OK, you have got my attention! I have only heard of canning vegetables at home. I would love to learn more about canning meat.
It’s really easy. I’d advise you to buy the Ball Blue Book of Canning and Preserving. Covers canning, freezing, dehydration of fruits, veggies, and meats. There are also websites, but I know the Ball Book won’t steer me wrong. JMHO.
You can use the raw pack method or partial cooking method and with or without bones. With or without salt. Times vary depending on which method, and boneless takes longer than bone in.
For beef or pork roast, I just cube the meat and put it in pint jars, add boiling liquid or water. If it will be used as a soup base or casserole that uses the liquid, I will add salt. If I won’t be using the liquid, I add less broth and no salt.
That’s because potassium will be leached into the liquid @ 50% with out salt. With salt more will go into the liquid (as much as 100% theoretically).
One half a chicken or two leg quarters per quart-depending on the size of the chicken. If the chicken is already cut up, I pack the white meat separate from the dark.
If I buy whole chickens, I roast 3 of them (all my oven will hold)until the are about half done-maybe a bit more. This makes the cutting and partial deboning easier. I pack the breasts together and the leg quarters together and fill in with the back’s meat, butt meat, and wings to fill up the quart jars.(wings can be put aside to make some buffalo wings or something.
The wing tips and carcass along with the tiny bits of meat and skin all go into the stock pot with veggies and a little balsamic vinegar or lemon juice(helps to bring the calcium/minerals out of the bones) to make broth which is canned the next day or so.
Processing times vary, but it’s at 10 lbs. of pressure here for up to 1 hr. 30 min. again depending on the above mentioned variables.
This will be very tender meat, and is far superior to what you buy in the store, and loads cheaper. All I ever add is canning salt, because spices can make for off taste/and or icky looking liquid as can table salt.
It’s the perfect “meat helper”. Can be eaten straight out of the jar. Heated to eat covered with gravy, or used in a casserole. Less than 30 min. from prep to oven to table.
Exactly true !
When it comes to processing/ canning meats , or low acid foods , use a pressure canner.
I always prefer to : "Be safe , rather than sorry"
The only exceptions, to my mind, is when you are brineing or putting up high acid foods like tomatoes and pickleing cukes.
The only other meat processing that I do is dehydrating; but that gets tiresome if you don't like to gnaw on your food.
Get the Ball Blue Book of Canning and Preserving , and you will have all the information that you need for food processing and preserving.
Off season , you can probably get much of your supplies at Hardware stores , Tractor Supply, Dollar Store, or even Salvation Army and Goodwill .