[oraltool]

Well, you learn from your mistakes, most of the time. I hope by me telling of this one someone else won't make this mistake.

Ok. I like canned tomatoes and so i have canned juice and whole peeled tomatoes for several years now. have also canned fruit and fruit pie fillings.

So i buy a large canner. I want to can hamburger in case electricity is turned off. I canned 10 lbs of hamburger with onions. I did that with success and let them sit. This past weekend I was sick and so thought I would try out one of the quart jars of my work. Well, I opened the can and was sadly met with the contents smelling like canned cat food. I tried using it but it was just too nasty. I work with a nice lady who discusses food topics with me and I told her of the situation. She said it was the onions. She has canned hamburger many times with great results. NO ONIONS. I love onions, I thought I was saving me some time and of course saving onion in my food stuffs at the same time. Boy was I wrong. Unless you like the flavor of cat food I guess you can can any thing you want or have the stomach for. Anyone else have such a situation?

 

[SaskDame]

Too many to mention. When it reminds me of dog food or we would need dogs teeth to eat it, it goes to the dogs. Good thing our dogs are not fussy.

 

[JayJay]

But if you use the canned beef in chili or beef/veg soup, will it maybe be okay without the cat food taste??

 

[lotsoflead]

Well, you learn from your mistakes, most of the time. I hope by me telling of this one someone else won't make this mistake.

Ok. I like canned tomatoes and so i have canned juice and whole peeled tomatoes for several years now. have also canned fruit and fruit pie fillings.

So i buy a large canner. I want to can hamburger in case electricity is turned off. I canned 10 lbs of hamburger with onions. I did that with success and let them sit. This past weekend I was sick and so thought I would try out one of the quart jars of my work. Well, I opened the can and was sadly met with the contents smelling like canned cat food. I tried using it but it was just too nasty. I work with a nice lady who discusses food topics with me and I told her of the situation. She said it was the onions. She has canned hamburger many times with great results. NO ONIONS. I love onions, I thought I was saving me some time and of course saving onion in my food stuffs at the same time. Boy was I wrong. Unless you like the flavor of cat food I guess you can can any thing you want or have the stomach for. Anyone else have such a situation?

we find that it;s best not to put any onions or seasonings in except salt.IT's alway easy to put the onions on the burger after.

 

[Clarice]

I lightly brown my ground beef, drain grease, put in jar and cover with hot beef broth. No need for salt and the beef broth is salty. Process quarts for 90 min. @ 10#s. To use in a dish I drain the broth off and save it to put over my dog's food. The meat is delicious. I also use beef broth when I can venision.

 

[JayJay]

I canned my stew beef and got a few pints of broth...waste of time??

Not if electricity fails...we have a half beef in the freezer, no generator, and I see it as meat not lost.
In fact, thinking about canning some of that ground beef...(and I won't put onions in it):congrat:

Thanks for sharing this mistake.

 

[oraltool]

I will be doing more hamburger because that is so versatile. I'll just have to add them in afterwards. I LAUGHED TO MYSELF TONIGHT. tHE WIFEY THINKS i'M NUTS AND HORDING. I just said oh well, sue me for canning some meat. I could be sitting on my A$$ collecting dust and fat. If we ever get in a tight spot maybe then she will appreciate the efforts I have put forth.

 

[JayJay]

I see it as being one step closer to having a meal ready...the beef for dishes is cooked and ready to throw in.:congrat:

 

[Jason]

Oraltool, from a new canner, thank you for sharing that. we don't have a pressure canner yet, but last night we got a big pot to use as a water bath canner. We just used our big pot before, which really isn't big enough. Anyway, DW canned 3 pints of venison the other day. Using my cousin's technique, she cubed the meat, packed it into the jars, boiled it for a few hours, and it made its own juice. All she added was a half teaspoon or so of salt. It tastes really good.

 

[Freyadog]

I lightly brown my ground beef, drain grease, put in jar and cover with hot beef broth. No need for salt and the beef broth is salty. Process quarts for 90 min. @ 10#s. To use in a dish I drain the broth off and save it to put over my dog's food. The meat is delicious. I also use beef broth when I can venision.

Clarice when you can venisonburger and you do not have beef broth(we don't eat beef) can you just pour boiling water into the meat? Also would you add beef bouillion or just plain water. Would the bouillion make it too salty?

 

[Jason]

DW asked me to post this question. We have a couple chuck roasts frozen in the freezer. We are wondering if they can be thawed and canned, like fresh meat. I don't see why not but it's worth asking about. I realize it's more work than it's probably worth but we just want to try it to see how it turns out.

 

[gypsysue]

When we lived in town and had electricity I bought 25 whole chickens on a good sale at a newly-opened grocery store, and put them in our upright freezer.

Then we sold that property and bought this homestead where we live now. I canned up all the meat in the freezer, including all the frozen elk and venison and the 25 chickens.

Worked out fine. Look in your canner instruction book for the times and pressures.

 

[oraltool]

i have the canning down, i just put onions in with the hamburger and that was the mistake unless you like hamburger tasting like cat food smells. I don't particularly like cats and their goofy canned food. Were not picky eaters and I guess if that is all that is left at some point it would get eaten but it did taste really bad. We used it in Spaghetti sauce it left on heck of a wang to the tomato sauce. I'll never do that again.

 

[oraltool]

JASON: Are you not concerned about botulism?? The spors live beyond 212 or i should say they don't die and you can't tell if they are dead by the appearance of your canned foods. 240 degrees is the temp the canner reached at sea level killing the sore so you can live another day. Maybe you folks do this all the time but I would say you have been damn lucky. I want to live and I sure as heck don't want to kill my family. THEY ARE PRESCIOUS TO ME. Please pressure canner all your meat you put up. I would hate to hear of a tragic mistake from improper prepping of food. I have heard that some low acid tomatoes require pressure canning because of the low acid in the fruit. Amazing the new varieties have been engineered to have less acid for better stomach appeal and I suppose mouth irritation if you eat alot of them. I usually just water bath them but I'm going to start using my pressure canner next season.

 

[Jason]

That's what I needed to know. Thanks.

 

[JayJay]

DW asked me to post this question. We have a couple chuck roasts frozen in the freezer. We are wondering if they can be thawed and canned, like fresh meat. I don't see why not but it's worth asking about. I realize it's more work than it's probably worth but we just want to try it to see how it turns out.

We have a half beef....I cooked the stew meat, canned it, and even got broth for noodles, and other dishes..
It looks okay ..I'll know next time I make veg/beef soup.

 

[CVORNurse]

for Jason and wifey

Jason, I have read through this thread. It sounds to me like ya'll waterbathed the deer?

You and DW really need to get The Ball Blue Book of Canning. You can also go to this site and download the USDA Canning Guide (which I actually use much more than my Blue Book. Downloaded, printed, and put in page protectors in a big binder)..... National Center for Home Food Preservation | USDA Publications

Canning is fun and rewarding, but not if someone gets sick from using a recipe that isn't proven to be safe.

I moved the next step to canning meat this year. Did a turkey and broth. And cannot wait to find some time to can some roast. Just waiting until I can catch a day or 2 off of work. And more than likely, mine will be from previously frozen meat. Because it will either be bought on sale, or from the steer we butchered. The butcher we used wouldn't let DH pick the meat up until it was frozen. Maybe some regulation he has to follow??

 

[Jason]

We'ew looking at pressure canners now. We've decided that we like the jellies and stuff she's made and are ready to take the next step. Sometime within the next couple weeks we'll have a brand new one perking away in the kitchen.

 

[CVORNurse]

We'ew looking at pressure canners now. We've decided that we like the jellies and stuff she's made and are ready to take the next step. Sometime within the next couple weeks we'll have a brand new one perking away in the kitchen.

I have a 23 quart Presto. Love it other than having to use the guage instead of a weight. But if you can afford it, go for the All American. Fewer parts to wear out and have to replace.

 

[Jason]

Thank you. We're all for suggestions and horror stories at this point. We don't need anything fancy and can't afford to spend tons of money, but we are able to make a sensible investment in something that will last (and keep us safe) for many years.