Canning Beef

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I remember as a child eating my grandma's home canned beef. I wanted to can some for my children, because as I recall there was nothing like Grandma's canned beef, it would just melt in your mouth and the flavor was undescribable. But I read somewhere you can't can beef using the boiling bath method, that you must use a pressure canner, for safety reasons. But I remember watching grandma can her beef and she used the water bath method. She didn't even own a pressure canner. Can anyone please tell me how to can beef chunks using the boiling bath methd? Or is grandma's beef gone for good?

B.Boada

-- Brenda L. Boada (bboada@hotmail.com), February 23, 2002

Answers

I think you are not suppose to talk about hot water bath canning of meats and fish because the canning police will get you or something. Any time I've seen a discussion on this very subject, a direct quote is made about pressure canning etc being the only method to be used, and granny was lucky she didn't take out the whole family. Perhaps someone else can say this better. I have a pressure canner and use it. You could do the beef in it. In the old days I use to can fish and venison in a hot water bath. Full boil, water covering the jars, for three hours. There were no canning police in my area! :) One thing though, with the pressure canner you don't have all the heat from keeping a kettle boiling for three hours. As well as the wood/gas/electric to keep it on the boil. I had a dreadful oil cook stove when I used the hot water bath method and I do not have fond memories of canning fish in July with it.

-- Thrifty Sarrah (olefashion@hotmail.com), February 23, 2002.

I had a long discussion about this not long ago, with an elderly grandmother. When they canned meat,, it took,, hours ,, HOURS ,, 6 - 8 hours for quarts,, water had to be at a rolling boil. They also didnt store them very long,, the meat was used up within a week or two,, so basicall,, all they did,, was cook it for a very long time,, then eat it alittle later.

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), February 23, 2002.

I water bathed some green beans once......ONCE>....they all got that white sour stuff at the bottom of the jars and I lost all of them. I water bathed them for 3 hours at the full rolling boil and those were only beans. I now use my pressure canner for everything except fruits and high acid stuff, like pickles, tomatoes, etc... If you have access to a pressure canner it certainly would not take as long. I think that my beef recipe calls for 90 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure. That would certainly be less fuel used than boiling them in a waterbather for 5 or 6 hours. The pressure canned beef is really really good! Very tender.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 23, 2002.

My mother-in-law cans beef every year, and I can venison. We use pints. To every pint we add 1 tsp salt on top of a packed jar. We then place them in the canner with water over the tops of the jars and bring to a rolling boil. We boil them for at least 3 hours. Never have any problem storing them or eating it!! We love it in hot roast beef sandwiches, heated up and thickened with a little flour, yum yum!

-- tricia (never-enough-pets@excite.com), February 27, 2002.

Never ever use a water bath canner to can meats....This is not a matter to try because grandma did it.

I ahve done it very well in a pressure canner. taste is great!

Look on Ebay if you dont have a pressure canner probably find one cheap.

Have fun

-- Larry (kornga@earthlink.net), February 28, 2002.



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