Hot pack/Cold pack chicken texture

[bill ace 350]

I will cold pack chicken this weekend in my pressure canner.

How does the texture of cold pack chicken compare to hot pack?

Thanks

 

[TNJAKE]

thirdeye cans alot of meat. Maybe he can help you out bill

 

[bill ace 350]

thirdeye cans alot of meat. Maybe he can help you out bill

Thanks.

 

[bill ace 350]

Dave, you didn't have to delete your post. It didn't bother me at all, seriously.

 

[chopsaw]

I have no experience with this , but am interested in the answer and what the difference is . Never hurts to learn something .

 

[bill ace 350]

I have no experience with this , but am interested in the answer and what the difference is . Never hurts to learn something .

I am planning on trying a cold pack this weekend. Then a hot pack next time. will let you know what i notice.

 

[chopsaw]

Thanks .
If you haven't seen this , might have some interest to you .
He also links an article down the page . Looks interesting .
thirdeye is the guy for questions .

Slowly Replenishing My Stock of Canned Meat

My state has a "recommended" stay at home order and our stores are starting to equalize their inventory, but they all have a limit of one type of item. Meaning you can buy hamburger, but only package even if it's 1# package. But you can also buy 1 rack of ribs, and 1 pork butt, or 1 package of...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[Brokenhandle]

I too want to know more. Someone nudge Thirdeye and wake him up from his nap lol!

Ryan

 

[bill ace 350]

I plan on canning some bone-in thighs and some cubed boneless-skinless breast.

 

[sawhorseray]

I'll be watching, this is the time of year I love canning goods on the patio. RAY

 

[daveomak]

Hey Bill, I find I prefer hot pack meats.....
I like to season it and saute it... 3 things that does... The meat is pre-shrunk from the cooking process, seasoned and the preheat speeds up the cooking process... The shrinking of the meat, makes the jars more full also.... A jar that is 3/4 full in the pantry, looks mo-betta that a 1/2 full jar...

 

[bill ace 350]

Hey Bill, I find I prefer hot pack meats.....
I like to season it and saute it... 3 things that does... The meat is pre-shrunk from the cooking process, seasoned and the preheat speeds up the cooking process... The shrinking of the meat, makes the jars more full also.... A jar that is 3/4 full in the pantry, looks mo-betta that a 1/2 full jar...

Thanks! Any noticeable difference in texture?

 

[daveomak]

Never have cold packed meat... Only tuna... I caught Albacore... When you cook it, it falls apart...

 

[thirdeye]

I will cold pack chicken this weekend in my pressure canner.

How does the texture of cold pack chicken compare to hot pack?

Thanks

Oops, somehow I missed your thread and the mentions from Jake and Chopsaw. I like the texture of hot packed pork, game and beef over raw packed. For chicken and turkey the differences are more subtle. It's good you are doing both methods and can test which one you prefer.

Cold packed meats take less time to prep but I like the ability to season meats when I par-cook and hot pack them. One of the main reasons I like hot packed meats is the meat shrinks less, and your jars are full of broth. All of the canning sources call for "no added liquid" when using the raw pack method, which means you often wind up with meat above the broth level. The reasoning behind this rule is simply... when testing was done, raw pack meats didn't receive any additional liquid. Fast forward 50 or 60 years and we have enhanced meats, especially turkey and chicken. No testing was done on brined or enhanced meats but the canning experts seem to have forgotten that.

So, when I do raw pack chicken (almost all my meats are in the 1.5 pint jars) I add some liquid. Bending the "no added liquid" rule, I add 3 tablespoons of broth. If I buy the enhanced chicken breasts from Sam's Club, I can reduce the broth to 2 tablespoons. For some additional richness I'll add one or two boneless thighs to the jars. I put a healthy pinch of black pepper in the jars, then add meat, broth, a second pinch of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon canning salt. Then work out any air bubbles with the Ball tool. With these jars my processing time is 90 minutes, at 13 psi (because I'm at 5400' elevation)

Now, here is where my method could produce slightly different results.... Back to the safety testing of yesteryear.... the 1.5 pint jars were not used in testing, only pints and quart jars were used. So, the rule of thumb is to process 1.5 pint jars using times for quart jars. Common sense would tell me I'm likely over-processing a little bit, and the additional fat from adding thighs probably helps here. Trying to shorten processing times would be a slippery slope I don't want to mess around with.

 

[bill ace 350]

Oops, somehow I missed your thread and the mentions from Jake and Chopsaw. I like the texture of hot packed pork, game and beef over raw packed. For chicken and turkey the differences are more subtle. It's good you are doing both methods and can test which one you prefer.

Cold packed meats take less time to prep but I like the ability to season meats when I par-cook and hot pack them. One of the main reasons I like hot packed meats is the meat shrinks less, and your jars are full of broth. All of the canning sources call for "no added liquid" when using the raw pack method, which means you often wind up with meat above the broth level. The reasoning behind this rule is simply... when testing was done, raw pack meats didn't receive any additional liquid. Fast forward 50 or 60 years and we have enhanced meats, especially turkey and chicken. No testing was done on brined or enhanced meats but the canning experts seem to have forgotten that.
View attachment 635321
So, when I do raw pack chicken (almost all my meats are in the 1.5 pint jars) I add some liquid. Bending the "no added liquid" rule, I add 3 tablespoons of broth. If I buy the enhanced chicken breasts from Sam's Club, I can reduce the broth to 2 tablespoons. For some additional richness I'll add one or two boneless thighs to the jars. I put a healthy pinch of black pepper in the jars, then add meat, broth, a second pinch of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon canning salt. Then work out any air bubbles with the Ball tool. With these jars my processing time is 90 minutes, at 13 psi (because I'm at 5400' elevation)

Now, here is where my method could produce slightly different results.... Back to the safety testing of yesteryear.... the 1.5 pint jars were not used in testing, only pints and quart jars were used. So, the rule of thumb is to process 1.5 pint jars using times for quart jars. Common sense would tell me I'm likely over-processing a little bit, and the additional fat from adding thighs probably helps here. Trying to shorten processing times would be a slippery slope I don't want to mess around with.

Thanks for the info/tips!
Any recommendations on the temp and time to par cook thighs, breasts and drumsticks?

 

[thirdeye]

Thanks for the info/tips!
Any recommendations on the temp and time to par cook thighs, breasts and drumsticks?

Well... when baking (or using your grill) any heat source that is in the 300° range is fine..., and you only want to get the internal temp to maybe 100° or 110°. Or, you can simmer (blanch) chicken in broth or water for a few minutes to achieve the same result. You just want partially cooked meat. For large batches of chicken, a Nesco roaster works great for this.

Both white meat and dark meat behave separately during processing, but I treat them the same when preparing them for hot packing. They will both be equally tender.

Once you master chicken, most other canned meats are easy because they are so forgiving.