Slowly Replenishing My Stock of Canned Meat

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thirdeye

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Dec 1, 2019
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The Cowboy State - Wyoming
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 steaks etc. We're trying to only shop every 7 to 10 days and so far I've canned a family pack of chicken breasts (cold pack with a little broth added), and two pork butts. I cold smoked some of the pork for 2 hours, then baked it with some plain cubes until it was lightly browned, and hot packed it all. I like the smoked pork for sandwiches, the the regular pork has unlimited uses. I think I have about 25 of the 1.5 pint jars left, and maybe 24 pints which is way more than we need, so it will make good surprise gifts.
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Nice, I haven't tried canning pork but yet. I've done chicken, beef and pork loin. I should check what I have left, know I have canned chicken and ground beef but not sure of the rest.
 
Nice job.
Canned or frozen each have their advantages. I tend to rely on frozen.
When planning for the apocalypse, I do say canning has the advantage over the freezer without power.
 
Great preps. I haven’t starting canning, but I’m thinking about it. I need to start educating myself on canning. Botulism is my primary concern. Need to make sure I do it correctly.
 
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Nice! Way to restock supplies. I've canned chicken, deer & sausage links but never tried pork butt. Great idea on smoking before canning. How much broth did you add to the partially cooked smoked pork? Have to put that on my to do list.
 
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You get yourself a pressure canner & a hot water bath canner you will be able to can almost everything that will fit in a jar. Just make sure you follow instruction book that comes with them. I have a 23 qt. Presto pressure canner. Not top of the line but works for me. Also have 3 hot water bath canners. If I can learn how to use a pressure canner anybody should be able to but can’t stress enough to follow instruction book. Here is a pressure canning project from last year.
 
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Great preps. I haven’t starting canning, but I’m thinking about it. I need to start educating myself on canning. Botulism is my primary concern. Need to make sure I do it correctly.
As long as you use fresh materials, practice cleanliness, and follow a recipe (procedure) from a proven and trusted source, you eliminate most of the dangers of botulism. Kind of sounds like making bacon doesn't it?

The Ball Blue Book is a good general reference guide and has recipes for jams, vegetables and meats and covers water bath canning and pressure canning. In addition to the procedures which allow the lids (flats) to properly seal, canning recipes are designed so that the contents have ample time to heat through properly. For example there are tested recipes for canning pinto beans, but canning of refried beans is not recommended because they are much denser and might not heat through.

One thing you are bound to notice is that the USDA has approved procedures for canning "fresh" meat only, and that they do not have a "tested" process for cured meats like corned beef, ham or bacon. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has the opinion that the density of ham for example is different than the density of raw pork, and therefore may require a different processing time. BUT... you see recipes all over the internet for canning ham or corned beef. Canning of smoked fish also fell into this "cured meat" category but the latest testing has resulted in a change in procedure (using more water in the canner, and longer processing times) to safely can smoked fish. "Smoked" was not really defined, so I cold smoke trout and steelhead for an hour or two which keeps the texture near-raw. I only process in 1/2 pint jars to avoid density issues.

So, there is plenty of information out there, just be cautious of the source.

Nice! Way to restock supplies. I've canned chicken, deer & sausage but never tried pork butt. Great idea on smoking before canning. How much broth did you add to the partially cooked smoked pork? Have to put that on my to do list.
Because I cold smoked some of the meat, and browned it along with the rest of the meat, I had to use the "hot pack" method. The browned meat is jarred and near boiling liquid (water, or broth) is added leaving 1" head space. I leave a little more since butt has more fat than pork loin. Bubbling of fats could interfere with the seal of the lid. I opted for using broth, and so I seasoned the blade bone and baked it 30 minutes. Next I used a pork soup base and simmered the bone in that broth for 90 minutes. I used the same broth for both the smoked pork and the regular pork.

Using the raw pack method works too, but the color of the meat is bland (think boiled pork), but it still has a good flavor and tenderness.
 
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Following up on the "slowly replenishing" theme, I'm working on a new 'no jar will go unfilled' platform. Today, Mrs ~t~ bought two 7# pork butts, one of which I did a raw pack (salt, pepper and a tick of broth), tomorrow is up for grabs. The canner is sitting on stand-by.
 
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9t2K4zZ.jpg

Following up on the "slowly replenishing" theme, I'm working on a new 'no jar will go unfilled' platform. Today, Mrs ~t~ bought two 7# pork butts, one of which I did a raw pack (salt, pepper and a tick of broth), tomorrow is up for grabs. The canner is sitting on stand-by.
I like the no jar will go unfilled idea. Way to keep replenishing. The daughter just made a big pot of chicken corn soup an canned it. First time for her doing soups. Turn out great. All jars sealed but I was worried corn would get a little brown. It didn't. Sorry no pics.
 
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 steaks etc. We're trying to only shop every 7 to 10 days and so far I've canned a family pack of chicken breasts (cold pack with a little broth added), and two pork butts. I cold smoked some of the pork for 2 hours, then baked it with some plain cubes until it was lightly browned, and hot packed it all. I like the smoked pork for sandwiches, the the regular pork has unlimited uses. I think I have about 25 of the 1.5 pint jars left, and maybe 24 pints which is way more than we need, so it will make good surprise gifts.
lJg8k17.jpg
aABNAZo.jpg
Please how long can I can smoked meat and also can it marinated and canned ? If yes when canned how long will the shelf life be?
 
Please how long can I can smoked meat and also can it marinated and canned ? If yes when canned how long will the shelf life be?

"...how long can I can smoked meat" If you mean processing time , it takes 75 minutes for pints, and 90 minutes for 1-1/2 pints (like my jars) or quarts. And that is done in a presssure canner, not a water bath canner.

As far as marinating, I think that would depend on the marinade itself. An oil based marinade for example might not be a good idea. And meat marinated in something like a teriyaki might look pretty dark after processing, or might get too mushy.

Shelf life is 12 to 18 months.

HERE is an excellent article on canning meats you might want to check out.

PS: Welcome aboard.
 
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