Using a Gas Grill or Camp Stove for Canning??

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Has anyone used a gas bar-b-que grill or propane campstove outside for canning? Is it feasible? Just trying to get a jump on things before hot weather sets in, and wondered if it could be done? Could you control the heat enough for pressure canning? Any thoughts? Sure gets hot in the middle of summer when you can things that take forever! I don't have a place to put another stove outside anywhere,that could be hooked up to propane, so that option is out. Thanks, Jan

-- Jan (Janice12@aol.com), March 07, 2000

Answers

I haven't done this myself yet but I have discussed it with four or five who have been canning this way. It's really a matter of whether the grill/fish cooker/whatever can put out sufficient heat fast enough and whether it's controllable enough. I think most campstoves would have a problem putting out heat fast enough but some grills ought to be able to handle it and most of the fish cookers/turkey fryers certainly can.

The only way to know for sure is to experiment with a canner load, maybe just jars of water, and see if you can make it work. I'm going to use a fish cooker myself and put it on the porch. This way I can keep the heat outside and do the pre-processing inside without running the a/c full blast. I might have to change the regulator to get the amount of control I want or perhaps might just put a thick metal plate on top of the burner to moderate the heat.

........Alan.

The Prudent Food Storage FAQ, v3.5

http://www.ProvidenceCo-op.com

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@netscape.net), March 07, 2000.


I know my amish friends can with a kerosine stove , so i think a propane grill would work .Does it have a burner?That would make it easier .We get to much wind on most days to do this outside ,so keep that in mind.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), March 07, 2000.

Jan, I will be canning in my new summer kitchen this year! Bragging? You bet! It is a screened porch with a commercial deep sink (two sinks and a drainboard in stainless, excellent for butchering). We are moving the washer and dryer out there also to cut down on the heat in the house. I have canned for years on a propane burner on my front porch (before the new summer kitchen) I think anything gas is much eaiser to control (out of the wind) than electric. Have a wondeful spring, Vicki McGaugh

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 07, 2000.

I am SO jealous! I would love to have a summer kitchen, and maybe someday....but right now a greenhouse is further up the wish list. I hadn't considered the wind factor, and it is pretty windy here on the plains, so perhaps if I can find a sheltered spot, and just do short timed things like pickles and jellies, it might work. Don't have a separate burner, just thought I could use the regular rectangular burner. I will try the batch of water, to see if they seal ok. Thanks for the good ideas! And, Peggy and Brad, I promise not to reuse the lids! Jan

-- Jan B (Janice12@aol.com), March 07, 2000.

Howdy, Jan! I have used our propane grill (w/attached burner) for canning in the summer. If you'll be using the pressure canner outside, be sure to shield it from the wind - the temperature fluctuations will affect whether your jars will seal properly. Water bath type canning should be okay - the jars are surrounded by boiling H2O, and an occasional breeze shouldn't affect them too much. Happy canning! Judi

-- judi (jeddfd91789@aol.com), March 07, 2000.


I use the gas grill every summer to can...no problem with a regular canner, but I caution you about using it for a pressure canner, unless you own the local propane company, it just takes too much time to get that puppy up to the right temp and try to maintain it at a constant..scares me to death..having said that, I must tell you that all the Amish here who use pressure canning do so with propane, but they have these rather unique set-ups where the pressure is actually in a tank and the tank is serviced by a separate propane line that goes into their canning room..not exactly a gas grill set-up, much more sophisticated.On another note,most Amish use boil-bath canning for MEAT (three hours in a regular canner).I've tried to convince them that water still boils at the same temperature, it doesn't get any hotter the longer you let it go, but they just politely laugh at me and can their pork !!!!!! I do not understand why they aren't dropping like flies.

-- Lesley Chasko (martchas@gateway.net), March 07, 2000.

In our summer kitchen we have a 2-burner "outdoor cooker" with a 20# LPG tank, the cooking area is large enough to hold 2 canners. It is constructed with a wind screen, it has short legs for table top work or leg extentions making it high enough to put on the floor but not as tall as a regulkar stove, so lifting those canners full of water is less of a problem. this stove puts out an incredible amount of heat, if anything it is hard to get the flame low enough for the pressure canner. The whole unit closes up and legs bolt on the side for storage, ours is a permenant item in the canning room. We bought it at COSTCO a year and a half ago for $100. It also comes in handy for those big holiday dinners. We have a gas grill with a side burner but I can't imagine it would be strong enough to hold a canner or large pressure cooker, let alone have enough surface area.

-- Hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), March 08, 2000.

Hendo,

Thanks for that last bit of information. My mom bought one of those outdoor cookers at Costco, too....for y2k prep. I think I will be asking to borrow it this harvest season! Thanks for the tip!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), March 08, 2000.


The cooker sounds interesting...my husband just reminded me that he has a stove made from a 30 gallon barrel, with stove pipes, door, etc on legs, stored in the garage, which he and his brothers take elk hunting every year. It would be heated with wood, but has a flat top and I may just set that up to do water bath canning outside. It ought to work, as long as I keep the wood fed into it. Don't have a Cosco here, but do have Sams. Maybe they have the same type of cookers. Thanks again!

-- Jan B (Janice12@aol.com), March 08, 2000.

I always use the camping stove for canning in the summer on the back porch. It keeps from heating up the kitchen and house and works fine. We have two, one uses propane and the other Coleman fuel. Both work fine.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), March 08, 2000.


Jan, Mu Husband and I bought a Rocky Mountain Range, it is a two burner propane stove that puts out 60,000 BTUs. We use it outdoors on our porch, wind is a factor but controllable. We have done everything from salsa, tomatoes, corn, beets anything that can be grown in a garden. We love it. Less heat in the house. Rocky Mnt ranges can be found on the internet. They also do a variety of other things. BBQ, griddle and I forget what else but we bought it first and foremost for a campstove when we go hunting instead of packing the BBQ because it fold up for easy storage. Give them a try.

-- Lori Clinton (lclinton@internetcds.com), September 02, 2001.

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