MEAT
Canned meat adds variety to the diet in the winter-time and makes a
pleasant change from the cured and smoked meats. You put meat into
jars in the raw state and extend the sterilizing period or you can
cook the meat partially or completely and then sterilize for a shorter
period of time. Of course a reliable method of canning meat must be
used, such as the cold-pack process, where the sterilizing is done in
the tin or jar in either boiling water or steam under pressure. We
usually recommend the partial cooking, roasting or boiling of the meat
before canning especially for beginners. If you are a beginner in the
business of cold-pack canning then by all means cook the meat before
putting it in cans. If you have canned peas, beans and corn
successfully for years then you are ready for all kinds of raw meat
canning.
To save criticism of the cold-pack method of canning meat and to guard
against any danger from eating poorly prepared and improperly
sterilized meat we do not urge beginners to experiment with meat,
although the meat can be safely canned by any one whether new at the
canning game or a veteran in it if directions are carefully followed.
But it is the big "If" that we have to watch.
Many farmers and farmerettes are canning meats of all kinds all over
the country and there is never a can lost. We need more meat canning
done at home and you can do it if you will practice cleanliness in all
your work and follow directions.
The fear of getting botulinus bacteria from eating canned meat is just
a "bug-a-boo." It should be clearly understood that botulism is one of
the very rare maladies. The chances for getting it by eating canned
goods, say the experts, is rather less than the chances from dying of
lockjaw every time you scratch your finger. To regard every can as a
source of botulism is worse than regarding every dog as a source of
hydrophobia. Moreover, for the very timid, there is the comforting
certainty that the exceedingly slight danger is completely eliminated
by re-cooking the canned food for a short time before eating it.
There are always a few cases of illness traceable to bad food, not
only to canned food but to spoiled meats, fish, bad milk, oysters and
a number of things. There are also cases of injury and death by street
accidents, but we do not for that reason stop using the streets. If
you put good meat into the can and do your canning right then you will
have good results. Never put into a can meat that is about ready to
spoil, thinking thereby to "save it."
If you want to be absolutely sure, even if the jar of meat seems
perfectly fresh when it is opened, you can re-cook the meat, thus
insuring yourself against any possibility of botulinus poisoning. So
you see, there is nothing at all alarming about that frightful
sounding word "botulinus." Using fresh products, doing the canning
properly and reheating before serving eliminates all danger.
For canning meat, tin cans are in most respects superior to glass, as
they eliminate all danger of breakage, preserve the meat just as well
as glass, and by excluding the light prevent any change of color. If
you use glass jars be sure to get the best brand of jar rubbers on the
market. This is very important.
If, as I have said, you are a beginner--cook the meat first by frying,
roasting, broiling, baking or stewing--just as you would prepare it
for immediate use. The meat is usually seasoned according to taste and
is cooked until thoroughly heated through, before putting in the cans.
Do not cook until tender as that will be too long with the additional
sterilizing. If too tender it will fall apart and be unappetizing
although perfectly good. See that nothing is wasted in the canning. If
you are canning a young steer or a calf you would go about it as
follows:
Select the meat that you would ordinarily want. Slice the meat wanted
for steak. What is not suited for either of these can be used for
stews, or be put through the meat grinder and made into sausage meat,
formed into little cakes, fried and canned. What meat is left clinging
to all bones will be utilized when the bones are boiled for soup
stock. The sinews, the head and the feet, after being cleaned may be
used for soup stock also.
The liver should be soaked in water, the coarse veins cut out and the
liver skinned and prepared any way that is desired before canning it
or it may be made into liver sausage. The heart can be used for
goulash. The kidneys should be soaked in salt water, split open and
the little sack removed; then they can be either stewed or fried and
then canned. The sweetbreads may be prepared in various ways and then
canned.
The brain is soaked in water to remove the blood, and the membrane
enclosing it is removed. It can be fried or prepared in any favorite
way and then canned. The ox tail is used for soup. The tongue is
soaked in water, scrubbed, cleaned, salted, boiled, skinned and packed
in cans with some soup stock added.
If you do not care to use the head for soup stock and if it comes from
a young animal, split it open and soak in cold water. Use a brush and
scrub thoroughly. Remove the eyes and mucous membrane of the nostrils
and then boil it. After it is boiled, remove all meat and make a mock
turtle stew or ragout. Prepare the tripe as for table use and then
can.
After the soup stock is made and the bones are cracked for a second
cooking, the bones need not be thrown away. You can dry them, run them
through a bone crusher and either feed them to the chickens or use
them for fertilizer. In this way not a particle of the dressed animal
is wasted.
Here are a few ways to utilize the cuts that are really "left-overs."
GOULASH
2 Pounds of meat scraps which can consist of beef, veal or pork.
2 Ounces of any fat.
2 Onions chopped fine.
1 Stalk celery, cut in small pieces.
2 Carrots.
2 Cups tomatoes either canned or fresh.
1 Bay leaf.
6 Whole cloves.
6 Peppercorns.
1 Blade mace or a little thyme or both.
A little flour.
1 Tablespoonful chopped parsley.
Salt and paprika to taste.
Cut the meat into one inch squares and roll in flour. Melt the fat in
the frying pan, add the vegetables (onions, celery, carrots) and brown
lightly: add the meat and brown. Stir with a spoon or fork to prevent
burning. When browned empty into a pan.
Put the bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, mace and thyme into a
cheesecloth bag and add to the meat, add tomatoes. Cover with soup
stock or water and simmer 45 minutes if it is going to be canned. If
for immediate use, 2 hours will be necessary to thoroughly cook it.
Remove the spices, season with salt, paprika and the chopped parsley.
You can add Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce if desired. Use only
small quantities as these sauces are very strong in their distinctive
flavor. Put hot mixture into cans and sterilize.
If the different spices are not at hand a good goulash can be made by
using the meat, fat, onions, tomatoes, flour, salt and pepper and
omitting the rest of the recipe.
LIVER SAUSAGE
Beef, veal, or hog liver. Remove the membrane and cut away the large
blood vessels. Soak in water 1 to 2 hours to draw out blood. Boil
until done. When cooled put through a food chopper or grate finely.
Take half as much boiled fat pork as liver. Divide this fat into two
portions; chop one portion into one-quarter inch cubes; pass the other
portion through the food chopper; mix all together thoroughly; add
salt, ground cloves, pepper, and a little grated onion to taste. A
little thyme and marjoram may be added to suit taste. (For a liver
weighing 1½ pounds add ¾ pounds fat pork, 3 to 4 teaspoonfuls salt, ½
teaspoonful cloves, ½ teaspoonful pepper, 1 small onion, ¼ teaspoonful
thyme, and pinch of marjoram.) This mixture is stuffed into large
casings. (If no casings are available, make casings of clean white
muslin.) Cover with boiling water, bring to a boil, and boil for 10
minutes. Pack into cans, fill in with the water in which the sausages
were boiled. Sterilize.
This liver sausage may also be made from the raw liver and raw pork,
but in that case the sterilizing is for a longer period, as the
time-table indicates. This recipe is recommended by the United States
Department of Agriculture.
HEAD CHEESE
Cut a hog's head into four pieces. Remove the brains, ears, skin,
snout and eyes. Cut off the fattest parts for lard. Put the lean and
bony parts to soak over night in cold water in order to extract the
blood and dirt. When the head is cleaned put it over the fire to boil,
using water enough to cover it. Boil until the meat separates readily
from the bones. Then remove it from the fire and pick out all the
bones. Drain off the liquor, saving a part of it for future use. Chop
the meat up finely with a chopping knife. Return it to the kettle and
pour on enough of the liquor to cover the meat. Let it boil slowly for
fifteen minutes to a half-hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper
just before removing it from the fire. Bay leaves, a little ground
cloves and allspice may be added and boiled a short time in the soup.
Pack while hot in cans to within ½ inch of top. Sterilize. This head
cheese is always served cold.
CORNED BEEF
After beef has been properly corned for three weeks, remove the meat
from the brine. Soak for two hours in clear water, changing water
once. Place in a wire basket and boil slowly for half an hour. Remove
from the boiling water, plunge into cold water, and remove gristle,
bone and excessive fat. Cut into small pieces and pack closely into
cans. Add no salt and proceed as in other canning.
CANNED PORK
After the animal has been killed, cool quickly and keep the pork cool
for at least 24 hours. Can only lean portions, using the fat to make
lard. Place meat in a wire basket or cheesecloth and boil 30 minutes,
or roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Cut into small sections and pack
closely into cans. Add salt and proceed with remainder of process.
Other pieces of beef and pork: Hamburg steak, sausage, venison,
squirrel, raccoon, opossum, lamb, are canned as follows:
After cleaning, season and fry, roast, stew, or bake in oven as though
preparing for serving directly on the table. Cook until meat is about
three fourths done. Pack while hot into sanitary tin cans or glass
jars. Pour over the meat the hot liquids, gravies, dressings, etc., or
hot water. Add salt and proceed as in any other cold-pack canning.
HOW TO CAN POULTRY AND GAME WITH THE BONES REMOVED
Kill bird and draw immediately; wash carefully and cool; then cut into
convenient sections. Boil until the meat can be removed from the
bones; remove from the boiling liquid and take out all bones; pack
closely into glass jars or enameled cans; fill jars with the hot
liquid after it has been concentrated one half; add 1 level
teaspoonful salt to every quart of meat for seasoning; put rubbers and
top of jars in place but not tight. If using enameled cans completely
seal. Sterilize the length of time given in the time-table on page
108 of this book. After the sterilizing remove the jars; tighten the
covers if glass was used; invert to cool and test joints. Wrap with
paper to prevent bleaching.
FRIED SPRING CHICKEN
After cleaning and preparing the chickens, season and fry as though
for serving directly on the table. Cook until the meat is about
three-fourths done. If a whole spring chicken, break the neck and both
legs and fold around body of chicken. Roll up tight, tie a string
around the chicken and drop this hot, partially fried product into
sanitary tin cans or glass jars. A quart tin can (No. 3) will hold two
to four small chickens. Pour liquid from the griddle or frying pan
into the can over the chicken. Proceed, as in any other canning, with
the sealing, sterilizing and removing of the jars. Chicken fries
canned in the late fall preserve the meat at the most delicious stage
and furthermore we avoid the expense of feeding the chickens
throughout the winter.
HOW TO CAN COCKERELS
When cockerels reach the point in their growth where it is no longer
profitable to feed them, and when they are wanted for home use during
the winter months they should be canned. This method of handling the
cockerel not only saves money by cutting down the feed bill, but it
places in the pantry or cellar the means of a delicious chicken dinner
at a time of the year when the price of poultry is high.
The bird should not be fed for at least twenty-four hours before
killing. It should be killed by the approved method and picked dry.
When the feathers have been removed and the pin feathers drawn the
bird should be cooled rapidly. This rapid cooling after killing is
essential to a good flavor in canned meat. As soon as the bird has
been properly cooled it should be singed and washed carefully with a
brush.
CUTTING UP AND DRAWING CHICKENS
Mr. George Farrell, a most expert canner, tells us how to go about
this job of canning chicken.
In preparing the bird for canning, care should be taken in drawing it
so that the contents of the digestive tract do not come in contact
with the meat.
1. Remove the tops of the wings, cutting at the first joint.
2. Remove the wings.
3. Remove the foot, cutting at the knee joint.
4. Remove the leg, cutting at the hip or saddle joint.
5. Cut the removed portion of the leg into two parts at the joint.
6. Place the bird so the back of the head is toward the operator, cut
through the neck bone with a sharp knife but do not cut the windpipe
or gullet.
7. With the index finger separate the gullet and windpipe from the
skin of the neck.
8. Cut through the skin of the neck.
9. With a pointed knife cut through the skin from the upper part of
the neck, thus separated, to the wing.
10. Leave the head attached to the gullet and windpipe and loosen
these from the neck down as far as the crop.
11. With a sharp pointed knife cut around the shoulder blade, pull it
out of position and break it.
12. Find the white spots on the ribs and cut through the ribs on these
white spots.
13. Cut back to the vent; cut around it, and loosen.
14. Begin at the crop and remove the digestive tract from the bird,
pulling it back toward the vent.
15. Remove the lungs and kidneys with the point of a knife.
16. Cut off the neck close to the body.
17. Cut through the backbone at the joint or just above the diaphragm.
18. Remove the oil sack.
19. Separate the breast from the backbone by cutting through on the
white spots.
20. Cut the fillet from each side of the breastbone.
21. Cut in sharp at the point of the breastbone, turning the knife and
cutting away the wishbone with the meat. Bend in the bones of the
breastbone.
PACKING CHICKEN
Use a one quart jar. Caution: Do not pack the giblets with the meat.
1. Have the jar hot.
2. Pack the saddle with a thigh inside.
3. Pack the breastbone with a thigh inside.
4. Pack the backbone and ribs with a leg inside.
5. Pack the legs large end downward, alongside the breastbone.
6. Pack the wings.
7. Pack the wishbone.
8. Pack the fillets.
9. Pack the neck-bone.
10. Pour on boiling water to within one inch of the top; add a level
teaspoonful of salt; place the rubber and cap in position, partially
seal, and sterilize for the length of time given below for the
particular type of outfit used:
Water bath, home made or commercial (pint or quart jars) 1 hour
Water seal, 214° 3 hours
5 pounds steam-pressure 2 hours
10 to 15 pounds steam-pressure 1 hour
Remove jars; tighten covers; invert to cool, and test joints. Wrap
jars with paper to prevent bleaching.
PIGEONS
_Young_ pigeons. Dress pigeons, wash well, and roast for 30 minutes
basting frequently. Some pieces of fat bacon put over the breasts will
prevent them getting too dry.
_Old_ pigeons. Dress, wash, and fry pigeons.
Brown some onions in the fat with the pigeons, using a pound of onions
to a dozen birds. Cover with hot water after pigeons and onions are a
golden brown; simmer until the meat is tender and can be removed from
the bones. Add from time to time boiling water, if necessary, in order
to keep the birds covered. When tender, take meat from bones. Return
the meat to the liquor, salt to taste and pack while boiling into cans
or jars, fill with liquor to within one-half inch of top.
All small game birds may be canned like pigeons. Blackbirds may be
treated like pigeons. They make an excellent stew.
PLAIN CANNING OF TENDER COTTON-TAILS OR TWICE-SKINNED JACK-RABBITS
1. Blanch in boiling water until the meat is white.
2. Cold dip.
3. Pack tightly in sterilized jars.
4. Add boiling water and 1 teaspoonful salt to quart.
5. Adjust rubber and lid.
6. Sterilize in hot water bath for three hours.
7. Remove from bath and complete the seal.
Rabbit meat thus canned, may be served in various appetizing ways.
RABBIT SAUSAGE
For rabbit sausage and mince-meat only the backs and legs of the
carcass are used, discarding the sinews.
Grind together equal parts of rabbit and fat pork (or at least ¼ fat
pork). The pork may be salt pork if all salt is omitted from the
mixture.
To every ten pounds of the above add 6 teaspoonfuls salt, 1
teaspoonful of pepper, 2 teaspoonfuls powdered sage. Mix thoroughly.
Shape in flat cakes and fry till nicely browned. Pack tightly in jars,
pour over the fat in which the sausage was fried, and sterilize.
RABBIT MINCE-MEAT
Rabbit mince-meat is used a great deal on the plains and large
quantities of it are canned. The mince-meat may be made by simply
substituting the rabbit meat for beef in your favorite recipe. The
following is an inexpensive recipe:
1 Cup of rabbit meat which has been parboiled in salted water and
drained, then chopped finely.
1 Cup chopped apple.
½ Cup finely chopped suet.
½ Cup seeded raisins.
½ Cup currants.
1 Cup molasses or syrup.
2 Tablespoonfuls sugar.
1 Tablespoon cider, lemon juice, fruit juice or vinegar.
¼ Cup chopped watermelon pickles or green tomato pickles.
1 Teaspoon of cinnamon or nutmeg.
1 Teaspoon of salt.
½ Teaspoon cloves, mace or other spice.
Mix together all ingredients except the meat, add the meat broth and
simmer for about 1 hour. Add the meat. Pour into jars, and sterilize.
Remove and seal.
STEPS IN CANNING MEAT AND GAME
For all meat, poultry or game canning the following general
instructions should be kept in mind.
1. Sterilize the jars, caps and rubbers.
2. Grade the meat for size.
3. Cut up into convenient portions for cooking or canning.
4. Sauté, fry or bake, broil or stew as desired. This step can be
omitted if you are an experienced canner.
5. Pack in sterilized, hot jars or tin cans.
6. Add 1 level teaspoonful salt per quart of meat for seasoning if not
already seasoned.
7. If glass jars put on rubber and seal, not too tight. Seal tin cans.
8. Process in boiling water or steam under pressure.
9. Remove, completely seal the jar.
10. Invert to cool and test the joint.
11. Label and store.
If you can in tin use the enamel or lacquered cans. A slight amount of
water in the bottom of the jars of prepared meat will insure quicker
sterilization of the air remaining in the jar. Where meat has been
stewed the liquor can be poured into the jar for filling. If you use a
steam-pressure cooker outfit of course the time of cooking will be
much shorter than if you use a wash-boiler or some other homemade
outfit. If you cook in boiling water we call that the water-bath
method.
The following data will be of interest to those who contemplate
canning meat.
Hog on foot--weight 500.
Liver, heart and a part of the ribs were eaten at the time of
butchering, therefore, not canned. The remainder of the ribs canned
six No. 3 cans:
Ham 18, No. 3 cans
Shoulder 18, No. 3 cans
Roast 18, No. 3 cans
Sausage 26, No. 3 cans
Hash 4, No. 3 cans
Gravy 5, No. 3 cans
(which is also called stock)
The sausage weighed 52 lbs. before it was canned, making 2 lbs. to the
can.
There were 200 lbs. of fat for lard. After it was rendered there were
176 lbs. of lard and 20 lbs. of cracklings.
TIME-TABLE FOR CANNING MEAT, POULTRY AND
GAME
[A] IF USING HOT WATER BATH OUTFIT AT 212°F
[B] IF USING WATER-SEAL OUTFIT AT 214°F
[C] IF USING STEAM PRESSURE 5 POUNDS
[D] IF USING PRESSURE COOKER 15 POUNDS
TIME TO STERILIZE
PRODUCTS | [A] | [B] | [C] | [D]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
PARTIALLY COOKED MEAT OF ALL KINDS
Roast beef | | | |
Corned beef | | | |
Sweetbreads | | | |
Tongue | | | |
Brains | | | |
Headcheese | | | |
Spareribs | 1½ hrs. | 1 hr. | 40 min. | 30 min.
Kidneys | | | |
Sausages and | | | |
other meats | | | |
Rabbits | | | |
Pigeon | | | |
Chicken | | | |
UNCOOKED OR RAW MEAT
Beef | | | |
Pork | 3 hrs. | 3 hrs. | 2 hrs. | 1 hr.
Veal and all | | | |
other meats | | | |
Poultry and game | | | |
All meat stocks | | | |
with or without | 1½ hrs. | 75 min. | 1 hr. | 40 min.
vegetables and | | | |
cereals | | | |
NOTE.--This time-table is for No. 2 and No. 3 tin cans or pint and
quart glass jars. If larger cans or jars are used more time must be
allowed for the sterilizing. If canning in tin, scratch on the can at
the time of sealing the initial of the contents. For instance--S.R.
means spareribs; G. means goulash; R.B. means roast beef. You can make
out your list and mark accordingly.