06-23-2011, 06:45 PM
Chicken anyone?
The subject that got this thread started. We can chicken. Lots of chicken. One of the local stores runs some very good specials with a 10 lbs minimum. A case is 40 lbs which makes a decent amount to do in an evening. I prefer to use thighs but any cut will work, including breasts. We skin and debone the chicken but neither is necessary. We remove the skins to reduce the fat content and the bones so that there is more meat in the jar. A 40 lb case of thighs yields about 26 pints.Pack the meat into the jars ( we do pints ) leaving an inch of air space at the top of the jar. A funnel is sold for this purpose. They are cheap and really help to keep the jar rim clean, which is very important. Some people add salt before canning. We don't use any. Prep your lids (wash in hot water with a touch of detergent) Wipe down the rim of the jar with a cloth or paper towel with some vinegar on it. This cuts any grease you may have gotten on the rim. A greasy rim on the jar may prevent a seal. Place your lids on the jars, screw on the bands just snug. Too tight and the jar will break in the canner. Place your jars in a PRESSURE canner and process for 75 minutes at 15 psi. When time is up, remove from the canner and wait for them to seal. It usually only takes a couple of minutes but may take over an hour. When they are sealed and cool enough to handle wipe them down well with a cloth or paper towel with vinegar on it to remove any grease from the exterior of the jar. label and date each jar and test each seal my picking each jar up by the lid, not the band which you should have already removed from the jar. Store in a cool dry place, preferably in a dark area. Shelf life in actuality is several years. Flavor will decline with age, but 1 year old stuff tastes as good as just canned to me. When you use your canned chicken you need to test the seal again before you use it, just to be safe. Pick the jar up by the edges of the lid again. Heat it up before adding any other ingredients or adding to anything you are cooking up. If for some reason it has spoiled in the jar you will know by the smell when it gets hot. Sort of a barnyard smell to it if it's bad.
Don't toss those bones out! Put them in a pot, add some water and steam the meat scraps off the bones. Put the meat and broth in jars and can that too. Great stock for making chicken corn soup. Squirrel and rabbit can be canned this way also, but it's a real pain to do boneless so we can them with the bones in and take them out when we use it.
A short disclaimer here... The FDA specifies a PRESSURE CANNER as the only safe way to can meat products, even though I personnaly know a whole lot of old timers who canned a whole lot of meat without a pressure canner and don't know of one person who contracted botulism.
Next issue.........................BACON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The subject that got this thread started. We can chicken. Lots of chicken. One of the local stores runs some very good specials with a 10 lbs minimum. A case is 40 lbs which makes a decent amount to do in an evening. I prefer to use thighs but any cut will work, including breasts. We skin and debone the chicken but neither is necessary. We remove the skins to reduce the fat content and the bones so that there is more meat in the jar. A 40 lb case of thighs yields about 26 pints.Pack the meat into the jars ( we do pints ) leaving an inch of air space at the top of the jar. A funnel is sold for this purpose. They are cheap and really help to keep the jar rim clean, which is very important. Some people add salt before canning. We don't use any. Prep your lids (wash in hot water with a touch of detergent) Wipe down the rim of the jar with a cloth or paper towel with some vinegar on it. This cuts any grease you may have gotten on the rim. A greasy rim on the jar may prevent a seal. Place your lids on the jars, screw on the bands just snug. Too tight and the jar will break in the canner. Place your jars in a PRESSURE canner and process for 75 minutes at 15 psi. When time is up, remove from the canner and wait for them to seal. It usually only takes a couple of minutes but may take over an hour. When they are sealed and cool enough to handle wipe them down well with a cloth or paper towel with vinegar on it to remove any grease from the exterior of the jar. label and date each jar and test each seal my picking each jar up by the lid, not the band which you should have already removed from the jar. Store in a cool dry place, preferably in a dark area. Shelf life in actuality is several years. Flavor will decline with age, but 1 year old stuff tastes as good as just canned to me. When you use your canned chicken you need to test the seal again before you use it, just to be safe. Pick the jar up by the edges of the lid again. Heat it up before adding any other ingredients or adding to anything you are cooking up. If for some reason it has spoiled in the jar you will know by the smell when it gets hot. Sort of a barnyard smell to it if it's bad.
Don't toss those bones out! Put them in a pot, add some water and steam the meat scraps off the bones. Put the meat and broth in jars and can that too. Great stock for making chicken corn soup. Squirrel and rabbit can be canned this way also, but it's a real pain to do boneless so we can them with the bones in and take them out when we use it.
A short disclaimer here... The FDA specifies a PRESSURE CANNER as the only safe way to can meat products, even though I personnaly know a whole lot of old timers who canned a whole lot of meat without a pressure canner and don't know of one person who contracted botulism.
Next issue.........................BACON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Luke 22:36