How to Can Meats
Canning Chicken
It all starts with roasting/cooking your chicken, and making bone broth as described in our Table Transformation Course. By now, you should be experienced with that process. This is where our canning instruction begins.
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Have your bowl of de-boned meat and pot of hot broth at the ready.
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​Fill your sterilized jars with any desired combination of meat and broth to fill to 1 inch below the jar screw band.
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Seal and place in pressure canner. Make sure you’ve place the recommended amount of water in the canner. It is the steam from this water that creates heat and pressure.
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Fill your canner for the most efficient use of space and energy. Cover and lock lid in place, turn heat on medium to bring pressure up to 15 lbs,, then begin your 90 minute cooking time.
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Monitor this process closely when doing it for the first time. It will become matter of-fact after you’ve practiced it. You want to keep your heat at an even point—and may need to adjust it—to ensure that the pressure inside the canner climbs slowly and safely.
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Be sure to read and follow all safety and operating instructions for your particular pressure canner.
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When the 90 minutes are over, turn off the stove top heat. Allow to cool in a manner that best fits your kitchen: on stovetop, remove to a cooling rack, place on floor (away from children and animals!) or place in your sink.
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However you do it, let it cool completely before opening and removing jars. Twenty-four hours is not uncommon in our kitchens for this cooling process.
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Remove cooled jars from canner, test for seal, then wash and dry entire jars (if desired) and place in storage.​
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IDEAS FOR USING CANNED CHICKEN & BROTH
Think soups, stir fries, gravy, barbecue, hot beef sandwiches, and chicken and noodles—just to name a few.
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LAURIE'S HOT CHICKEN SANDWHICHES
A great fast food from your own pantry:
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Heat one quart home-canned chicken with broth in a sauce pan.
Add in enough thickener (I like about 2 TBS. rice flour), and same amount of butter to begin thickening the broth for gravy. Cook to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, or really ramp up the flavor with our Foodwifery S.O.S. seasoning.
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Serve on rice or with sourdough buns, bread, or tortillas. Top with your favorite condiments or vegetables.
Canning Beef
I remember my Dad helping himself to Mom’s home-canned beef, and sitting on the porch eating a whole pint of it for a meal. Didn’t even reheat it! He told me it was the best tasting meat he’d ever eaten!
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When I started canning beef, it was to preserve those extra pieces that didn’t get consumed during the winter months. I simply thawed the frozen beef until I could cut it off the bone and into the proper size for canning. Guess what I did with the bones? Yep—made bone broth and canned that, too!
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Overall, canning beef is a simpler process than canning chicken and broth.
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Cut up raw beef into 1 inch cubes, fill jars to 1 inch below band, place 1 tsp salt (optional), seal. No water or broth needed!
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Process at 15 lbs. pressure for 90 minutes.
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If you wish to get VERY purposeful, find a willing butcher who will prepare some (or all!) of your grass-fed beef in one-inch cubes for you to can at home. It’s definitely a time-saver when you don’t have to do the cubing.
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Also, some butchers offer a canning process of their own. It’s usually in metal cans, but can be a great time-saver and a convenient way to store meat.​
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IDEAS FOR USING CANNED BEEF​
Think soups, stir fries, gravy, barbecue, hot beef sandwiches, and beef and noodles—just to name a few.
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Canned beef is the new fast food!
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NOTE: Safety dictates that the meat be heated thoroughly before consumption (unlike my Dad’s preference!).