Tinned Meats

[Astrid]

A comal?

[Brent Swain]

In New Caledonia, I used to buy bacon in tiny, one meal sized cans the size of the tiny condensed milk cans. Wish we had them here.
As long as the vacuum is intact, you have no food poisoning. That produces gas. As long as you cook it for 20 minutes after opening the can , you neutralize any botulism. Taking both these precautions eliminates the chance of poisoning yourself

[Astrid]

Using tomato juice in the canning process also helps as it is to acidic for most microbes to reproduce in and that, plus careful canning helps minimize the danger of food poisoning. And, as Brent says, if the vacuum is intact and you cook it all well, you will be pretty safe, and applies not only to home canned, but any canned food..

This link can be very helpful

National Center for Home Food Preservation | USDA Publications

[Hud3]

We found the Brinkman's Farms canned meats to be really good. Cubed beef, ground beef, chicken, pork, turkey and more, all fully cooked. The cans are large, though, so you have to make up a big batch of whatever you're cooking. We had a freezer onboard, so it worked out fine for us.

[Sam Plan B]

Turkey & Dressing (per person) 1 cup dry stove top stuffing; 1 tin Cosco tinned turkey; one-quarter cup water. Drain the tinned turkey into sauce pan. Add the water. Heat to boil. Move off of flame and add the stove top stuffing. Return to a low flame. Add the turkey and fluff with a fork for five minutes. Serve. It is better with tinned corn or string beans on the side.

[Hans and Laura]

Originally Posted by Astrid

Actuallyl you use the metal can method to do it at home too--but the equipment is more expensive and once you have used the can, it's just so much garbage.

Wells Can Company Ltd.

As to the process, it is similar

How to Can Food in Tin Cans | eHow.co.uk

On a boat, tin cans might be the way to go unless you can store mason jars securely. The down side is you are looking at having to special order cans and lids and spending an extra $200 to $300 or more for the can sealing machine. With proper glass jars, only the lid is disposable, while the jar can be reused for years with a little proper care.

That's good to know! Actually we have a catamaran and it's very stable so glass jars packed carefully would probably work for us. My mother cans everything in her garden and then some so she should be able to give me a hand. But the 'tin' canning method is pretty interesting.
BTW, I know a woman who got botulism from home canned chicken soup!

[Astrid]

Yes that can happen. Read the USDA link and how to avoid botulism. My grandmother always said, never eat straight out of a can, but I think back on that, and I believe it was because she was from a time when even professionally canned foods could be contaminated. Everything should be precooked, and put straight into the jar or tin for canning, and handled as little as possible. The jars or tins should also be well washed and sterile as well. I always add a little tomato juice to raise acidity as the microbes which cause botulism do poorly and do not reproduce in acidic surroundings. Finally, exactly follow the guidelines for whatever you are canning, particularly how long you keep the jars in the pressure cooker. This both makes sure any microbes are killed off, and provides a vacuum to insure they lack the air to reproduce. If you are careful, you will have no problems, but like sailing, don't get let your guard down. And make sure you cook your food well after opening the jar or tin.

[JanetGroene]

Originally Posted by sparklegirl50

Costco carries canned chicken, turkey and beef - all are good and very tender.

I have canned my own meats in both tin and in glass but recently ditched the metal can sealer because the sealer and all the cans are so bulky. Either way you don't need nitrates, salt or any other junk. Just "put by" skinless, boneless, well-trimmed, lean meat. If you can find supermarket tinned meats without all that stuff, they are very expensive in the health food section. But you probably can't find them at all. Jars are reusable as long as you have spare lids, so they are with you for the long haul. Metal cans are not reusable but they don't break. Rust is the enemy of both metal cans and the metal lids on glass jars. To prevent breakage, I save ribbed tops from old socks and slip them over jars. Never had one break yet.
This is from Janet Groene, http:/www.BoatCook.blogspot.com

[Brent Swain]

The best place to shop for a canner is the local scrapyard. I've seen some very expensive ones there, for $2 a pound. Put the jars in the canner, and the canner is not taking up much space. So, no reason not to buy a big one.

[Troubadour52993]

I've tried a lot of the canned food, and have laid up some in our stores for when fresh/frozen isn't available. I think most of the latest shipment is yoders from mredepot.com, got some good deals on eBay when I was fitting out the boat and had it delivered right to the marina clubhouse. Hamburger, pork, and chicken are our favorite, based on our recipe preferences. I don't do much with beef chunks I got in a sampler once, would just as soon get Dinty Moore stew prepared. Tinned butter is okay but prefer the refrigerated, did not think much of the tinnned kraft cheese. Chicken on the grocery store shelves seemed to have more sodium than the stuff I got shipped in, but was cheaper. Your taste may vary!

If you're cutting ties to land, canning yourself seemed to require a bunch of stuff (which requires a bunch of money) and time, and it was one more thing to learn to do correctly or die. We would then have to figure out where to store the goods and the equipment. Buying was one thing we did so we could cross it off the list and get to the thousand other things to do before we left.

[FxdGrMind]

Now that's what we are talking about!!! Love the sites! The recipes! The precautions! and on and on and on!

See, it's the "Group" knowledge that this site provides that is just remarkable!

Keep the sources coming and info as to how you Can, Tin, or use the Can/tinned meats in your food preparations!

What is your favorite?

Thank you So much!!

[Alaska JD]

The best meat I've ever canned is smoked salmon. We do subsistance fishing for Red Salmon each year and we always can some of it smoked as well as not - best eating ever.

[janice142]

I can our meats, everything from Italian sausage to pork, barbecued pulled pork, turkey, taco soup and even lasagna. It's not hard and because I use the 1 cup or 1/2 cup jars I have the perfect size for a single or double serving. Leftovers are eliminated.

If you're dealing with people who eat more you'd definately want a canner large enough to fit the pint jars. Mine is 3 quart and will not fit that size glass jar. I would not advise quart jars because the quantity would be difficult to use at one time. My thinking is there's no need to can soups; in my opinion it's better to preserve the meats to add to staples.

A couple of hints:
#1) Make sure the contents are hot
#2) I boil my jars for about 10 minutes prior to filling to make sure they are thoroughly heated
#3) Bring to pressure, then simmer for 1 hour. (1 hour for once cup jars! -- not sure how long for larger jars as I don't use those)
#4) When removing check the contents of jars. You should see the stuff bubbling inside the jars. Within a few minutes you'll hear them snap down (suction?) and voila: they are done.

If any don't have the bubbles inside, reprocess -- the entire 1 hour time too. Oh, and remove lid to make sure there's no chip in the glass at the top. Remove lid, wipe down with and dry, then add a new lid. The lids are not re-usable. IF they do lock down the seal won't last very long. (Don't ask how I know that)

Canning allows you to make what you like... the only thing I've not been thrilled with is my canned hamburger meat. I used the low fat 96/4% stuff and frankly it was bland. I suspect that adding some seasoning or a bit of sauce would have helped but... next time I have some jars empty I'm going to make meat loaf in some jars. That ought to be tasty.

[JanetGroene]

There are two advantages to canning (or buying in tins) only pure meat, not mixtures. One, you can decide at the last minute whether to make the stew or the stroganoff. Two, combination canned foods take on one taste and texture. If you combine a tin of meat plus other ingredients it won't all taste the same. Janet Groene, Janet Groene's BoatCook

[zopi]

When canning your own...follow the directions, and STERILIZE EVERYTHING IN BOILING WATER!

I made fridge pickles last year that are only s'posed to be good for 3 months..still good..o course, I like em strong..