GRANDMOTHER OLIVE IS BACK ON CANNING BEEF AND VEAL

I am not going into how the animals are slaughtered, but I am going into the fact that we use as much of the beef as we can.  Parts that you may consider throwing out can be great meat to eat.  For example cow lips and cheeks would be great for hamburger or sausage.  Pancreas (sweetbread) is considered a delicacy in many gourmet restaurants.  Heart, liver and kidneys are really the most nutrition parts and shouldn't be thrown out. I am going to tell you the basic way to can meats.  If you want a special way that I don't mention, you will have to ask and I will put it on a future post.  Again, as I did in the last post, recommend that you get a book on canning meat as my memory isn't as good as it use to be 40, 50, years ago.

There are two kinds of pressure canners - the dial-gauge and the weighed gauge.  My information is on the dial-gauge because that is what Jean and I own.  If you have a weighed gauge pressure canner the process time is different.  Altitudes also can make a difference in process time.  So what I am telling you for my area, may be different from yours, that is why I recommend you buy a book or take one out at your library.

NOTE: When I say 75 minutes per pint of 11 pounds of pressure or quarts at 90 minutes for 11 pounds of pressure,

For meat that you have cut-up into stripes, cubes or chunks:

Hot Pack: Cook meat by roasting, stewing or browning in a small amount of fat - slowly - until rare (145 degrees),  With your bimetallic food thermometer check to make sure the meat is as done as you would like it.  Pack the hot meat in the glass jars, loosely.  Spare 1 inch at the top of the jars.  If you like, you can add 1/3 teaspoon of salt to each pint or 1 teaspoon to each quart.  Then cover meat with boiling meat juice, broth or tomato juice.  If needed add boiling water.  Still leave 1 inch at the top of the jars.  Put cans in pressure canner.  For my area process time should be 75 minutes per pint for 11 pounds pressure of hot pack per pint and 90 minutes per quart..

Cold Pack: Cut meat as you would for hot pack.  Put the raw meat into the glass jars loosely, again leaving 1 inch space at the top.  If you want to add salt - add 1/2 teaspoon per pint and 1 teaspoon per quart.  Put sealed jars into pressure canner.  For my area process time would be 75 minutes per pint for 11 pounds and 90 minutes per quart.

Ground Meat

Do not grind fresh meat with scraps.  Make sure you use fresh, clean, cold meat.  Also don't use lumps of fat in the meat.  You may add 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of ground meat, if you wish.  Mix well.  Only use hot pack for ground meat.You can make ground meat into fairly thin patties or about 2-inch balls or into cans without breaking it up.  Start by cooking meat until it is lightly brown.  From drippings, skim off any fat.  DO NOT use fat for canning.  If canning meat without shaping - just saute until brown and drain fat off. Leaving 1 inch at the top of the jar, pack patties, balls or unshaped meat into glass jars.  Then cover meat with boiling meat juice, broth, or tomato juice leaving 1 inch at the top of jars.  Check jar lids, then put into pressure canner at 75 minutes for pints of 11 pounds or 90 minutes for quarts of 11 pounds.

Sausage

Sausage changes flavor in canning and storage so use seasoning sparingly and measure spices, onion and garlic carefully.  Do not use sage as it makes canned sausage bitter. Make sausage meat into patties.  If making cased sausage cut into 3 or 4 inch links.  Cook and pack meat as for ground meat, place in pressure canner using 75 minutes per mint or 90 minutes per quart of 11 pounds  pressure canner.

Veal

Veal is the meat of calves.  Calf meat or Veal does not have the fat on it that beef meat does.  Veal or calf meat is processed just like previous beef in canning.

I hope this helps you in considering canning meat.  Next week, I will do the post on pork.  I am trying to keep this as easy as possible, but I have been doing it for years and what I think simple, you might think complicated, if you have never done it before.

Follow God,
Olive