# Canning chicken



## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

I've read through these instructions:

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_05/chicken_rabbit.html

Is skin considered fat? I prefer to keep the fat because I believe it is good for the children. Should I just make other plans for it? 

Which would the experts do; raw or cooked method? 

When it's time to consume this meat is it ready to eat out of the jar? Say, for chicken salad?


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## Canning Girl (Jan 13, 2010)

When I can chicken, I cut off all the skin and visible fat, cut it in bite size chunks, and boil it in a big pot until it is mostly cooked (still a little pink inside). Then I rinse it off to remove all the slimy fat. Next I pack it into jars with a bouillon cube and fill with boiling water. Process 90 minutes at 11-13 lbs.

I don't like to raw pack because it all clumps together, and I like to rinse it off so that it looks better in the jars. Yes, it is ready to eat out of the jar. After it processes for 90 minutes, it is thoroughly cooked. I made some chicken salad recently with some of my canned chicken, and it was excellent. Canning the chicken gives it a little bit different flavor that I really like. I hope this helped!


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

So would boiling the water it was cooked in work? I want to reserve as much of the orginial chicken as possible, including any nutrients that might be lost in the cooking process. 

That does help a lot! I can't wait to do this!


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## coalroadcabin (Jun 16, 2004)

PrettyPaisley,

This is my first year canning meat (30 years canning but I was always afraid to can meat - what a dummy I am!)

I roasted my chicken - picked the meat from the bones and stored it in the fridge. Took the broth from the roasting pan and put it in the fridge. Cooked the bones and skin with a couple quarts of water in the crock pot over night - strained it and put it in the fridge for 8 or so hours. 

Then I cut the chicken into chunks, skimmed the congealed fat from both bowls of broth. Brought the broth to a boil for 10 minutes added the chicken chunks & brought back up to a boil. Then jarred it. Probably a bit of overkill but I really wanted to remove as much fat as possible because I read somewhere that excess fat in the jars can sometimes get between the rim and the lid and keep the jar from sealing - and I like the flavor of roasted chicken better than stewed. 

It's ready to eat out of the jar or dump 2 jars into a sauce pan, bring to a slow boil and drop in dumplings - 20 minutes for a chicken and dumpling dinner - - -

Oh, and use a towel dipped in white vinegar to wipe your rims........works better than hot water to get the grease off of the rim.


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## amyd (Mar 21, 2005)

You want to get all possible fat off the meat and broth before canning because the fat can go rancid. It's nearly impossible to remove it all, but get as much as you can.


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

> You want to get all possible fat off the meat and broth before canning because the fat can go rancid.


Agree but that isn't the main reason why the approved instructions call for removing the skin AND de-fatting both the broth and meat before canning. Fats and oil coat and insulate any bacteria and botulism spores that may be contained in the food. The insulating properties of the fats prevent the heat of the processing from killing the bacteria and spores. So for safe consumption you really need to follow the instructions you linked to. They have been tested for safety.

If you wish to retain the skin and the fats then freezing the meats is your only option, not canning.

And for an additional margin of safety, all meats should really be reheated prior to eating them.


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## coalroadcabin (Jun 16, 2004)

judylou said:


> And for an additional margin of safety, all meats should really be reheated prior to eating them.


judylou,
I attended a canning workshop 2 weeks ago and I asked the instructor about eating home canned foods without heating first. She said it was perfectly fine, I then specifically asked about meat and she said there was no reason to heat before eating. Can you give me your source?


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

> judylou,
> I attended a canning workshop 2 weeks ago and I asked the instructor about eating home canned foods without heating first. She said it was perfectly fine, I then specifically asked about meat and she said there was no reason to heat before eating. Can you give me your source?
> Reply With Quote


It is from our Master Food Preservers textbook and as I said, not a requirement, but a recommendation for additional safety. 

All the "added safety" recommendations in the MFP guidelines for teaching are to keep us from making assumptions when teaching about how the food was processed; to discourage us from making blanket safety statements given all the unknowns and variables.

Not everyone uses the approved guidelines, some use raw pack rather than hot pack, many don't choose to have their pressure canner gauges tested and haven't for years, some fudge their processing times, some still BWB meats believe it or not, some don't store their canned foods properly, some don't de-fat their chicken adequately and so risk botulism etc. For all those hundreds of other reasons that cause variances from person to person's canning, we aren't supposed to make flat out "oh, sure no problem" statements - like that instructor did. 

The truth is mistakes are made in canning by all of us now and then. Especially in pressure canning low-acid vegetables and meats. So the easiest way to make sure those mistakes don't hurt anyone is to cook the food before eating it. Cooking destroys any toxins that may have developed in the jar since it was canned. 

But as with all things in canning, the choice is always yours.


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## coalroadcabin (Jun 16, 2004)

Thanks for the explaination Judylou. Just so I'm clear on this though, reheating won't kill botulism though, correct?


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## jennytw (Aug 7, 2009)

I read that if you heat the food it may give off a fowl odor that may not be noticed otherwise, identifying it as 'bad'.


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## Charly (Feb 20, 2010)

I've only been canning meat for about 2 years now, and it I love it! It has set me free and allowed me to make quick, easy meals in an instant. 

I opt for the easiest way. I do a raw pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 3x a year when they have a really good sale. My family, unfortunately, doesn't care for the skin unless it's crispy or dark meat. 

Raw pack is SO easy, and it tastes delicious. I can't keep my 16 and 19 year old daughters out of it. For a while I was constantly catching them opening a jar for chicken salad, quesadillas, and additions to their pasta. I told them, I had those allocated to meals and to stop stealing them They LOVE it as do all of us. 

It does not look pretty though. My oldest always reminds me of an episode of the sitcom King of Queens. One of the main characters, Doug, and his friend Deacon are working in the backyard of a man that is a gynecologist. Doug happens to peek in his kitchen window and exclaims, "Oh my gosh! He's got vaginas in jars!" Deacon replies, "Dough, I think those are peaches." As I said, not pretty, but SO good!


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

> Thanks for the explaination Judylou. Just so I'm clear on this though, reheating won't kill botulism though, correct?


Reheating or additional cooking as if mixed in with another recipe at preparation time will not kill the botulism spores, no. That requires 240 degrees for minimum of 10 mins.

But it does destroy the botulism toxin those spores produce *IF* any has been produced in the jar during shelf storage. It is that toxin that makes us ill, not the spores themselves. Molds and other bacteria may give off a foul odor but botulism toxin has no odor or color or taste so no way to know if it is there or not.

Botulism spores exist all around us all the time, especially in the soil, and with the exception of small children or those with compromised immune systems, most can ingest some spores with few problems. But *IF* the spores were not killed due to improper processing those same spores *MAY* produce a toxin as a side effect of their growth and that toxin is what we need to destroy before eating.

Example: It is that cooking after opening the jars that allowed great-grandma to can her meats and green beans and corn in a BWB and survive. When she opened the jar she then cooked those beans until they were a pale green mush, fried that meat until it was almost charred, and the corn could be eaten even without any teeth it was so mushy. 

So if you choose to eat meats and other low-acid items fresh from the jars, and it is your choice of course, then you do so at your own risk.


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## coalroadcabin (Jun 16, 2004)

ah, I think I got it. You need the 240 from a pressure canner to kill the spores but simply applying heat will kill the toxin (if there is any present) after you've opened the jars? Would this require a boil? I'm wondering about reheating in a microwave.


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## Mrs.Swirtz (Jan 13, 2009)

Pretty Paisley, When I can my chicken I hot pack it as i think that it looks nicer and more will fit in a jar. I wait until whole chickens are on sale and cook them up in a big pot with carrots , onions, and celery. After I remove the skin and bones and put the meat in the jars with some broth . Then seal and can. I also strain the broth and skim the fat off and can that also. Even after removing the skin and bones you will still be left with a layer of fat at the top of the jar after canning. So it's probably not necisarry to can the skin also. It would be good ground up and used as fat in chicken sausage though.


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## Karen in Alabam (Jul 21, 2010)

I am canning 6 quarts of raw pack meat right now. Mine is a combo of breast and thigh. Seemed that I was able to fill each jar from just one chicken. I cut off the legs and wings and froze them. The rest is in a big pot for broth, which I will also can. I put some of the meat in with the broth when I can it.

I never canned meat before, and I opted for the easiest way, and raw pack was definitely easier. I didn't cut up the meat, just boned in large pcs. I opened a jar recently to see how it did, and it made great chicken salad.


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## Karen in Alabam (Jul 21, 2010)

I canned my chicken, and about one chicken fit in each quart jar. If it was a smaller bird, then I put some leg meat in too.

I let my jars cool in the canner till this morning. I took them out and the liquid in some of the jars is quite dark.

What causes that? Could it be because there was more dark meat in there? My first batch I did last week was in pint jars and I didn't notice any difference in the jars as far as color is concerned.


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

It is possibly from the dark meat but may also and most likely be because you


> I let my jars cool in the canner till this morning.


 and that discoloration often indicates contamination. Did you leave the lid in place during that time?

Jars of food should never be left in a closed PC any longer than required for normal processing. That warm, dark, moist environment allows for a resurgence in bacterial growth such as campylobacter and listeria. It also allows for aluminum interaction with any food liquids that may have siphoned out during processing. 

And since you have no way of knowing when the jars actually sealed or if the seal released during that time, some of that contaminated water can easily be sucked back into the jars as the vacuum formed.

The official recommendation is that the food be discarded but I would at the very least open the jars now, bring all the chicken back to boiling for a minimum of 10 mins. and then recan and reprocess using fresh jars and lids and proper processing methods.

Your choice.


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## Karen in Alabam (Jul 21, 2010)

Thanks Judylou

I will change my ways.

I am attaching pictures of these jars

"Did I leave the lid in place". I removed the canner from the stove and let it cool down completely, did not release the valve until this morning to let out the last vestiges of pressure before I opened her up.

Also these were raw packed.










http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab102/kgetchel/The Farm/canned-chicken.jpg


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Just an aside: The Blue Book recommends removing the rings 24 hours after the jars are sealed.


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## Apryl in ND (Jan 31, 2010)

Does canning make the meat more tender? I have a bunch of tough, young roosters that I might try this with.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Apryl in ND said:


> Does canning make the meat more tender? I have a bunch of tough, young roosters that I might try this with.


DEFINITELY makes the meat more tender.

I have neighbors who pressure cook their old birds before they jar and process them, but I've found that just the pressure canning works fantastic.

MMmm... Nothing as tasty as tough roosters cooked slow with lots of moisture, though... :sing:


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