I have been wondering if salt pork can be pressure canned. I have some dried beans that would be great as traditional New England baked beans. Salt pork is the ingredient that makes them delicious. I would like to use some small sized jelly jars to can small amounts of salt pork. All my canning books give instructions on how to can meats but salt pork is never mentioned. Does anyone have any input or experience with this?

-- monique (me@home.here), August 16, 1999

Answers

Come on people, someone help Monique with this as I want to know too!

-- smfdoc (smfdoc@aol.com), August 16, 1999.

If you cut it in chunks for easy managabiltiy when it is opened (will probably be the consistancy of what comes in canned beans now), there should not be any reason why you can not can it. I would raw pack it, just drop in prepared jars, put on lids and bands and pressure can for required amount of time. It will most likely have a lot of grease in the jar, like bacon does. Since you are using jelly jars the time is unknown for me. For safety sake, I would keep to the canning time for pint jars (minimum 75 minutes of 10 pound pressure). But check with your local county home economist. She/he might be able to give you more information.

-- Dian (bdp@accessunited.com), August 17, 1999.

Dian, Thanks. Your answer makes sense.

-- monique (me@home.here), August 17, 1999.

Thanks Diane

-- smfdoc (smfdoc@aol.com), August 17, 1999.

i see no reason why you couldn't can salt pork, but why would you want to? salt is a method of conserving, so is canning. doing both is redundant.

-- jocelyne slough (jonslough@tln.net), August 22, 1999.

Salt pork does not contain enough salt to preserve it for very long. It would take something as 'salty' as a country ham to preserve.

-- Dian (bdp@accessunited.com), August 22, 1999.