Just curious to know how our ancestors canned meat. Or even if they did. Say back in the 1800’s. Did they have pressure cookers back then? Did just just smoke all of their meat? Just make jerky? I have read that some would take a big pot of lard and put cooked meat in the lard before it gets solid. The lard would preserve the meat. Sounds messy to me, but, what do I know...lol
I read somewhere about them using the lard too. If I read it right, as soon as there was a break in the lard or it sank below the meat..it would spoil.
Smoked- Salted and hung in a smoke house for three to six weeks.
Pickled- packed in barrels with vinegar, salt and spices.
Dried- Thinly sliced, salted and placed in the sun to dry. There is also cold drying that was done during the times when it was not quite freezing but very dry. This was not done often in the US as there were not a lot of places where you had these kind of conditions for a couple of weeks.
You also did sometimes did your slaughtering after the weather turned cold and stored your fresh meat in a shed where it froze solid. Probably with freezer burn before spring. :)
Chicken and turkeys were usually just killed and eaten fresh.
I remember my father building a fire to “cold pack”. Jars were done the same, but put into a large covered pot with water. He would keep the fire hot for several hours. It worked, but he only did that occasionally as we also had two pressure canners.
The all knowing, all hearing, all seeing, rally smart Mzzz Bender says they salted it in barrels just like they did fish (think Lute Fish). The current food nazis drive me nuts to drink...
They would pickle, cure, dry, or confit their meats. Confitting is what you’re probably thinking of with the lard, but it’s more complicated than just sinking a hunk of meat in fat. Look up Michael Rhulman’s book called Charcuterie, it has lots of recipes for preserving meat.