Dealing with the high cost of food - canning meats

[NJLiberty]

Well this week's trip to the local market was a real shocker. 93% hamburger was up to $5.49 per pound! Since when did ground up scraps become a precious commodity? Needless to say I didn't buy any. I bought a chuck roast for much less, took it home and ground it myself. Now I can't tell you what the fat content is on that, obviously wouldn't qualify as 93% lean, but it tastes a lot better than generic hamburger and cost less than half of what they were charging. Grinders are inexpensive on their own, and most stand mixers have a grinder attachment available. The only investment after that is your time. Besides, it is rather nice knowing what is in your hamburger meat. If you are adventurous you can very easily make your own sausages as well.

Another thing I am doing more of now than I used to is canning meat. Yes, I have a freezer, but the space I have to take advantage of sales is sometimes limited. After hunting season there is usually very little space in there between the venison, goose and duck breasts, etc. But I can always find a place to tuck away a few more jars. Lately poultry and pork have been much less expensive compared to beef, so I have been buying them up, eating what we want fresh and canning the rest.

For those of you whose only experience with canned meats are tuna fish and things made by Dinty Moore, you are in for a very pleasant surprise. Canned meat is very tender, very flavorful, and since it's already cooked it lends itself to quick and easy meals. Of course there is some initial cost in getting set up to can your own meat. First off a pressure canner is a must! There are no exceptions to that rule, but you can get a decent one for as little as $60 new. Obviously you need, jars, lids and rings, but again they are a small expense, and aside from the lids they are reusable from year to year.

Basically what I do with the chicken for example is simmer it in some water, usually with onions, carrots, etc., as if I were making stock. I then remove the meat from the bones, pack it in jars, cover it with the hot strained broth and a bit of salt, and process it in the pressure canner. The pork is done pretty much the same way. Whatever stock I have left over gets canned as well, or I will freeze it in ice cube trays and place the cubes in plastic freezer bags for later use.

It isn't terribly time consuming since most of the time things are just simmering or processing on the stove and don't need your immediate attention. It is a great way to take advantage of sales on whole chickens, or parts, and larger cuts of pork than your family may need for one meal.

You can also can your own soups, in which case you use less chicken, add some vegetables and stock, and process. Instead of reaching for the $2.00 can of Progresso, you can grab a jar of your own soup which cost a lot less, has none of the chemicals you don't want in there, and has only the things you personally enjoy in a soup since you made it! You can put up stews the same way. Again the time involved is minimal. If you already make your own soups just make more that day, and put up what you don't eat. If you have never made soup before then now is a great time to learn 

I don't foresee the price of meat coming down any time soon. Like gasoline it looks like it is only going to go higher for the time being. We need to be able to best take advantage of the sales we can find, and it is always nice to know that in case of emergency you have all the food you need for a while sitting on your pantry shelf.

George

[KBCraig]

That's a good idea. I've frozen lots of soups, sauces, stock, etc., but never canned any.

[Pat McCotter]

OK NJLiberty, when are you going to get here and hold classes on canning? Or is there somebody else here looking to do this?

I'm serious about wanting to learn how.

[Puke]

BAM! Already canned and everything.

[Pat K]

I put these in a can, but now its so heavy!!

[porcupine kate]

I'm looking to some canning this summer.  I haven't done before but I have been collecting the equipment to give it a try.

[NJLiberty]

Pat, I can teach you from afar as best I can since I won't be in NH any time in the near future. I was hoping to make it to Porcfest by that is looking remote right now. I would strongly recommend you get your hands on a copy of Ball's Blue Book - Guide to home canning, freezing, & dehydration. It is a very good basic source of information, and errs always on the side of caution. I would be more than happy to teach you or anyone else. I have been canning for about 25 years on my own, 35 years if you count helping out at my grandma's knee.

Kate, the same thing. If you have any questions, need recipes, etc. let me know. The single biggest favor you can do is keep everything very clean. The whole point of canning is to kill the bad things that cause food to spoil. The cleaner you keep things while doing this the better your end result will be.

Puke, I love the packaging...your cans are way prettier than mine 

Pat, you might want to cut those up a little smaller next time 

[ny2nh]

Well this week's trip to the local market was a real shocker. 93% hamburger was up to $5.49 per pound! Since when did ground up scraps become a precious commodity? Needless to say I didn't buy any. I bought a chuck roast for much less, took it home and ground it myself. Now I can't tell you what the fat content is on that, obviously wouldn't qualify as 93% lean, but it tastes a lot better than generic hamburger and cost less than half of what they were charging. Grinders are inexpensive on their own, and most stand mixers have a grinder attachment available. The only investment after that is your time. Besides, it is rather nice knowing what is in your hamburger meat.

Not sure where you're shopping, but I usually pay anywhere from $1.69-$2.19 a pound for hamburger. If I am making burgers, I buy ground chuck. I have a friend in the meat industry and he recommends chuck for the best flavored burgers. If chuck roast is on sale, I just ask the store to grind it for me.....they will if you ask.

[KBCraig]

Kat tried kanning meat, and seems to have liked it. 

[NJLiberty]

Not sure where you're shopping, but I usually pay anywhere from $1.69-$2.19 a pound for hamburger. If I am making burgers, I buy ground chuck. I have a friend in the meat industry and he recommends chuck for the best flavored burgers. If chuck roast is on sale, I just ask the store to grind it for me.....they will if you ask.

That's down here in the A&P supermarket, though the other supermarkets are the same anymore. Even cubed steak, which used to be dirt cheap, is $3.50 a pound and up. There used to be a local butcher but they closed up shop. They had great ground chuck at a real nice price, as well as interesting things like goat and guinea fowl.  If I am lucky right now I can get 85% sometimes on sale for $1.99-$2.49 per pound, but I would rather buy the chuck roast. I know they will grind it for me, but with all the food borne illness problems they have had with ground meats I would just as soon run the meat through my own grinder.

George

[kola]

watch hunting become more popular.

i think people need to be challenged..and I find it amazing to see how adaptable they really can be.

same with the gas crunch.. good things will come out it.

we have all been a bit spoiled and lazy..now its time to get out and do some real living and remember what it takes to survive..hell, some may even enjoy it!

its called self-sufficiency...and BTW having a good circle of friends will be invaluable as well.

Kola

[Pat McCotter]

watch hunting become more popular.

What does watch hunting have to do with any of this?

its called self-sufficiency...and BTW having a good circle of friends will be invaluable as well.

Kola

True, and Claire Wolfe has an article on this very subject.
Circle of friends—The importance of other people in our preparedness plans

[Puke]

Sounds like it's mostly beef that you are talking about. What about chicken?
I don't like beef so I only buy chicken and turkey if I can.

[NJLiberty]

Chicken and turkey are both very easy to can. I mentioned beef mostly because the price of beef has been going up much faster than that of poultry or pork.

You can chicken either on the bone or off, whichever you prefer. I do it off the bone simply because it is easier to pack that way, but that is just a personal preference. Turkey, having larger bones, you would almost have to do off the bone. Both can very nicely.

I do can corned beef in the spring time when it is on sale and very cheap (you can also make your own corned beef very easily.) Other than that I don't can much beef, mostly because we don't eat much of it. When we do, it is usually as hamburgers or roasts, and neither lend themselves to canning. So the beef goes in the freezer.

You can also can fish. I don't personally only because it gets overcooked in my eyes, so that also goes in the freezer.

Wild game can be put up the same as beef or poultry.

Here is the basic procedure for poultry.

Cook the chicken until its about 2/3 done. It will finish cooking during processing. Remove the skin and bones (if desired) pack the hot chicken into hot jars, leaving one inch of headspace (the space between the top of the chicken and the top of the jar.) Add salt if desired. I usually add 1/2 teaspoon to pints and a full teaspoon to quarts, but it isn't necessary. Add hot broth (or water) to the jar, again leaving one inch of headspace. At this point if there are any air bubbles in the jar you want to remove them. Wipe the rim of the jar clean, and put on the two piece caps. Then you process the pints for 75 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure in the canner, or 90 minutes for quarts. Once the jars have cooled thoroughly you remove the bands, check the seals, label and date the jars, and store them in a cool, place out of direct sunlight. The process for pork is virtually the same, you just cook the pork much less initially, 1/3 to half done is all.

Note: If you live higher than 1,000 feet then you are going to have to adjust the amount of pressure used. Ten pounds is only good at 1,000 feet and below.

The biggest thing again with all of this is cleanliness. The jars need to be thoroughly washed and then put into hot water where they stay until you fill them. The lids and rings themselves I also keep in hot water until they go on the jars. All the rest of your equipment you want to wash before you start and keep clean as you go along, including the surface you are working on.

As far as using the meat goes, always check the seal before you open the jar. If the seal has broken throw the meat away. Don't taste it, don't try it, just chuck it. Generally with meat, if the seal is broken you will smell it. It will smell like rotting meat. Assuming the seal is okay and the meat is okay, then you can use it any recipe you wish, bearing in mind that it is already cooked so you can add it towards the end of the cooking instead of when you would if it were raw. You can use the broth from the jars as well for soup, stews, gravy, etc.

George

[Lloyd Danforth]

I would strongly recommend you get your hands on a copy of Ball's Blue Book

Someone suggested this to Pat years ago, but, he misunderstood and bought the Blue Balls Book