Food Preservation

Comment

Comment by Pat Johnson on July 18, 2010 at 1:10pm

One exception to my statement of not adding liquid is if I fry the meat first. Then I add broth before canning. Mel is right about the tenderness of the canned meat. I think the meat that is canned without liquid is similar to baked or slow cooker tenderness. Adding liquid before cooking makes the meat more like boiled meat. Frying it first and then adding broth preserves the meat but it must be quick fried again to eliminate the moisture in the jar. David's smoking and drying is definately the best tasting but it generally doesn't have the shelf life of canned meats. It also requires a lot more preperation time. If you want the best of both worlds you can smoke the meat about 1/2 way then can it. You get the great smoke flavor and the shelf life too! I do that with my canned-smoked-salmon and it turns out great. I also used that method when making canned pastrami (pastrami is corned beef that is smoked with a rub instead of simply boiled).

Comment by David Berry on July 18, 2010 at 12:07pm

Probably the safest and tastiest method of preserving meat is drying/smoking.

Specifically for the hunters - lots of interesting recipes.

Comment by Torry on July 18, 2010 at 11:37am

I've canned plenty of venison...just cube it, toss in a few garlic cloves or onion slices (helps with the gaminess) never any extra liquid. The liquid in the meat cooks out and it all cans up just fine. I've found it's great for stews, the meat gets good and tender while canning, it just falls apart on the spoon.
MelG, if you're chasing after hogs with a .22, I commend you on your well-equipped fortitude! That's one mean, BA animal!

Comment by Pat Johnson on July 18, 2010 at 10:15am

Mel,
I rarely use any additional liquid when caning meat. Adding liquid causes a lot of the meats to become soft and mushy (especially sausages). There is enough liquid in the meat, chicken and fish to ensure a good source. The meats will pressure-can just fine without the additional liquid so why add it? Besides, I like to know there is only meat,chicken or fish in the jar. There's enough guessing what's in the jar at the store;-)

Comment by Mel G on July 18, 2010 at 8:00am

Pat ~ Let me start by saying, I've never canned meat except what's in chili... You don't put anything in the jars with the sausage? No liquid of any kind? I'm looking forward to canning up meat when hunting season comes along, but can not afford to try if with store bought meats. So, in the meantime I'm gathering up tips, tricks and recipes for all sorts of canned meat. We have a large deep freezer that I always keep full, so it's not like there is magically going to be space after hunting ~ lol ~ so I'm going to have to can it. Plus, I'm thinking we may go wild hog hunting before hunting season. They are a nuisance animal here and we can go get them at any time. I've just got to get more proficient with my bow first. Or bring the .22.

Comment by David Berry on July 18, 2010 at 1:47am

Saw a recipe for pickled halibut on http://www.scandcook.com/
Large Jar, Chop up fish in cubes, stack fish - onion - sea salt in layers.
Add sprigs of rosemary
Boil vinegar, some water, and rose wine. Pour into jar
Set jar in boiling water for about 15-20
rest and cover

Comment by Pat Johnson on July 7, 2010 at 8:58am

Over the past week I've been experimenting with canning sausages.I've canned meat for years but never sauage in casings. I wanted to make sure they would hold togerther and not brust into plain ground meat. I plan to make/stuff a "lot" of sausage this fall and wanted to be sure I could store it canned and not have to freezer burn a bunch of it. It would also serve to pre-cook the sausage making it a fast food. Once canned it would only need to be heated or if you wanted grill marks, a quick minute on the grill. Because it would be canned I could have it ready to go on the grill or in the pan if needed at the lasat minute and consequently would not have any waste at all. No more having to guess at how much to thaw or having to eat sausage leftovers for a week. As it turns out I can "CAN" sausages with tremendous results. In the end I learned I could fit 5 full sausages in a quart jar. I can the sausages adding "nothing else", no water or broth, for 90 minutes. The result is a sausage that is already cooked and has the same consistancy of a sausage cooked on the grill (minus the charing & grill marks). The pros are....fully cooked and ready to eat, shelf stable, no freezer burn, extraordinarily portable. Cons....takes a few minutes to stuff into the jars and a couple hours to process. Now when I go on picnics or to an outdoor BBQ I'm not stuck cooking for a long time over a hot grill!!!! I used the Johnsonville type sausage and tried italian, brats and chirizos. All of them turned out the same and were great.

Comment by Pat Johnson on July 4, 2010 at 9:28am

I'm making Kimchee this morning. Kimchee is Korean Cabage that has been preserved by a salt brining and then spiced with dried/crushed chili, garlic, dried shrimp/fish and various others spices depending on who makes it and where. Usually I use Napa Cabage which costs about $1.15lb. Today I am going to try and experiment with the 39 cent per pound cabage at my local grocery. I am interested in finding out if it tastes good when made into Kimchee. The main ingredient (cabage) sure would be cheaper and easier to grow. For beginers you can find a pre-packaged Kimchee packet at most oriental stores. You just mix some canning-salt into water and cut up the cabage into 2 inch squares and imerse it compltely in the salt brine for 24 hours. Then rinse well and drain, sprinkle with the spices and work it into the cabage well. Then jar it and allow it to sit a few days before eating. The Koreans preserve their gabage harvest for the entire year when it comes ripe by making Kimchee. It's very similar to the more well known Sourkraut done in Germany and other european countries.

Comment by Pat Johnson on July 3, 2010 at 5:48pm

Thanks Mel. I'll try not to do too many to use in a few months time unless I find a way to extend that time.

Comment by Mel G on July 3, 2010 at 5:50am

Hi Pat ~ I have no idea about the "proper" technique, but here's my $0.02. I tried refrigerating a jar once... Never again. It ruined the texture of the tomatoes. I keep mine in a cool dark place (top cupboard right near the a/c vent and far from the stove) for no more than 7 or 8 months. I've found that after that, the oil starts to turn. Ewwww! I just make sure that if I jar up more than I'll use, when it's getting close to the 5 month period, I give away the extras with instructions to use them that week.

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