How To Can Chicken or Pork

Some more great info from our friends at foodstorageandsurvival

 

Canned Chicken

Want to know how to can chicken or pork?  Well, you’ve come to the right place.  Today we have a step by step, illustrated guide to canning pork and chicken!

Canning meat might sound a little intimidating, but it is actually easier than many fruits or vegetables.  Bottled meat is fully cooked when it is done processing, so it’s ready to use for a quick  meal any time, plus it is shelf stable so you can use your freezer space for other things.  If you can purchase chicken, pork, or other lean meat on sale, that is a great time to get some bottles full.  You can also use meat from animals you butcher yourself.  I’m canning pork and chicken today.  I did keep them separated in the bottles so I ended up with bottles of chicken and bottles of pork.  The instructions are the same for canning chicken and canning pork so I just put them together into one post and you can do either one or both.


 

To bottle pork or chicken you will need:

Meat–a little more than 1 lb per pint
Canning Salt (optional)
Pressure Canner
Pint or quart jars with rings and lids–I use pints.  A pint jar holds approximately 1 lb of meat, which is just right for most soups, casseroles, etc.

1.  Prepare your equipment.  Put the jar rack and about 2-3 inches of water in the bottom of your pressure canner.  Heat some water or broth for adding to your jars.  Heat the lids in a small pot  of hot water.


Water and rack in the canner


Heating water and lids

2.  Prepare your meat.  You can cut it into chunks, strips, or leave in large pieces that will fit in your jar.  Trim off extra fat, gristle, etc.  I like cubes about 1 to 1 1/2 inches square.  Larger pieces might   I had chicken breasts and a pork shoulder roast.  You can brown your meat before packing it if you want.  Chicken can be canned with the bone in–it falls off the bone nicely after canning.  I am raw packing today, but I have also canned fully cooked meat using the same method.  Processing times are the same.


Chopped chicken


Chopped pork

3.  Pack the meat into the jars leaving 1  inch headspace.


Meat packed in jars

4.  Add 1/2 tsp salt per pint, 1 tsp per quart if desired.


5.  Pour hot water over the meat and use a bubble freer or a butter knife to release the air bubbles.  Meat tends to seal up against the side of the jar and trap a lot of air, so make sure you insert your knife at least four times in the jar and wiggle it a bit to get all the air out.  Add more water to your jar if needed.


Free the air!

6.  Wipe the rims of the jars and apply the lids and rings.


7.  Process the jars.  Put the jars in your canner, and put the lid on.  Make sure you have the heat turned up.  When steam starts coming out the vent pipe, place the weighted rocker on the vent pipe.  Process at 10 lbs of pressure for 1 hour and 15 minutes for pints and 1 hour and 30 minutes for quarts.  While it’s processing, clean your work area really well–that was raw chicken and pork you were working with!


8.  When the processing time is done, turn off the heat and allow the canner to cool, then remove the  jars.  Meat is one of the messier foods to can.  You’ll probably want to wipe your jars off really well when you take them out of the canner (or wait for them to cool and then wipe them).


Bottled Chicken

9.  Once they’re cool, label them and you’ve got fully cooked shelf stable meat that’s ready to throw into your next casserole, burrito or enchilada, stir fry, soup or anything else you can think of!  Enjoy!

Canning meat instructions originally from the Ball Blue Book.

Via: foodstorageandsurvival

 


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