How many quarts of beef in a 400-500# half?

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I was just wondering how many lids it would take to can this much meat. Anyone have a ballpark idea on the amount it would be? Thanks!

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), October 28, 2001

Answers

best guess ,,,,,,, same number as jars :)

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), October 28, 2001.

Good one Stan . Now serious , that's to much work for me ! I have no clue sorry.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), October 28, 2001.

What does 4 cups of hamburger weigh? Should give you a ballpark #.

-- bruce (rural@inebraska.com), October 28, 2001.

Jennifer, We can lots of our meat. We only can boneless cuts (like stew meat size or a bit bigger) We use the formula that 20# of meat equals 7 jars. If you have a 400-500# lb half of beef ... that's one big beef. But if the whole amount is boned out figure about 60% will be take home (meat minus the bone). Hope this helps you out. Ralph

-- Ralph Rice (Roadapple@suite224.net), October 28, 2001.

Ralph, thanks, that's just what I was looking for. I have meat in the freezer now, but was thinking about canning some as well, since it would be nice to have meat that I'm not depending on electricity to keep preserved. And, yes, that's a big half, but I was considering a worst case scenario on size of the cow (and so worst case scenario on work involved!) Patty, you're right, it does look like a lot of work! 12-15 canner loads, it would be with Ralph's info. I remember my mother saying that her mother always canned all the meat, and of course they did the whole cow at a time!

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), October 28, 2001.


4-5lbs. trimmed beef to 1 qt.

-- Barb Fischer (bfischer42@hotmail.com), October 28, 2001.

i have a question too, how much meat should i expect from a holstien angus steer butchered at 15months ??

-- Beth Van Stiphout (willosnake@hotmail.com), October 29, 2001.

Jennifer, one small but most important fact that I left out. Meat should be pressure canned. 1hour 30 mins at 10# pressure for quarts. Check your "Ball" book. Wifey says she likes it best browned on a cookie sheet in the oven before canning. All I know is that I love the taste and can't tell the difference browned or packed in the jars without brownning it.My mother says that us kids grew up on cold packed meat .... but I still would not recommend it. Spend the time and money on a pressure canner you'll feel a whole lot safer. One additional hint .. use wide mouthed jars it's easier to get the meat in and out. Good luck Ralph

-- Ralph Rice (Roadapple@suite224.net), October 29, 2001.

Ball Blue Book page 114 is a Jar estimating page (worth every penny the book cost just for this one page)

Beef-800lb aprox jars needed 175-200 aprox pounds needed for 1 qt. jar 2-3 pounds Pork 300lb - 30 jars - 2-3lbs meat Chicken - 3-4 pound chicken is 1 quart jar

But like they say these figures are approx. and depending on how you are processing the meat, raw or cooked makes a difference in volume.

-- lurkylu (lurkylu@yahoo.com), November 03, 2001.


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