Safety question

[rippper]

First off I know nothing about canning. My brother in law gave me some chili he canned, I ask him what the process was because I also would like to can MY chili. He said he puts the jars in the dishwasher on sanitize, heats the lids in hot water, then puts the hot chili into the hot jars then seals. Again, I know nothing about canning but before I eat this stuff........ is it safe?

 

[BigW.]

I'm hoping he just skipped telling you a few steps. Like using the pressure can step.

edit: to clarify pressure canning, not an insta-pot.

 

[rippper]

Nope, right on the shelf..... sounds like a trip to the hospital to me.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Any low acid foods like meats and bean must be pressure canned to avoid botulism.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I strongly suggest you get a book on how to can food safely. There are numerous ones out there including the Complete Ball Blue Canning And Preserving 2024 book...

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Ball-Blue-Canning-Preserving/dp/B0D9W7FLDH

 

[rippper]

I think I will stick to freezing mine...... thx for the replies.

 

[schlotz]

Let chili cool in fridge overnight. Get out your Foodsaver, place meal portion(s) in bags, vacuum out the air, seal then freeze. We do this all the time.

 

[gmc2003]

How do you get a good deal with the liquid being sucked out?

Prefreeze it in single portions before vacuum sealing

 

[schlotz]

How do you get a good deal with the liquid being sucked out?

For us the fridge overnight solidifies the mix, i.e. it becomes very thick and not runny at all so the vac machine works perfectly. As Chris points out, you can always prefreeze portions if yours is still runny.

 

[schlotz]

I understand freezing before sealing, I was just wondering how you did it without freezing not realizing you are making a very stiff stew.

Stew is not stiff at all when ready to eat. Actually a fair amount of liquid. The night in the fridge does the trick. A thawed out portion does need some reconstituting with some additional water.

 

[rippper]

Thx for all the replies, shared them with my brother in law who is now shopping for a pressure canner, He was shocked when he started researching food safty and canning. Very scary since he gave away dozens of soups and chili the past few years.