Canned Chicken

 Newly Canned Chicken Breast!

Chicken is on sale a lot. So it the time to stock up. I like to buy about 30 lbs. of skinless chicken breast and can it. You can buy whatever you like, thighs, drumsticks, backs, wings, boneless or with bones. I know many people like to freeze it. But nothing in my mind, compares to it being canned. It flavors it over time and protects it in case of power outages. Then you will have many quick meals!

Shopping for deals!

I have mentioned on here in a previous post, How I Can Ground Beef, that I like to shop at my local restaurant supply warehouse. MaineSource Restaurant and Party Supply Warehouse has the best meat in our area. Their prices are much better than my local grocery stores. Keeping an eye on my budget means being careful of what stores I shop at. I also like relying on a store that repeatedly sells me high quality food for a fair price.

Cooked Chicken Breast

Canning the chicken is not hard at all. I precook it. If you'd rather can it raw, that is your choice. They are both safe and good methods. Just follow the recipe in your canning book.

 Check Your Canning Book!

Be sure to have your canning book handy to refer to as you do your canning. It will give you clear instructions on how to do the canning. I always keep my book nearby and open to the recipe I am using. Even if I have done it many times. Just in case.

 Be Sure You Use A Pressure Canner!

You have to use a pressure canner......NOT a pressure cooker.......and NOT a water bath canner! It must be canned in a pressure canner, as the other methods will not bring the jars of food up to a safe temperature for canning. This is your life and your family's life you are protecting by using a safe canning method for the type of food you are canning.

 Cut Chicken In Cubes

After the chicken is cooked, since I am using boneless breast I cut it up in cubes. I think it is easier to use that way. I can use it in many recipes, shred it for salad or sandwiches. It is much more tastier than the canned chicken sold in the stores.

 Chicken Cubes In Water

Then I fill the pan with water and put it on the stove to boil. I just want the water brought to the boiling point. Take it off then, and I am already to get started. This water is what I will be adding to the jars as I can. It becomes the broth and is very good.

 Filled with hot boiling water

I fill my clean canning jars with hot boiling water and let them sit while waiting to be used. You can also immerse them in a pan of hot boiling water, but I find them hard to get out easily. This way works for me. It is up to you.

UPDATE: According to the USDA guidelines, you no longer have to heat the jars or simmer them in boiling water. I never did that anyway. I still put hot water heated to the boiling point in them so that they are hot when I put the hot food in them. I do not want to take the chance of one breaking from the hot food going into a cold jar.

 Dry the rim and lid

I put the rims and lids in hot water until I need each one. Wipe your jar lids and rims so they are as dry as possible. Remember the main reason why foods don't seal is due to grease between the rims of the jars and the lids. So make sure there isn't any there and you will get a good seal on all your food.

Then fill each jar one by one, with the chicken and add the hot boiling water. You may add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt for pints or 1 teaspoon of salt for quarts if you want for flavor. I do not. Wipe the rim of the jar and add your lid and rim and put into the canner which should be on the stove with about 3" of water simmering on the stove. Make sure you have a rack in the bottom of the canner or your jars will break.

 Canner Exhausting

After the canner is full, put the lid on and fasten it. Then turn your heat up a bit and wait for it to exhaust. You will see the steam coming out of the exhaust on the lid. It must do that for 10 minutes. It will make noise and sound like it is a rocket taking off. That is normal! Don't get scared of that.

 Regulator and gauge tell the pressure point

Then I put the regulator on it and let it come up to pressure. I use a regulator so it jiggles while at pressure. If it gets below the pressure point I am using, usually 10 pounds for my area, it will be silent. Then I know to check it. My canners have gauges so I can use them either way.

 Canning Season! 

When the time is up, I turn the stove off and let the pressure go down. It can take about 20 to 30 minutes to do so. Leave the lid alone until is done. First I take the regulator off, then let it sit for a few minutes before I loosen the lid. Open the lid away from you because the steam will be very hot. I let my jars sit about five minutes in the canner before removing them with the jar lifter to a thick towel in a safe place. Try to put them in a place where no one will touch them or cold air will hit them immediately on being taken out of the canner. Then let them sit for 24 hours.

Canned beef and chicken!

Canned meats, as well as canned vegetables, fruits and other foods will last many years in a safe spot. As long as your lids stay sealed they should be safe to eat. I have used jars of food canned many years ago. They taste like they were canned yesterday!

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
Updated July 2016

How I Can Ground Beef

Ground beef for the pantry shelves!

Saturday morning I drove to Binghamton (NY) to MaineSource Restaurant and Party Supply Warehouse to buy some meat to can. Since we do not have any refrigeration at the moment, I have to find the best way to store meats for longer periods. Especially when it gets so hot. I drive to the store early in the morning and get home as quickly as possible to start my work.

Browning the meat

I purchased 20 lbs. of ground Angus beef. The smartest way to do this would be to have everything sitting on the table before you go to town to buy the meat. I didn't do that. Regardless, the the first thing to do is to brown your meat. I used four large cast iron skillets to do this.

Draining the grease off

You can skip this step but I do it to drain off as much grease as I can. The reason is too much grease could cause the jars not to seal. Sometimes I rinse it with water. This hamburger though is called Angus ground and is not as greasy as others. So I was able to skip the rinsing.

 Bring the meat and water to boiling

After you drain the meat you put it in a stock pot and add water to cover it. Then bring it to a boil. Now it is ready to can. Hopefully you have everything ready. That means the jars are clean and filled with hot water, though some people put them in a kettle of water that is simmering. I don't do that. Have your lids and rims in hot water and everything you need in your work area. You can add salt for flavoring if desired. I don't.

Have all your supplies ready!

Take out a rim and lid and dry completely and then fill your jar with the meat, then fill with the broth until it is one half inch from the top. Wipe the rim of the jar as much as you can and make sure there is no grease remaining on it. When canning meat you do not want to have any grease on the rim of the jar or the lids and rims. Grease is the #1 thing that will cause your jars not to seal! Do not forget that!

Fill the jars one at a time

After each jar is filled put it into the pressure canner (MUST be a pressure canner and not a pressure cooker!) which should have three inches of water simmering in the bottom. Make sure you have a rack setting in the bottom as your jars will break if they are sitting directly on the bottom of the canner. You can use a folded dish towel for the bottom if you do not have a rack.

Exhausting the canner

After you have securely fastened the top of your canner, turn the heat up and let the canner exhaust for ten minutes. Then put the regulator or weight on and wait for it to reach 10 lbs. pressure.  Once it has reached there you can regulate it by adjusting the heat to keep it at a constant 10 lbs. For quarts of ground meat my canning book says to can for 1 hour and 30 minutes. When it is finished turn off the heat and let it set. The canner will make a noise about 20 minutes later when the gauge reaches zero. Then it is time to remove the regulator or weight. Let is sit for a few minutes, open the canner holding the lid away from you. That steam will be very hot! 

 All finished!

Take the jars out being very careful as they are hot. Cool air could crack them so be very careful where you put them. Put them somewhere they can sit for 24 hours without being disturbed. I set mine on a folded towel on the table or counter. There you are, you have canned your meat. So 20 lbs. of ground beef gave me 10 quarts of meat and broth and about 13 man sized hamburgers. It was well worth the time and effort! What about you? What have you canned lately? Or don't you can anything yet? Why not?

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
Updated July 2016