More canning!

[jdgabbard]

Saw the other thread, and just thought I'd post since only an hour ago I got done with my FIRST time canning. Now obviously I've done it before, with mom and granny, but this is my first time in my adult years. Since I'm only 28, it's a little non-typical, as most people my age just have a puzzled look on their face when you get to talking about it. But nonetheless, here is beef stew!

By the way, a question for the gurus... The lids that come on the new jars, are they ok to use? I went ahead and used new ones and put those back in case they are usable.

[hammerhead357]

AFAIK the lids that come on the jars in the box are usable. they have never been heated for sealing. just treat them as if they were new...wes

[jdgabbard]

Thanks Wes, I guessed as much, but like many other things... When in doubt, change it out.

[Lloyd Smale]

im far from an expert as this is my first year too. Ive gone through 7 cases of jars so far and all the lids that came with them worked just fine other then the first batch which i didnt know to heat them. Two of them failed.

[mroliver77]

Yep the lids are fine. You did pressure cook the snot out of the beef stew using a book for processing time? You dont want to cut corners when canning meat or concoction with meat in it. I am proud of you guys learning to can. I grew up helping Grandma and Mom can Eight of us kids so canning was a must for us and was a family affair!
Jay

[redneckdan]

I can stew, rouladen and chili starter using the cheapest and toughest cuts of meat sold in the store. Since they need to be cooked 90 minutes anyway the meat comes out tender. I mostly just can the meat and juices then add the veggies fresh when I go to heat it up and eat it. Carrots and potatoes get pretty well annihilated when pressure cooked for 90 minutes. :lol:

[Changeling]

I can stew, rouladen and chili starter using the cheapest and toughest cuts of meat sold in the store. Since they need to be cooked 90 minutes anyway the meat comes out tender. I mostly just can the meat and juices then add the veggies fresh when I go to heat it up and eat it. Carrots and potatoes get pretty well annihilated when pressure cooked for 90 minutes. :lol:


Actually Dan those cheap cuts like round, both bottom and top have a lot of flavor, some mix it with some chuck and it gets even better. Just don't cook it no more than it has to be cooked. Like any type of cooking, to much can just make it a tasteless mess.

[jdgabbard]

Yes I did go off a recipe. Cooked the stew, then processed it at 10lbs for 95 minutes. Got a good seal on all of the jars, so I think it worked... But if one day you don't hear from me, I guess we'll know, haha...

[Old Goat Keeper]

JD when you open a jar of pressure canned low acid food to eat boil it first for 10 minutes. That will destroy any botulism toxin in the jar if any. Canning is fun and safe if you follow directions.

Tom who has canned most of his life

[krag35]

Canning is just another step in being a whole human being :-)

[uncowboy]

OK Guys I have some questions. I bought the jars and lids and book and I am ready to jump in and do a deer this year. The book says I must use a pressure cooker for meat. I don't want to spend $80.00-$125.00 for a pressure cooker to be used once a year. Not to mention storeing it.
Now my IDEA was to load up the jars with meat and seasonings. Plase on my grill in a waterbath. Cook at 300 deg for 90 miunets and then seal and store. Why won't this work? I don't want to short step the process but I know a lot of people doing meat with just boiling water. Will my Idea work? Do I have to get the pot? J.Michael

[waksupi]

OK Guys I have some questions. I bought the jars and lids and book and I am ready to jump in and do a deer this year. The book says I must use a pressure cooker for meat. I don't want to spend $80.00-$125.00 for a pressure cooker to be used once a year. Not to mention storeing it.
Now my IDEA was to load up the jars with meat and seasonings. Plase on my grill in a waterbath. Cook at 300 deg for 90 miunets and then seal and store. Why won't this work? I don't want to short step the process but I know a lot of people doing meat with just boiling water. Will my Idea work? Do I have to get the pot? J.Michael

There is no way you can boil at 300 degrees. Pressure cooker is required.

[oneokie]

I don't want to spend $80.00-$125.00 for a pressure cooker to be used once a year.

Garage/yard sales, Estate sales, Craigs List, evilbay are good places to find PC's at reasonable prices.

Botulisim is a very insidious killer........and if one survives, not pretty.

[redneckdan]

At 14.7 PSI (atmospheric pressure) water boils at 212 degrees. No mater how much heat you put to it the contents of the jar will not get above 212 degrees until you boil the pot dry and burn everything. At 29.7 psi (using a 15lb rocker) water boils at 252 degrees. You need the 40 degree temperature difference to kill off the bacterium that produces botulism toxin.

I got my pressure cookers at yard sales. Even if it needs a gasket kit it is still pretty cheap.

[jdgabbard]

You can also get pressure cankers pretty cheap on amazon... I bought mine at walmart, and it's the kind that just has the weight, not the gauge... But it seemed to work ok...

[jdgabbard]

Dan, you said using a 15lbs rocker? My manual to the canner said 10 for most food... Where did you get your info?

[lgsracer]

I find most my canning questions answered here:


The National Center for Home Food Preservation is your source for current research-based recommendations for most methods of home food preservation. The Center was established with funding from the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (CSREES-USDA) to address food safety concerns for those who practice and teach home food preservation and processing methods.


http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html



http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/general/food_pres_temps.html

General Canning Information

Temperatures for Food PreservationTemperature(s) Effect

240 to 250°F Canning temperatures for low acid vegetables, meat, and poultry in a pressure canner.

212°F Temperature water boils at sea level. Canning temperature for acid fruits, tomatoes, pickles, and jellied products in a boiling-water canner.

180 to 250°F Canning temperatures are used to destroy most bacteria, yeasts, and molds in acid foods. Time required to kill these decreases as temperatures increase.

140 to 165°F Warming temperatures prevent growth, but may allow survival of some microorganisms.

40 to 140°F DANGER ZONE. Temperatures between 40°F - 140°F allow rapid growth of bacteria, yeast, and molds.

95°F Maximum storage temperature for canned foods.

50 to 70°F Best storage temperatures for canned and dried foods.

32°F Temperature water freezes.

32 to 40°F Cold temperatures permit slow growth of some bacteria, yeasts, and molds.

-10 to 32°F Freezing temperatures stop growth of microorganisms, but may allow some to survive.

0 to -10°F Best storage temperatures for frozen foods.

[jdgabbard]

I have that info... the USDA guide: principles of home canning... It states 10-15lbs... I'm just curious why he states 15... I cooked mine at 10 and am wondering now if it was enough.

[lgsracer]

Assuming your canner is generating 10 psi and you live below 1000 ft from sea level you are fine.

http://www.simplycanning.com/altitude-adjustments.html

[jdgabbard]

Now how would you go about checking if something has in fact gone bad? Is there going to be a "specific" smell associated with botulinum? Color, texture? It has always been, historically, the women in my family that did the canning. And Unfortunately, those women have passed on...

[lgsracer]

Most common types of Clostridium botulinum bacteria found in canned food produce a foul oder.

Very good data sheet on the Clostridium botulinum bacteria:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09305.html

[oneokie]

I have that info... the USDA guide: principles of home canning... It states 10-15lbs... I'm just curious why he states 15... I cooked mine at 10 and am wondering now if it was enough.

The pressure is dependant on altitude. As mentioned, 1,000 ft is the first break point for changing/adjusting the required pressure for safe canning. Most good canning books have charts showing the elevation and pressure/time adjustments that need to be made.
USDA guidelines state that 240° is the minimum to ensure that the food is safe.

[redneckdan]

Dan, you said using a 15lbs rocker? My manual to the canner said 10 for most food... Where did you get your info?

I used 15lbs to illustrate the point because I knew the values off hand. I didn't have my steam tables in front of me at the time to look up the values for 10psi. Where I live is at the breaking point where 10lbs is not enough and my rocker only works in 5lb increments so I use 15lbs.

[Suo Gan]

Canning is just another step in being a whole human being :-)

Here, here!