[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Jars (now with 106% more venison) (Page 1 of 12)
Posted: 8/21/2009 12:26:01 PM EDT
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I guess you can do other stuff besides drink out of them. Who knew? Beef, fat trimmed  Smoke and brown for flavor  Other ingredients  Sterilized  Flavored  Ready for the bath  Bring on the heat  Step 2: Post pics while waiting for pressure cooker to make cheap meat delicious and tender |
I approve of this message. We've done quite a bit of "cold" canning of tomato based sauces and soups, but will be getting onto the pressure canning later this summer. I can't wait to can some cheap meat. 
ETA: for those interested, there are usually shit tons of people (obviously with more money than me) that give away canning jars for free on craigslist, particularly in the fall. Last year we got 200+ over the course of a weekend in the Seattle area. Several dozen were still new in the box. |
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Seems I heard........................those jars can be used to drop grenades from a helo...................pull pin, insert grenade into jar. Keeps the spoon in, so it doesn't blow............drop. jar breaks, spoon pops off...................................
They did it on T.V....................that show "Riptide" (let's see if anyone remembers THAT one  ), so it MUST be true.........................
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Quoted: How do you plan on using that beef, i.e. what type of recipes etc? Have you done this with beef before? If so, what type of textural consistency did you experience out of the beef after a bit of storage? This is our maiden voyage canning beef. I've always wanted to try canning it, and Chelleshooter likes stew. (should cut down on stew cooking time considerably) We're thinking casseroles and other baked dishes will make the pre-cooked beef pretty handy to have around, but we haven't really figured it all out yet. Dunno if a)we'll like it, or b)it will be as useful as it seems like it should be. My thoughts are that it will be awesome, but I've been plenty wrong in the past.  In my younger years, some of my friends parents canned venison regularly. That stuff was about as good of eating at I've ever had! One of our favorites was to mix it up cold with mayonnaise, (like many do with tuna), and make sammiches with it. Very hard to beat. This beef will be tried that way very soon. I'll report back then. Chelleshooters aunt cans tuna, turkey and chicken every year, and it's great stuff. So that's what got her interested. LCR1 treated a bunch of us LCRs to his unbelievable canned smoked salmon a few years back, and that's what got me interested back then. I went head first in to copying it, and it turned out beyond awesome, (that's what the smaller jars in the pics above are for. gave so many away as gifts that I needed to get more jars)..... but that's the limit to my experience with canning until tonight, save helping my parents do it as a kid. So, we're both newbs really. Not sure we have a lot of expertise to offer. The manual got me through the initial salmon project, so be confident you'll get all the basics from that book. (Marvs recipe is what made the day) I'll post the measurements/instructions we used for the beef in another post. Partially to share the recipe, but also for the archives, so I can find it next time I need it |
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Quoted: Seems I heard........................those jars can be used to drop grenades from a helo...................pull pin, insert grenade into jar. Keeps the spoon in, so it doesn't blow............drop. jar breaks, spoon pops off................................... They did it on T.V....................that show "Riptide" (let's see if anyone remembers THAT one ), so it MUST be true.........................I not only remember that show, I remember that episode! Loved the helicopter on that show. Screaming Mimi. |
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Measurements and process for yesterdays beef (mostly for Dallas, but anyone is welcome to read) Pressure canner will hold 8 wide-mouth pint size jars, per session. (Ours. They do sell larger and smaller pressure cooker/canners. This one will also hold 12 1/2 pint jars, double stacked. Perfect for smoked salmon.) Wide-mouth jars are a bit more expensive, but are much easier to fill and to clean. We did 16 pints yesterday. 15 lbs of beef (we bought 6 '2.5lb' roasts on sale at Safeway for $1.89lb) was pretty hard to stuff in to 16 jars after trimming away plenty of hard fat before cooking. 12 lbs of trimmed/prepped meat should be about right. If you have a dog, he'll enjoy whatever doen't fit in to the jars.... a few ounces per batch in our case. 1 clove garlic per jar, or two little ones. Three 32oz containers of broth were used. We ended up throwing maybe a cup or so of it away, that didn't fit. According to the canning books and several other canning enthusiasts, the recipe isn't all that critical. The process of canning is. (disclaimer:) Pay close attention to the details in your manual, including headspace and sanitation methods. And don't be lazy about the pressure cookers warnings. If you're not the type to pay close attention to detail, stick to the pre-canned stuff at the store. Hate to see anyone get hurt or sick because OdT said this or that. Some people can it raw, some believe in browning it first, some put 1/2 teaspoon of salt in each jar, others use broth instead of water, garlic is optional, smoke it first or not at all, trim all the fat off or leave it and it will form it's own wax-like seal at the top of each jar, throw a jalapeño pepper in each jar, etc.... The possibilities are endless I suppose. We chose to use garlic and broth only, after grilling it briefly on the smoker. I'm not sure what it is about canning something that has been smoked, but a little goes a long way. It will have plenty of smoke flavor with as little as an hours worth of smoking. (that's all that I used for the salmon mentioned before, and it was better than perfect.... and it's just enough cooking time to allow the skin to fall off of the meat easily. But that's another post, for another day) This beef was smoked/grilled on high (hot) for about 10 minutes per side. (20 min total). We haven't tasted it yet, but there's no doubt there's a solid amount of smoke flavor, as evident by the strong smoke smell when we opened the canner. Made my mouth water  The amount of actual time it took was roughly 3 hours per batch. The amount of time spent actually working was around 30 minutes per person (2 of us). The rest of the time is spent waiting on temps to rise and fall, and monitoring the pressure on the canner. Pretty light duty really, and fun too. We're going to do chicken breast this afternoon, using the exact same recipe. (chicken broth instead of beef broth). I bought 12 lbs of boneless and skinnless this morning. Haven't decided how I'm gonna slice them yet, but I think against the grain, to facilitate shredding, to be used in assorted mexican dishes. Hope this all makes sense. Just kinda rattled off what we did yesterday. |
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Quoted:
Measurements and process for yesterdays beef (mostly for Dallas, but anyone is welcome to read) Pressure canner will hold 8 wide-mouth pint size jars, per session. (Ours. They do sell larger and smaller pressure cooker/canners. This one will also hold 12 1/2 pint jars, double stacked. Perfect for smoked salmon.) Wide-mouth jars are a bit more expensive, but are much easier to fill and to clean. We did 16 pints yesterday. 15 lbs of beef (we bought 6 '2.5lb' roasts on sale at Safeway for $1.89lb) was pretty hard to stuff in to 16 jars after trimming away plenty of hard fat before cooking. 12 lbs of trimmed/prepped meat should be about right. If you have a dog, he'll enjoy whatever doen't fit in to the jars.... a few ounces per batch in our case. 1 clove garlic per jar, or two little ones. Three 32oz containers of broth were used. We ended up throwing maybe a cup or so of it away, that didn't fit. According to the canning books and several other canning enthusiasts, the recipe isn't all that critical. The process of canning is. (disclaimer:) Pay close attention to the details in your manual, including headspace and sanitation methods. And don't be lazy about the pressure cookers warnings. If you're not the type to pay close attention to detail, stick to the pre-canned stuff at the store. Hate to see anyone get hurt or sick because OdT said this or that. Some people can it raw, some believe in browning it first, some put 1/2 teaspoon of salt in each jar, others use broth instead of water, garlic is optional, smoke it first or not at all, trim all the fat off or leave it and it will form it's own wax-like seal at the top of each jar, throw a jalapeño pepper in each jar, etc.... The possibilities are endless I suppose. We chose to use garlic and broth only, after grilling it briefly on the smoker. I'm not sure what it is about canning something that has been smoked, but a little goes a long way. It will have plenty of smoke flavor with as little as an hours worth of smoking. (that's all that I used for the salmon mentioned before, and it was better than perfect.... and it's just enough cooking time to allow the skin to fall off of the meat easily. But that's another post, for another day) This beef was smoked/grilled on high (hot) for about 10 minutes per side. (20 min total). We haven't tasted it yet, but there's no doubt there's a solid amount of smoke flavor, as evident by the strong smoke smell when we opened the canner. Made my mouth water
The amount of actual time it took was roughly 3 hours per batch. The amount of time spent actually working was around 30 minutes per person (2 of us). The rest of the time is spent waiting on temps to rise and fall, and monitoring the pressure on the canner. Pretty light duty really, and fun too. We're going to do chicken breast this afternoon, using the exact same recipe. (chicken broth instead of beef broth). I bought 12 lbs of boneless and skinnless this morning. Haven't decided how I'm gonna slice them yet, but I think against the grain, to facilitate shredding, to be used in assorted mexican dishes. Hope this all makes sense. Just kinda rattled off what we did yesterday. Excellent. Instructions are copied and put into the recipe folder. 
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Beef enchilamachidacos* tonight for dinner, fuggeneh! *corn tortillas wrapped around said canned beef with cheddar and green chilies inside, baked under enchilada sauce and some more melted cheese. Served with sour cream and some other rice recipe that was to die for. (congrats Chelleshooter!) The beef hits 11/10 for flavor. Wicked good! Texture is 8/10. But there's also a standing rule in our family; 'We don't like lean meat'. Next time we'll look for a little marbling in the beef, or trim it a little less conservatively. But damn, that flavor seriously kicks some ass.  16 pints ain't near enough. |
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Quoted:
Seems I heard........................those jars can be used to drop grenades from a helo...................pull pin, insert grenade into jar. Keeps the spoon in, so it doesn't blow............drop. jar breaks, spoon pops off................................... They did it on T.V....................that show "Riptide" (let's see if anyone remembers THAT one ), so it MUST be true.........................That actually the first thing I thought of...
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We've been enjoying the beef & chicken so damned much, we decided some desert was in order. Trial run for apple sauce 7 lbs Fuji Apples 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (we under-sweetened it on purpose.... personal preference) Yield = 5 pints (canner holds 7 pint jars, we shoulda bought 11 lbs of apples)  Lemon water bath, to prevent browning  Under cook the apples  After pureeing, bring to 212 degrees  Boil filled jars for 20 minutes  Yum  |
Hey OdT, why Fuji apples for applesauce? I ask because they seem very expensive for making applesauce (to me).  I have found the cheapest apples available still make great applesauce. You can jar it and freeze it no need to "can". Good stuff!
Also, now that you have eaten some of the beef, is there any adjustments you'd make to the recipe? I'm going to be giving it a try soon. Makes my mouth water.
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Quoted: Hey OdT, why Fuji apples for applesauce? I ask because they seem very expensive for making applesauce (to me). I have found the cheapest apples available still make great applesauce. You can jar it and freeze it no need to "can". Good stuff! Also, now that you have eaten some of the beef, is there any adjustments you'd make to the recipe? I'm going to be giving it a try soon. Makes my mouth water. I asked her to get either Fujis or Galas. The main objective was to avoid the Red or Golden Delicious apples that she usually buys, which are usually well past their prime by the time they make it to market, and especially at this time of year, (I won't eat them plain). Aiming for a quality product was my sole intention, even if only for a trial run. But you're right, anything probably would have been good if prepared right. Later on in the year, we'll be picking them out of the trees in the yard, and we'll get quite an assortment of flavors. (we have dozens of apple trees here) On the beef; No, the recipe is excellent in our opinion. She thinks the smoke may be a little strong, but she's not as big of a fan of the smoked flavor that many people are. Once it's cooked in to the meal, the flavors do blend in very, very well. So, no adjustments are planned. I would like to try some better cuts of beef just to see if it makes any difference. But with the way we are cooking with it, it likely doesn't matter. Quoted: Quoted: Ya know, I never understood why they called Mason jars canning. That is uncanny...because he's a Mason. |
| Great thread. This is our second year doing a garden and we are planning to can this year, I never really thought to can meat. I definitely want to do some apple sauce, pickles and tomatoes this year. I always cook with low sugar too, everything is too damn sweet! I also got a vacuum sealer so I think I may blanch and vacuum pack some squash and zucchini, I may try canning it too though. I tend to like frozen veggies better then canned but it may be better being "home canned" I would imagine. Great info here thanks for sharing. What other stuff do you can? |
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OdT, what was the cut of beef you used? It did look a bit lean, a round of some sort? I'm thinking chuck would be very good for this just trim out the biger bits of fat. I also think some pork shoulder would lend itself to this method very well. I think some good marinade and time before the grilling would be a good thing to try too.
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Quoted: Great thread. This is our second year doing a garden and we are planning to can this year, I never really thought to can meat. I definitely want to do some apple sauce, pickles and tomatoes this year. I always cook with low sugar too, everything is too damn sweet! I also got a vacuum sealer so I think I may blanch and vacuum pack some squash and zucchini, I may try canning it too though. I tend to like frozen veggies better then canned but it may be better being "home canned" I would imagine. Great info here thanks for sharing. What other stuff do you can? Just getting started with the canning really, and haven't decided where to stop at yet. We're not too terribly crazy about all the vegetables, (prefer frozen with most stuff), but we'll do some green beans and some tomato sauces later on, when they ripen. We'll also do some pears and apples then I think. The vacuum sealer is a lot of fun. We played with that idea a little last year too.  |
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Quoted: I also think some pork shoulder would lend itself to this method very well. Oooooooh. I hadn't even thought of pork yet. Excellent! IBSSB (In before somebody says bacon) Not sure what type of roasts they were. "Round" rings a bell. Chelleshooter looked hi & lo for the receipt for you, but it must be gone already. At $1.89 per lb, I'm sure it wasn't much. Definitely wasn't chuck roast. I would have remembered that. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I also think some pork shoulder would lend itself to this method very well. Oooooooh. I hadn't even thought of pork yet. Excellent!
IBSSB (In before somebody says bacon) Not sure what type of roasts they were. "Round" rings a bell. Chelleshooter looked hi & lo for the receipt for you, but it must be gone already. At $1.89 per lb, I'm sure it wasn't much. Definitely wasn't chuck roast. I would have remembered that. I just looked at last weeks Safeway ad, they had top round on special for $1.89 lb. bet that was it. Starting tomorrow QFC has boneless chuck on sale, buy one get one free, which will pretty much equal $2.25 lb. I think the good thing about canning is that the process will really enhance the less expensive cuts of meat. Thanks for starting this thread. You really got me going on this.
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Quoted: OdT, what was the cut of beef you used? It did look a bit lean, a round of some sort? I'm thinking chuck would be very good for this just trim out the biger bits of fat. I also think some pork shoulder would lend itself to this method very well. I think some good marinade and time before the grilling would be a good thing to try too.1st batch of pork shoulder is in the canner now. Can't wait to try it! (didn't bother with any new pics...same as before) We used the same recipe, but since they don't sell store-bought pork broth, we used chicken broth in it's place. Everything taste like chicken anyhow, right?  Thin sliced (3/4") chuck (beef) was on sale at SW today for $1.99#, so we're thinking of doing a couple more batches of that tomorrow. We seem to be going through the beef the fastest so far. |
One of these isn't quite like the other. (beef, chicken, pork, happiness) Dinner pics, as requested. Using beef.... my absolute favorite pastime. Broth goodness  Moar  Spice, and sauté. Let 'm blend.  Her version. No rice, lotsa cheddar, mega olives, red tamale sauce.  My version. Onion, green chillies, rice, green & red tamale sauce, mozzarella... w/ BACON on top!  His and hers, pre-oven.  Served  |
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Quoted: Did you shave your arm? http://media.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=10443 http://media.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=10445  Quoted: Looks nice. Me hungry. Have you tried just cooking a roast in the pressure cooker? They are most awesome and faster than a roasting pan. They end up even more tender than a slow cooker. No I haven't, but I did have intentions to do so when I bought the cooker. To be honest, the Traeger Grill really takes over cooking most meats once you get one. Other methods always seem like a step down. |
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Canned Smoked Salmon (part 1) Safeway has Sockeye on sale today, for $8.99 lb., so today, we can salmon. Normally I go down to the dock or fishery in South Bend WA for fresher fish, but this should work fine.  Cut and place in dish  Spices  Salt this much  Dont be shy  Garlic powder this much  Then add some more garlic  Heavy on the onion powder  Lots of dill weed. Lots!  Go heavy on the brown sugar  Allow to marinate 1 hour minimum.  Next stop: The smoker. In about an hour  Random details- Fresh diced onion and fresh minced garlic is preferred, but this batch is meant to please even those who won't eat vegetables under any circumstance. Some prefer to brine in overnight and then wash off all the spices before smoking. Same flavor more or less, but I like more This way is faster anyhow. |
Thanks maxdun, and all. We're having a lot of fun with it  After an hour or so of chilling  In to the smoker for an hour-ish  Skins peeled  Yum  Good lookin stuff  24 1/2-pints fit nicely  [placeholder for a finished pic, after a couple of hours of bacteria killing]  Odd how each jar has a different level of liquid. The one on the far right is fullest, while others have much less. Where does it come from? Forgot to mention earlier, we bought 12 lbs. of salmon. That's about 2 lbs too much for 24 1/2 pints. (My parents should be enjoying the other 2 lbs for dinner.... about right now )FYI, you can taste this recipe without the canning process. Just season it the same, smoke lightly and then bake sealed in foil. I've been doing it for years now, and it's still winning seafood haters over. |
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Quoted: In before the finished product! Lets see, we have cow, chicken, pig and fish. Needs more game. Don't forget the apples Yea. I should probably get back in to hunting again. Always enjoyed it and was always successful at it. If the deer keep eating the leaves off of our new apple trees, we'll have a contest to see how many of the little fuckers I can fit in to the new freezer.  |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Jars (now with 106% more venison) (Page 1 of 12)
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