your water, or broth, which will cover your food within the jars, is boiling. The canner water and the pot with the lids should also be boiling. Now you’ll have everything ready to go when your meat is ready to be packed into the jars.

5. Using your wide-mouth funnel, pack your meat loosely into the jars as per instructions, along with some boiling water to avoid air spaces. Using a utensil, dislodge any air bubbles that may be in the jar. Fill with boiling water to one-inch from the top of the jar. It is suggested that you add salt now - up to one teaspoon.

6. After cleaning the top edge of the jars, place the lids on and firmly tighten the threaded rings.

7. Make sure you place the canner lid on the canner properly the first time. When all your jars are in the canner, and the lid is properly sealed, pressure will begin to build and water will begin to sputter out of a valve that’s on the cover of the canner. Don’t let this scare you. It doesn’t mean it’s about to blow. Patiently wait while the canner gains enough pressure inside to cause the moveable valve to slip into place. If it begins to be too long a period of time, like a half hour, then cool your canner down and reseal the lid. Reread your instructions so you know how to properly do this.

Once the processing time is finished, and your jars are completely cooled down on your protected kitchen counter, your jar lids should seal and have a concave appearance. After 12 to 24 hours, remove bands and wipe off any food residue from bands and jars. If bands are left on, they may rust and become difficult to remove. Store canned food in a cool, dark, and dry place. Home canned food can be kept for many years. However, after one year the quality will begin to deteriorate. For this reason, always date and label jars before storing. If you do this, it will help you better identify those jars that become unsealed over time.

Detecting Spoilage
If up-to-date instructions are followed carefully, spoilage is uncommon. However, it is still recommended to check for signs of spoilage before tasting any canned food. Check for a broken seal, gassiness when opening, mold, sliminess, cloudiness, or unpleasant odors. If any of these signs are present, discard the food.

As a safeguard against using canned low-acid and tomato products which may be affected with spoilage that is not readily detected, boil food 10 minutes for altitudes up to 1,000 feet above sea level. Extend the boiling time by 1 minute for each 1,000 foot increase in altitude. Many times odors that cannot be detected in the cold product will become evident by this method. If, after boiling, food does not smell or look right, discard it without tasting.

Expanding Your Repertoire

As you gain experience from canning meat, such as chicken breast and hamburger crumbles, you’ll want to branch out into canning stew, chili, and soup. There are plenty of recipes and resources available, but heed whatever instructions they give you for food safety.

The Ball Blue Book is an excellent resource, but try to get the most recent publication. They have replaced it several times over the years, and you’ll want the most current volume. This book will come with illustrations and food safety guidelines for the each recipe you want to cook.

The following recipes are from the Backwoods Home magazine, which is a great homesteading magazine. These recipes are used by the author, so they are tested. Adapt the recipe to your taste.

Beef Stew

5 pounds beef (or venison stew meat)

1 Tbsp oil

3 quarts cubed potatoes

2 quarts sliced or cut carrots

3 cups chopped celery

3 cups chopped onions

1 quart or more tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes

1 ½ Tbsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

Cut meat into 1-inch cubes; brown in oil. Combine meat, vegetables, and seasoning in a large stock pot and cover with tomato sauce, tomatoes, or water and bring to a boil. Do not cook. Ladle hot stew into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headroom. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe jar rim clean, put hot, previously simmered lid on jar and screw down ring firmly tight. Process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. Makes about 14 pints or 7 quarts.

Swiss Steak with Mushrooms

Several cubed steaks or round steak cut 1-inch thick, cut into pieces to fit into wide mouthed jars

6 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp flour

1 pint cold water, or more

1 Tbsp salt

2 cups mushrooms, cut into pieces

2 sweet peppers, cut fine

Add oil to large frying pan and brown meat without scorching. Remove meat to a warm place. Add flour to frying pan, stirring well and add cold water gradually to make a thin gravy. Add salt, mushrooms, and peppers. Bring to boil. Pack steak pieces into hot jars to within an inch of the top and ladle the mushroom sauce over top to within an inch of the top also. Wipe the rim clean, add hot, previously simmered lids on jars and screw down ring firmly-tight. Process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.