# Arggg!! Meat fail, again!



## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Why am I consistent fail when it comes to canning meat? I follow directions exact. The head space is right, but my seal fail rate is 75% probably. The first time I did meat, I did shredded potbelly. 5 of 7 sealed and away they went to the basement, Several months late, I discovered all the seals but two had failed. They weren't moved or knocked into or anything. 

I tried canning more, and all the seals in the canner but two failed right out of the canner. Both times with regular metal lids. Just yesterday I canned chicken broth. I used tattler lids this time. 4 of 7 failed right out of the canner. Some of the broth was sucked out during canning which I am sure caused the failure. Why? This happens with fruit sometimes also. I know the head space is right. 

Great way to waste 3 hours of my day!
:hair:hair:hair


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## Ceilismom (Jul 16, 2011)

PrestoÂ®: Pressure Canning: Frequently Asked Questions

Maybe something here will help.


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## sweetbabyjane (Oct 21, 2002)

Are you tilting the jar when you put it in or take it out of the canner? If you tilt them stuff can get between the lid and the jar and ruin the seal. You want to hold them straight up and down.

Are you tightening the ring tight but not cranking down on it? It's got to be tight enough to hold the adhesive to the jar, but not so tight that you cut through the adhesive.

Just a couple of thoughts,
SBJ


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## Jeepgirl86 (May 18, 2012)

I've had failures due to many factors...like the above post, screwing the rings on too tight...also, not wiping the rims good enough (use straight vinegar), not letting the lids simmer long enough, tipping the jars, opening my pressure canner before the pressure was all the way down (newbie mistake!),too much headspace, not enough headspace and then there are the mystery fails which I attribute to inferior Ball/Kerr products.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Thanks, I'll read through that link. I always handle my jars straight up and down. Always wipe the rims extra good, and I think I am tightening the correct tightness, since my water bathed items all seal for the most part.


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## Packedready (Mar 29, 2011)

Is there something wrong with your canner? Are you venting for 10 minutes?


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I wouldn't fill them quite so full. That seems to help with milk, so I would assume it helps with meat too.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Clean the rim of the jar with vinagar after packing before you put on the lid/band. It cuts any possible oil on the rim.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Hmmm... try leaving them in the canner until everything cools down and depressurizes. I normally have a bit of this issue with bacon, but I got wrapped up in another project one day and forgot to return to the canner to remove the jars after turning off the burner and allowing the canner to cool down and depressurize... in the morning I only had 1 seal failure. It might be a fluke, since I never did figure out what the problem was since I don't do anything different with bacon than the other meats, but the last 2 times I tried it this way I haven't had any failures with the bacon. 

Leaving the jars right there in the closed canner on the stove overnight ensures I'm not bumping them moving the canner, or opening the canner too soon, or tilting them taking them out of the canner, or subjecting them to thermal shock or drafts.


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## a'ightthen (Mar 17, 2012)

Never had sealing issues here. Without knowing the process, it is hard to guess suggestions.

One thing that I have heard of, and is yet another guess for not knowing the process you are taking, is the lids themselves. It used to be that you boiled them but the new ones do not like that. I don't follow the "finger tight" but ... the other info is there.

Do you use a funnel for filling? This keeps debris off of the lid to start with and only a dry towel wipe is needed.

As stated above, leave them alone and allow to cool to 0 pressure, then crack the lid ( but leave it on) for an additional 10 minutes before removing. And after removing, keep them out of any drafts or fans.

Allow steam to flow out of the vent for 10 minutes before placing weights on and taking it under pressure.

If none of this fits, Please post the full process as all we can do otherwise is guess.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

One other suggestion, I didn't see mentioned, but maybe it was and I overlooked it.

When you remove the jars from the canner, do you re-tighten the lids? If so, DON'T. 

I never pay attention to what is stated about how tight or loose to put the lids on. I hand tighten them really snug. I also make sure not to overfill the jars. 

If you are packing raw vs cooked, that can also make a difference.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

PaulNKS said:


> If you are packing raw vs cooked, that can also make a difference.


I have noticed that really fatty meats like sausage and GB seem to seal better if cooked/browned first so the grease can be drained off and then hot packed; or the jars filled only 3/4's with meat and NO LIQUID and then raw packed.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

With Tattler lids, you will want to re-tighten the bands, but not on Ball or Kerr lids.

Once the jars are cool, remove the bands and wash the jars well.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

MullersLaneFarm said:


> With Tattler lids, you will want to re-tighten the bands, but not on Ball or Kerr lids.
> 
> Once the jars are cool, remove the bands and wash the jars well.



For the tattlers, I bought two jar wrenches to use so I don't burn my hands. One to hold the jar and one to tighten the lids.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

I've never used tattle lids. I see from their website that it is a lid and a rubber ring. Is the rubber ring also reusable? 

Sorry for the hijack. Just curious if they are worth it.


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## hhhandyman (Apr 28, 2011)

We've used Tattler lids for 4 years now and swear by them. The rubber rings are reusable, but some eventually will get stretched out and should be replaced. I usually order an add'l dozen rubber rings (about $2.50 / dz) for every 6 dozen lid sets I buy. The only time we use the metal lids, now, is for items we plan to gift.


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## Sanza (Sep 8, 2008)

If you try to drop the pressure fast instead of letting it drop by itself it will cause some liquid to be sucked out, which prevents it from having a clean seal.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

After reading all these comments, I still have no idea what keeps going wrong, however, the various suggestions and ideas here have been extremely helpful for future reference.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Something that I have noticed, odd though it is, is that I have problems with seals if a storm front is moving through.


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

Is this happening with all your pressure canning but not water bath?

Maybe you are having trouble maintaining a steady pressure. Once you've figured out what the heat should be set to, you need to leave it there and not turn it up and down. If the pressure fluctuates, content siphons out, and the lids sometimes won't seal.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

This is my 2nd year using Tattler lids. Yes, the rubber rings are reusable, but will stretch out eventually. 

I can all year round and have reused many of the Tattler lids already multiple times all with high success rate.

Like hhhandyman, I still keep metal lids around for gifts and fair entries.


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

I'm wondering if it's the fat in the meat causing the problem. You're canning shredded potbelly. Could it be the fat being sucked out of the jar that's causing the jars to initially appear to seal but come unsealed later?

Wild swings in processing temps will cause liquid to be sucked out of jars. And that can cause seal failures. Try to maintain an even temperature, not starting off with a wild boil, turning it down too far (overcompensating) and then turning it up too high again. I'm relearning this lesson as I'm now canning on an outdoor propane setup with crude controls.

Try starting off with a medium heat instead of high. It'll take longer to come up to pressure but that's ok. Then you won't have to turn it down so far. Try the keep the temperature as even as possible. Also, try using more headspace. If your recipe calls for an inch of headspace, try an inch and a quarter or even an inch and a half.

Hope this helps. Keep trying, the more you do the better you'll get at it.


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

I just read this post by Badger in the Melted my canner thread, which says it better than I did:


> One thing I have found out and this is only my opinion from my own experience, if I bring the pressure up slowly and take it down slowly I have a better seal rate ( nearly 100 %). If I pressure up or down quickly I loose fluid out of the jars and therefore some of them get food or something on the rim and fail to seal. The actual processing is the easy part and I dont want to waste all that prep time getting in a hurry to process.


I'm processing meats this week too and having a problem with sealing. I think it's a combination of fat (a lot of my jars have a half inch or more. That's where the flavor is) plus learning to control the flame. I'm relearning to s l o w l y bring it up to pressure, then keep it at a slow steady jiggle.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

the shredded potbelly was ultra fatty, and we assumed that to be the cause of the problem, but the same thing happened with the chicken, and it wasn't any more or less fatty than any other chicken.

maybe the temperature is an issue. I turn the flame high to get it up to temp, but I always cool completely before even touching the thing. sometimes, when I water bath, liquid gets sucked out of the jars, but I dont have a seal issue. I wonder if heating up too fast is causing these issues?


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## Guest (Jul 30, 2012)

are you saying that they all seal but later you find they came unsealed?


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

In the case of the potbelly meat, yes, most of them. In the case of the chicken, 4 of 7 came out of the canner and did not seal.


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## Guest (Jul 30, 2012)

Oh boy..that really sucks!

I asked this because I made 35quart jar's of Meatloaf & I thought that when you heard that wonderful pinging sound it ment that your in the clear..I would be VERY VERY UPSET if that happen's to me..

I can't imagine how you must feel!!! HUGS..


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

I had this issue with regular lids and canning milk. Sealed at first, but found them later on in the basement not sealed. Most of those were batches that hubby canned while I was gone, so no idea if he exactly followed my written instructions or not. 

I think that it IS bringing the temp up too quickly, as now that I try to just use a med/high heat to get to the pressure I need, I'm not having any failures. Try that, and wiping with vinegar is new to me, but I'm going to try that on fatty items like meat. You can re process anything you take out of the canner if you do it right away, just re-wipe and use new lids, or wash your tattler lids and seals and re-use.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

Are you sure your pressure gauge is correct?


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

yes, its fairly new. I could have DH test it for me. He has the tools to do so.


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

I came across this info from canning pantry when someone else was having the same problem:



> Make sure you maintain the 1" headspace in the jars. If you are still getting a small amount of liquid loss, try increasing the headspace by another 1/8" or so. Do not leave too much headspace or you will leave air in the jar(s).
> 
> The cool down is slow and is supposed to be and it is part of the entire process of canning and must not be speeded up. The time it takes depends on many factors, including the density of the food in the jars. If the pressure is artificially dropped quicker you can experience rapid purging of the contents of the jars, which may be one reason why you had liquid in the canning water. It could also seal the jars prematurely.
> 
> One of the changes made in recent years is the recommendation, once the canner pressure has reached Zero, is to open the vent but not remove the lid for 15 minutes to allow more time for the super heated jars to adjust to the outside temperatures.


I don't raw pack chicken because it cooks into a dense cylinder in the jar, looks unappetizing, and makes the jars hard to clean. I have a friend who raw packs, though. He doesn't add extra water, just packs it full of chicken, bones and all, and processes. He always ends up with 2-3 inches of head space. His jars always seal.

My sealing success rate improves when I allow an inch and a half headspace with meats. Especially meats with more fat. I have a feeling part of the problem is when that fat boils up in the jar and gets on the rim. 

The other factor, imo, is fluctuating temps. I'm going to be canning meat this week and I'm going to make a concerted effort to bring the pressure up slowly and when done, bring it down slowly. 

I've just started hearing that recommendation to leave the jars in for an extra few minutes. This is the first time I've heard 15 minutes recommended. I'm always hurrying to get those tattlers out and crank down on the lids. Any other tattler users who have started leaving the jars in after processing? How long do you leave them in?


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