"Pressure Canning Your Bounty", by Becca Moffat

[robby denning]

Many Rokslide members have asked for the low-down on pressure canning meat and fish. Our very own Becca Moffat, queen of the backcountry kitchen, has obliged and written a very thorough article on the technique of pressure canning. After reading it, I think even I could handle this stuff. Take it away Becca:
http://www.rokslide.com/2012-01-09-05-12-00/general/309-pressure-canning-your-backcountry-bounty

 

[Tuffy]

Great article Becca! The Rokslide thread you posted a couple years ago on this subject inspired me to get a Pressure Canner, we now have two All American Canners and we've used them a lot. I'm sure this article will inspire more, and will also inspire a lot of questions for you.... so I might as well start. Can we talk you into posting some of your recipes? On one of your other posts you talked about you and your friend canning and one of you made White Chili, could you post that recipe.
Thanks, Tuffy

 

[Matt W.]

Becca,

Would you mind talking through the actual products you use and your experiences with what works best? From the pic with the article it looks like you are able to do it outside which would make my wife much more willing to help me take this on (vs. messing up her kitchen). Maybe talk Robby into a Part 2 article for us all.

Matt

 

[robby denning]

.... Maybe talk Robby into a Part 2 article for us all.

Matt

Oh ya, gee thanks Matt!
Seriously, if people want to read it, we want to publish it.

 

[Becca]

Glad you guys enjoyed it and found it useful. I am glad to dig up links to recipes I have used, as well as do a bit of an equiptment review. I am working a 13 hour shift at the hospital today so it will likely be tomorrow before I can get the specifics together....

Open to the idea of a part 2 as well Matt, if you let me know more specifics about what you'd like to see in it

 

[Snowcrest6]

Good article!

Don't get freaked out by the whole process and lengthy instructions......its actually very easy to do.

 

[Snowcrest6]

Becca (or anyone else...) - Have you ever canned chili? I've tried it a couple times and the beans always turn out mushy....

 

[BroodBuster]

Has anybody ever used the little tin cans? I've used the mason jars before for salmon and tuna but don't like the idea of glass in my pack or boat. The little tins intrigue me but I have never found much good info where to find them or how to use them.

 

[Becca]

Becca (or anyone else...) - Have you ever canned chili? I've tried it a couple times and the beans always turn out mushy....

I have had good luck canning chili, and never had issues with my beans. Not sure if it matters, but I think I used canned beans instead of soaking dried ones. I also know I didn't fully cook the chilli before I put it into the jars. The instructions I was using (from the cooperative extension service I think, I am going to look for the recipe later today and try to post it) called for fully cooking the meat, and then basically stirring the rest of the ingrediants together to get hot but not cooking them all the way like you would if you were going to eat it right out of the pot. Remember that the canning process actually cooks the food, and at a higher temp than what you could do it on the stove. If you fully cooked your chilli and then pressure canned it, I think perhaps your beans ended up over cooked...

 

[Becca]

Has anybody ever used the little tin cans? I've used the mason jars before for salmon and tuna but don't like the idea of glass in my pack or boat. The little tins intrigue me but I have never found much good info where to find them or how to use them.

We have not canned into tin cans, but I have canned with friends who do this and it isn't much more complicated. Basically you need a can sealer like this one: http://www.amazon.com/All-American-...qid=1419355479&sr=8-1&keywords=Tin+can+sealer

This one is fairly pricy, I think I have seen them cheaper before so you would want to shop around.

And then I think the instructions for exhausting the canner are just a little bit different, your instruction manual should walk you through it but it's very straight forward from what I have seen,

The main reason I prefer jars is that they are reusable. The flats of cans are available at most retailers alongside canning jars, and typically cost about the same, but are only good for one use. The glass jars are reusable in definetely unless they chip or crack. I also like being able to see the product that's inside the jars, but that's just because I like to admire my handiwork I could definetely see the cans being more practical to take along, and they are certainly more durable for storage. I may have to try them out someday....

 

[Matt W.]

Glad you guys enjoyed it and found it useful. I am glad to dig up links to recipes I have used, as well as do a bit of an equiptment review. I am working a 13 hour shift at the hospital today so it will likely be tomorrow before I can get the specifics together....

Open to the idea of a part 2 as well Matt, if you let me know more specifics about what you'd like to see in it

Becca,

Here is what I was curious about...

I see that pressure cookers come in different sizes. Go big or somewhere in between?
Brands: Lot of pressure in one of these once cooking, assume quality matters, but what brands are the good ones?
Check List of equipment to get one started. Cooker, tongs, jars, lids, ??
What do you do to the food prior to canning? My grandma used to make a huge bunch of moose stew and then can it for me. I lived off that stuff in college.

I really like the idea of using the camp stove / propane stove deal and doing it in the backyard. I can remember as a kid mom canning green beans from our garden, peaches from the Columbia, and more. Canning cooked food to preserve (like stew and chili) is something my family has got to try!

 

[BroodBuster]

Thanks Becca. Great stuff as usual.

Oyster season here in the PNW and I just did my first batch recently in my new smoker and they came out great. I've always wanted to cold smoke them and then can in a tin. Comfort food for the trail . Think I'm gonna have to pull out the canner this off season and figure that out.

 

[Becca]

Becca,

Here is what I was curious about...

I see that pressure cookers come in different sizes. Go big or somewhere in between?
Brands: Lot of pressure in one of these once cooking, assume quality matters, but what brands are the good ones?
Check List of equipment to get one started. Cooker, tongs, jars, lids, ??
What do you do to the food prior to canning? My grandma used to make a huge bunch of moose stew and then can it for me. I lived off that stuff in college.

I really like the idea of using the camp stove / propane stove deal and doing it in the backyard. I can remember as a kid mom canning green beans from our garden, peaches from the Columbia, and more. Canning cooked food to preserve (like stew and chili) is something my family has got to try!

I have only ever used All American canners, and I really can't say enough good about them. They feature all metal components so there is no gaskets or seals to maintain. That being said they are kind of expensive. I found my giant model on amazon for the same price that they wanted for the smallest version at our big box store here in town, and I got free shipping! There are lots of other brands available, but when I did my research they got some mixed reviews and so that's how I ended up going with All American. If anyone else has experience with other brands, I would be interested in hearing about it.

Different philosophies on canner size, and it's going to depend on your primary use. I personally own the All American model 941, which is the largest model available (will do 32 pints or 19 quarts in a single load). When I bought it I wanted to be able to batch process a lot at a time. There is a lot of downtime with canning, and i wanted to be able to do literally like 100 salmon in a day. The big canner is also the only one that will do a large number of quart jars in one batch, so that was another factor. I knew I wanted to do large batches, and often multiple quarts in one batch and so I went big. The downside to the huge canner, (besides the fact that it's extrememly heavy when full) is that it doesn't fit on a kitchen stove if you have an over the range microwave. This is why I typically do my canning on the propane burner, either outdoors or in our garage with a door cracked to ventilate. I don't mind using the propane burner, as it keeps the fish or meat smells out of the house but it does mean that I spend the better part of a day outside or in the garage if I am canning. The canner really can't be left unattended in the event the pressure gets too high or too low as you have to be on hand to adjust the heat. Luke's mom owns a smaller model of canner, and I have sometimes borrowed it if I only wanted to can a small batch of say chili or spaghetti sauce on the stove in the kitchen.

As far as other equipment, I am not brand loyal but I would really recommend a good canning funnel, kitchen timer and magnetic lid lifter.
You can certainly pressure can without these items, but they are cheap and make your life much easier. I think I paid around $15 for a kit that included all of it. The funnel in particular makes it much easier to get stuff into jars without making a mess, and I actually use mine almost daily because I often put leftovers in jars instead of Tupperware.

The propane burner came with a big pot, and I think was intended to be a turkey fryer. It has always worked flawlessly, as long as I was careful not to run out of propane it seems to be pretty fuel efficient, although I haven't every kept track of exactly how long I am able to run it on a standard bottle of propane, it's definetely good for 3-4 batches at a minimum.

 

[Becca]

Here is a link to the chili recipe I typically use:

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/chili_con_carne.html

I can't find the link to the white chicken chili recipe I used. I think it was very similar to this one:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/white-chili.html

I am pretty picky about where I obtain canning recipes, and try to only use ones from sources I consider reputable because of the safety risks. So dummies.com is not usually a resource I would trust, however it looks almost identical to the one I used previously which was put out by the cooperative extension service.

 

[JCT]

This is right up my alley.
I do lots of canning. I've canned everything, bacon, milk, all kinds of meats and of course loads of vegetables.
Just did 17 half pints of smoked bluefish my niece gave me.
I've often wondered why it isn't done by more people.
Freezer space can come as a premium for those who hunt alot, combine that with those who grow gardens and such,
only makes sense to can things. Lasts along time and if the power fails no problem.
I don't much care to pressure can outside as the breeze can really effect the heat and pressure fluctuations are a big issue in
pressure canning successfully. In a protected area it's certainly doable though. Good option in the summer also as to keep from
heating up the house.
I'm new to this site and this article is one of the reasons I joined up. Very informative and good info.
Regards
JT

 

[30338]

Got the 195 Bergers shooting well and had time before the Broncos game so thought we would can some ground elk and bear this am. Few pics to tag along with Becca's article. This is all unseasoned meat going into pint jars. This allows you to make tacos, chili, sloppy joes, burritos or anything you'd use ground meat for without remembering how it was seasoned.


You want to boil your empty jars for 10 minutes to be sure they are clean. The pot on back left contains the boiling water you need to fill the jars to about 3/4" from the rim. Front right is elk getting browned.

Once the meat is browned and in a large bowl, shifted the canner to the hottest burner and put small pan with canning lids in it to heat up the seals. Don't boil the lids or they sometimes won't seal.

The red cubes are beef bouillon, I put about a quarter teaspoon of canning salt in each jar as well.

Fill jar with browned meat. I pack it pretty tight. Then fill to 3/4" from top with boiling water, twist on lid with two fingers and don't overtighten.

Put them in the canner with about 3-4 inches of water coming up inside the canner but not covering the jars. Process pints for 75 minutes at the pressure recommended for your altitude.

This used up the last of the 2014 elk we had and will last canned for several years. The best part is when you need ground meat but forgot to get some out of the freezer to thaw out. This stuff is ready to go on no notice.

 

[Becca]

Looks great 30338! A tasty wintertime project for sure!

 

[Slim Jim]

I can't believe I've never read this article. Good job Becca! I'm really looking to start canning for a few reasons. One, my stand alone freezer is full (not complaining) and two, I'm not a big fan of the taste of duck but like to hunt them. I've heard that canned duck is delicious if flavored well.

 

[30338]

Have tried duck in some kind of sauce a few years back. First batch was good, second batch not so much. Worth a try for sure. I keep wanting to can some trout but haven't done it yet.

 

[30338]

Becca, For chili, just have it simmering in a large pot after mixing well and then pack jars and process for length of time for meat? Thinking about putting up a big batch in quart jars. Think that is all there is to it, but curious if you had any tricks. Thanks