# Canning Meat For Long Term Storage Tips



## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

I have been affiliated with canning from our gardens a large portion of my life. I have not tried my hand at canning meat. I have in my stores canned meat in 16 oz containers and on down. Forum member weigh in after reading the link.

Canning Venison, raw packed, cubed or strips. So easy.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

DO IT!!!!!! 
It is the easiest thing to can. all you need to do is stuff raw meat of what ever variety you want into a jar, add 1 tsp of salt and nothing else and process. nothing to it and you will end up with the best tasting tenderest meat you could imagine. 
I can the following
chicken
turkey
rabbit
pork roast(sorry muslims)
beef roast 
hamburger
sausage
meatloaf patties

all turn out great and it makes for some fast meals that are "homemade" since your meat is already cooked. just add to a few more of your other canned products, rice, potatoes, noodles and you have a meal. 
you can also use the meat to make into sandwiches. french dip sandwiches are to die for! pulled pork, chicken, or turkey salad and so on. 

you will wonder how you have managed for so long with out it.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Check for threads on canning meat/venison here on the forum.

Fish requires a longer processing time I believe.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

All right tirednurse and Hawg, you have nudged me forward. Thanks.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Sounds like a great plan. Thanks for sharing.


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## 7052 (Jul 1, 2014)

We can ground beef (raw packed with only salt, pepper, and dried onion) and "stew meat". Our "stew meat" is simply large beef ball tip which we get cheap at our local GFS in roughly 20 pound packages. I process it to remove the connective tissue, then put it in a jar w/ a single beef bullion cube. Easy as pie.

Oh yea, we use wide-mouth quart jars and put 1.5 pounds into each jar.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Egyas said:


> We can ground beef (raw packed with only salt, pepper, and dried onion) and "stew meat". Our "stew meat" is simply large beef ball tip which we get cheap at our local GFS in roughly 20 pound packages. I process it to remove the connective tissue, then put it in a jar w/ a single beef bullion cube. Easy as pie.
> 
> Oh yea, we use wide-mouth quart jars and put 1.5 pounds into each jar.


The ground meat turns out great. Do some of that myself.


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## blackbart (Oct 30, 2015)

Now that I have all my carbs, fruits, veggies, water and other staples stocked up, I am looking for quality proteins. I have plenty of tuna, nuts and such, I am trying to find meats and meat based products in long term shelf stable packaging. Yeah, I've tried Yoder's products but the wife and kids were turned off by them - too much grease and pain in the but to get out of the can. I'm looking for products in retort packaging - preferably preservative and BPA-free. I've heard there are companies specializing in this but only found one - femaready.com. 
I initially thought it was the fed gov FEMA selling products but after looking over their website, it looks like a pretty slick marketing maneuver. I'd like to know if anyone else has heard of this company and if anyone has tried their goods. I plan to make a large purchase with the right company but want to make sure my $$ is well spent. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

Canning meat is a great prep but a couple words of wisdom.

1. Don't add any spices to the meat, salt is great but that is all, any herbs can turn the meat bitter in canning.

2. precook the meat, don't try to can it raw

3. Use the canned meat in stews, chilli's and other casserole dishes, its not that good otherwise.

Gah, Edit

I almost forgot

4. I you are canning lean meat like wild game, a tablespoon of lard (Manteca in the Spanish food section of your grocery store) for each pint will help out a lot, adds calories and flavor.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Montana Rancher said:


> Canning meat is a great prep but a couple words of wisdom.
> 
> 1. Don't add any spices to the meat, salt is great but that is all, any herbs can turn the meat bitter in canning.
> 
> ...


Hey, Montana, . . . don't worry about # 2 there. It cooks quite well in the pressure canner in the 75 minutes at 10# pressure. No need to cook it at all.

But don't take my word for it, . . . lots of folks been doing it for decades.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

Montana Rancher said:


> Canning meat is a great prep but a couple words of wisdom.
> 
> 1. Don't add any spices to the meat, salt is great but that is all, any herbs can turn the meat bitter in canning.
> 
> ...


I have never "precooked" the meat I can. I RAW pack, most of the time as soon as it is hung and butchered. Goes straight into the jars. I don't know what meat you are using but can only imagine you must have started with some spoiled meat if you have to cover it up in other food and think "It is not that good". Canned meat is the tenderest and most flavorable of all meats. It's pressure cooked in its own juices and nothing else. We eat it straight out of the jar both cold and warmed and it is excellent.

Maybe you are doing it wrong


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## DARK1 (Oct 4, 2014)

I always can at least 2 whole deer a year, less the back straps of coarse. My method varies slightly. After cubing the meat rinse well with cold water and let drain. Heat up a large skillet with a little EVOO and bring it up to about 500*, toss in the chunk meat stirring just to get a hot quick braze on the chunks, not cooked by no means, still very raw in the center. Pack your jars as per your link, but then I make a brine out off equal amounts of beef stock and water and use this to bring the jars up to 1" from the top and add 1 tes of salt and one or a half clove of fresh cleaned garlic and cook as your link. Turns out fully cooked ready to eat, make your vegetable soup, stew or whatever you want to make and add meat last ten minutes on the stove just to bring up the meat temp. and it's done. The meat is so tender and great tasting your biggest venison critic will have no idea unless you care to share your recipe with them. The hot braze gives the meat a nice color and gives it a hint of that on the grill flavor. ~enjoy


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

tirednurse said:


> I have never "precooked" the meat I can. I RAW pack, most of the time as soon as it is hung and butchered. Goes straight into the jars. I don't know what meat you are using but can only imagine you must have started with some spoiled meat if you have to cover it up in other food and think "It is not that good". Canned meat is the tenderest and most flavorable of all meats. It's pressure cooked in its own juices and nothing else. We eat it straight out of the jar both cold and warmed and it is excellent.
> 
> Maybe you are doing it wrong


Stop the hostility

I didn't say you can't can raw meat, its just not the best way.

Once you decide to precook it and can it in broth, you can decide which is best.

I don't know where you got the impression I would used "spoiled" meat, WTF?


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## shootbrownelk (Jul 9, 2014)

Egyas said:


> We can ground beef (raw packed with only salt, pepper, and dried onion) and "stew meat". Our "stew meat" is simply large beef ball tip which we get cheap at our local GFS in roughly 20 pound packages. I process it to remove the connective tissue, then put it in a jar w/ a single beef bullion cube. Easy as pie.
> 
> Oh yea, we use wide-mouth quart jars and put 1.5 pounds into each jar.


 I usually add a heaping tablespoon (or 2) of my favorite BBQ sauce.....Mmmmm!


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