Cold pack canned beef
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Couple of good resources here: https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/Canning Meat Poultry and Game.pdf
And: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/ground_chopped.html
I can chicken, beef, and vegetable stock, and plan to can some pork shoulder next time I butcher a hog.
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SupplySergeant thank you for the great links! There is all the info that anybody needs to start. Have you had trouble finding supplies? I have all the jars and bands I need but was having problems getting lids earlier this year. I found some off brand lids on amazon, probably from china. They all seal but kinda distort or wrinkle.
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SupplySergeant thank you for the great links! There is all the info that anybody needs to start. Have you had trouble finding supplies? I have all the jars and bands I need but was having problems getting lids earlier this year. I found some off brand lids on amazon, probably from china. They all seal but kinda distort or wrinkle.
marzig20 said in Cold pack canned beef:
SupplySergeant thank you for the great links! There is all the info that anybody needs to start. Have you had trouble finding supplies? I have all the jars and bands I need but was having problems getting lids earlier this year. I found some off brand lids on amazon, probably from china. They all seal but kinda distort or wrinkle.
I was lucky, I have plenty of jars already, and bought a pack of 1200 lids a couple years back. I will have to buy more for the 2022 caning season, but got through the really dry time just fine.
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Dr_Pain suggested that I make a post here about canning meat so here goes, sorry if it’s a little long.
Many years ago when I was a meat cutter, a customer started talking to me about him and his mom reminiscing about the good ole days back on their farm. He said one of the things she missed was having canned beef. He explained that in the fall they would slaughter a steer and they would can parts off the shoulder to preserve it and she wanted to make some. So I sold him a whole boneless shoulder clod which is where you get the best pot roasts.
A couple of weeks later he came back in and asked me if I wanted to try some as he had a couple of pint jars. Of course I said sure and took it home and my wife at the time, said you’re not going to eat that are you? I said I’ll give it a try and she said not me no way. It honestly didn’t look very appetizing.

So I popped a jar open and and started heating it up in a sauce pan and threw in some seasonings. It started smelling really good and my wife walks into the kitchen says what are you going to do with it? So I boiled up some Reams frozen noodles, mixed it all together and it was delicious. After I ate some, she couldn’t resist and had some too.
I started reading up on canning meat and shortly after bought my first pressure canner.
Doing this properly is just as critical as curing meat. If done properly it is perfectly safe. You must have a pressure cooker with a pressure gauge like this.

It, as my customer said, was the original fast food before micro waves. It’s like having slow cooked pot in your pantry anytime you want. You can make as many meals as your imagination can come with. My favorite is to make it up like sausage gravy and have it over freshly baked biscuits
marzig20 I have my Grandmother’s and my Mom’s pressure cookers, haven’t used them and might need some refurbishment if I ever do use them. I could not throw them out, too much history.
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marzig20 I have my Grandmother’s and my Mom’s pressure cookers, haven’t used them and might need some refurbishment if I ever do use them. I could not throw them out, too much history.
bocephus I have all of my Mom’s canners and pressure cookers. Like you, I would never get rid of them. I have 2 sisters and a brother who never wanted any of them. I don’t get that mentality, but to each their own.
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bocephus I have all of my Mom’s canners and pressure cookers. Like you, I would never get rid of them. I have 2 sisters and a brother who never wanted any of them. I don’t get that mentality, but to each their own.
GWG8541 My brothers and sisters didn’t want some of the things at first and I kept a lot of things, later they asked about things and I gave them some things. I think it was just that they weren’t thinking about the memories.
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GWG8541 My brothers and sisters didn’t want some of the things at first and I kept a lot of things, later they asked about things and I gave them some things. I think it was just that they weren’t thinking about the memories.
bocephus yeah, everyone processes loss and death differently. I guess for some the items bring sadness. I have nothing but fond memories and although I miss my parents daily, it can bring a smile to my face when using the same tools they used to live their lives with.
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bocephus yeah, everyone processes loss and death differently. I guess for some the items bring sadness. I have nothing but fond memories and although I miss my parents daily, it can bring a smile to my face when using the same tools they used to live their lives with.
GWG8541 said in Cold pack canned beef:
bocephus yeah, everyone processes loss and death differently. I guess for some the items bring sadness. I have nothing but fond memories and although I miss my parents daily, it can bring a smile to my face when using the same tools they used to live their lives with.
Well said
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bocephus yeah, everyone processes loss and death differently. I guess for some the items bring sadness. I have nothing but fond memories and although I miss my parents daily, it can bring a smile to my face when using the same tools they used to live their lives with.
GWG8541 I always have my Dad’s hunting knife with me when deer hunting. I don’t use it, just bring it along.
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GWG8541 I always have my Dad’s hunting knife with me when deer hunting. I don’t use it, just bring it along.
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GWG8541 I always have my Dad’s hunting knife with me when deer hunting. I don’t use it, just bring it along.
bocephus just lost my dad 3 weeks ago and day before yesterday I passed his hunting knife
on to my son. He was so proud to have it and promised to pass it on to his children. He’s 12 so he’ll get to carry it for a while. -
bocephus just lost my dad 3 weeks ago and day before yesterday I passed his hunting knife
on to my son. He was so proud to have it and promised to pass it on to his children. He’s 12 so he’ll get to carry it for a while.cdavis I have no kids, but I do have a nephew who likes to hunt and one day he will probably get the knife. I am not ready to give it up yet and I don’t think he is responsible enough to get it yet.
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marzig20 I have my Grandmother’s and my Mom’s pressure cookers, haven’t used them and might need some refurbishment if I ever do use them. I could not throw them out, too much history.
bocephus Pretty much check the seals and if a gauge get it tested or replaced. If there isn’t any physical damage they should be good to go.
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bocephus just lost my dad 3 weeks ago and day before yesterday I passed his hunting knife
on to my son. He was so proud to have it and promised to pass it on to his children. He’s 12 so he’ll get to carry it for a while.cdavis I am sorry, I meant to start with sorry for your loss. I got caught up with the knife being passed on.
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bocephus Pretty much check the seals and if a gauge get it tested or replaced. If there isn’t any physical damage they should be good to go.
YooperDog I think if I use them I may have to get new seals and will definitely get gauges checked out. If I ever get my set up I really plan to have a shelf displaying some of the old equipment from my ancestors.
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YooperDog I think if I use them I may have to get new seals and will definitely get gauges checked out. If I ever get my set up I really plan to have a shelf displaying some of the old equipment from my ancestors.
bocephus You should be able to get the gauges checked at the county extension office, or they will know where to go. I use Presto canners, and have converted all of mine to weight types, much easier. The weighted jiggler keeps the pressure steady without me fooling with changing the burner to keep the gauge set.
If the old canners are All Americans, they don’t even have a seal, just make sure the mating surfaces of the pot and lid aren’t chewed up.
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bocephus You should be able to get the gauges checked at the county extension office, or they will know where to go. I use Presto canners, and have converted all of mine to weight types, much easier. The weighted jiggler keeps the pressure steady without me fooling with changing the burner to keep the gauge set.
If the old canners are All Americans, they don’t even have a seal, just make sure the mating surfaces of the pot and lid aren’t chewed up.
SupplySergeant Thanks for the info, I will look into them deeper.
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