# Pressure Canning Over an Fire Set-Up?



## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

I was wondering if anyone had a picture of their set-up for using a pressure canner over a fire and figured this forum would probably be the best place for it. Would just a grate for sitting the pot on and a fire kept stoked to the appropriate capacity be too simplified?


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## WanderingOak (Jul 12, 2004)

I've seen experienced homesteaders with a setup like you described, but don't have any experience using it myself. It was basically a stone hearth with a heavy steel grate. I would guess that keeping the right sized fire going would play a major role in getting it to work well.


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

olivehill said:


> I was wondering if anyone had a picture of their set-up for using a pressure canner over a fire and figured this forum would probably be the best place for it. Would just a grate for sitting the pot on and a fire kept stoked to the appropriate capacity be too simplified?


yes, it's that simple. remember it needs to be sturdy enough to hold that much weight.

are you planning on using a water bath canner? it might be hard to regulate the temp if using a presure canner.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Both water bath and pressure. But my question is pertaining more to the pressure canner here as the water bath seems, to me, much easier to figure out over a fire. I just was thinking about it the other day and got to thinking if something should happen to render our stove top unusable I'd hate to lose the ability to pressure can certain things. I did a google search and it seems people are pressure canning over a fire, but was just hoping someone with experience here might be able to explain their set-up and processes in detail. 

I thought I'd still process most of my canning in the house this summer but would do a few batches over a fire to "practice".


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

olivehill said:


> Both water bath and pressure. But my question is pertaining more to the pressure canner here as the water bath seems, to me, much easier to figure out over a fire. I just was thinking about it the other day and got to thinking if something should happen to render our stove top unusable I'd hate to lose the ability to pressure can certain things. I did a google search and it seems people are pressure canning over a fire, but was just hoping someone with experience here might be able to explain their set-up and processes in detail.
> 
> I thought I'd still process most of my canning in the house this summer but would do a few batches over a fire to "practice".


i've used water bath over a fire, but not pressure. sorry.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> over a fire


It's better done over the COALS rather than the open flames.
That makes it much easier to control the heat levels.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Bearfootfarm said:


> It's better done over the COALS rather than the open flames.
> That makes it much easier to control the heat levels.


Care to expand on the details of how you do that?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

olivehill said:


> Care to expand on the details of how you do that?



Set up some blocks with a grate to set your pot on, or you could even use a charcoal grill that's sturdy enough to hold the weight.

Build 2 fires, one inside the blocks and the other nearby.
When the first one burns down to coals, set your pot above them,

Then you can regulate the heat by adding or removing coals, and varying the height of the canner above them.

Keep the second fire going to provide more coals as needed to maintain your heat/pressure for as long as needed.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Set up some blocks with a grate to set your pot on, or you could even use a charcoal grill that's sturdy enough to hold the weight.
> 
> Build 2 fires, one inside the blocks and the other nearby.
> When the first one burns down to coals, set your pot above them,
> ...


Thanks! How to keep the coals hot was my biggest question -- of course, adding more from another fire was too "right in front of my face" to figure out on my own.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Bearfootfarm said:


> It's better done over the COALS rather than the open flames.
> That makes it much easier to control the heat levels.


That's exactly what I was going to suggest....especially for pressure canning. Most rookies have no idea how hot campfire flames are compared to a kitchen stove burner.

Your canner will be completely black on the outside by the time you're done. Consequently, I'd recommend "soaping" the outside of your canner before getting started. Just take some liquid dish detergent and rub it all over the exterior of your canner. This will make clean up 100% easier.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Cabin Fever said:


> That's exactly what I was going to suggest....especially for pressure canning. Most rookies have no idea how hot campfire flames are compared to a kitchen stove burner.
> 
> Your canner will be completely black on the outside by the time you're done. Consequently, I'd recommend "soaping" the outside of your canner before getting started. Just take some liquid dish detergent and rub it all over the exterior of your canner. This will make clean up 100% easier.


Thanks for the tip. We do _cook_ over a fire here and there in the summer, but that's a far cry from canning. Any wisdom I can glean from you all here to soften my learning curve is great! :grin:


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

I can on a wood stove on my patio mostly water bath as pressure canning is more involved. You really need to have a handle on your heat source to maintain the proper temp. Knowing when to add wood before you need it ect..
The few times I pressure canned on my cattleman's range/water heater I pretty much was tied to the stove. Seemed like the second I turned my back the heat was either too low or too high. Too high isn't so much of an issue just add a trivet.
This Summer I have plans (truthfully I have had this plan for over 5 years now) to build a rocket stove for canning. I hope that it will be easier to control the heat,give a hotter burn thus a quicker boil, & use less wood. 
Here's a link to my setup for canning 
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/2007/06/putting-food-by-n-da-hood.html

previous to this stove I used cinderblocks & old oven racks to form a fire pit. Have also canned in crisper drawers from discarded fridgerators. 

~~ pelenaka ~~


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## Wrencher (Nov 22, 2009)

Rocket Stove Link - these are nice, sturdy and use either wood or charcoal. I haven't tried to bottle anything with them yet, but have hopes that it will work well. They are stable and lined with cast refractory, have a cast top and a pot skirt. Here is the 'Store' link.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

Bearfootfarm said:


> It's better done over the COALS rather than the open flames.
> That makes it much easier to control the heat levels.



I second that. will also add it should be set up simular to bbqing. by that 
you have your main heat off to one side and the other cooler. you can regulate your heat by slideing you vessel one way or the other. 

with a pressure canner you most likely would need to just keep your eye on it,and make adjustments accordingly, though after awhile like anything you will need to do less of that as you get the hang.
remember water+heat+pressure can turn ugly if your not carefull. even with safty devices.


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## NCLee (Aug 4, 2009)

Would also like to suggest that you look for other alternatives before trying to pressure can over an open fire. It takes a bit of practice to do things as simple as cooking biscuits in a campstyle dutch oven, to get it right. Pressure canning, IMHO, will take much more experience and practice. Not saying that it can't be done. Just that without prior experience in controlling wood fires, it's likely that you'll have trouble. 

One of the keys, to pressure canning, as you probably already know is to try to keep the pressure as steady, as possible, during that step in the process. Rapid changes in pressure can cause the fluids to escape from the jars and can result in poor seals. Plus, if the pressure drops below the recommended level for your altitude, the timing must start over, to ensure a safe product. 

Some other options for canning, when you can't use your kitchen are:

The side burner on a gas grill. Just be sure it's sturdy enough to support the fully loaded canner. Use the main grill burners to heat the water you need for heating jars, adding water to jars, etc. 

A turkey fryer and a trivet. First make sure your canner will rest on the turkey fryer. Some don't have flat surfaces as they are made to fit a certain size stock pot. A trivet will help you control the heat, if the turkey fryer can't be turned low enough to maintain correct pressure. 

While slow, Coleman camp stoves, either propane or liquid fuel can be used. Just use it somewhere, where you don't have to use the wind screens. A pressure canner may not fit with the windscreens in place. 

If you have the space and budget, one option for an extra cooking source may be a small travel trailer or pop up camper. Some of these, bought used can be relatively inexpensive. And, they can provide a lot more alternatives for cooking, sleeping, toilet, etc. if TSHTF. 

If one of those isn't possible, salvage yards can be sources for the stoves used in them. One of the 2-3 or 4 burner stoves, some with ovens, can be setup for use. For the ones with an oven, you don't even need a cabinet for it. Hook it to a 20 or 100 lb propane cylinder and you're all set. Again, these may be slower than a traditional stove, in terms of quickly bringing the contents of the canner up to pressure. But, IMHO, it's well worth the wait, if that's the only method available to use the canner. 

In the summer, an inexpensive cannopy can be setup in the backyard, if you don't have shade to use one of these alternatives. (Don't build a fire under one though.) If you have a shed in the backyard, that may be the place to set up the alternative. Or, on a covered backporch or patio. 

Just some thoughts that may be useful.
Lee

Edit: Forgot to mention.... the type of wood that you use will be important. For best results you'll need plenty of well seasoned hardwood to burn down to the coals that you'll need. Misc scrap wood, just won't do it. Often, it'll burn to fast and won't produce many long lasting coals. So, if you decide to use open fire pressure canning, first make sure you have a good supply of wood.


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## QuiltingLady2 (Jan 3, 2007)

olivehill said:


> I was wondering if anyone had a picture of their set-up for using a pressure canner over a fire and figured this forum would probably be the best place for it. Would just a grate for sitting the pot on and a fire kept stoked to the appropriate capacity be too simplified?


Nope. Wouldn't do that.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

My 85 yr old mother in law was raised on a homestead. She remembers people using pressure canners on wood stoves and says that it was all too common for them to explode. Now, modern canners may or may not be safer, but I'd sure be careful. She said her mother would NOT use a pressure canner for that reason. So, it may become necessary at some point, but practice cooking on campfires or wood stoves and be aware you really have to watch the situation for safety's sake.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

GrannyCarol said:


> My 85 yr old mother in law was raised on a homestead. She remembers people using pressure canners on wood stoves and says that it was all too common for them to explode. Now, modern canners may or may not be safer, but I'd sure be careful. She said her mother would NOT use a pressure canner for that reason. So, it may become necessary at some point, but practice cooking on campfires or wood stoves and be aware you really have to watch the situation for safety's sake.


It might have been the old style canners they were using... I've only used the modern ones, with the stopcock on top. Found a huge antique one, tried to use, was monitoring the gauges, and it still blew up! No biggie, just bean juice all over the ceiling where it blew thru the safety valve.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

texican said:


> It might have been the old style canners they were using... I've only used the modern ones, with the stopcock on top. Found a huge antique one, tried to use, was monitoring the gauges, and it still blew up! No biggie, just bean juice all over the ceiling where it blew thru the safety valve.


I wondered about that.  It's a lot of fun talking with her about growing up on the homestead. 

Another thing she mentioned was some way of preserving eggs in a cold slimy liquid that she had to go reach into to retrieve them. I can't remember right now what she called it. I wouldn't mind knowing that that was. Does anyone else know? Otherwise, I hope she remembers the next time I think to ask her...


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Thanks you all for the tips, thoughts and advice. 

My problem with the other alternatives is that -- and maybe I am just overly doom and gloom about it all, I don't know -- when I think of a TSHTF situation I think of one in which I will have no, or very limited, access to propane, gas, etc. And all other alternatives still rely on those things. If I have access to propane I have a perfectly good stove top right in my nice, big, well-outfitted kitchen and it's already attached the biggest, best propane storage tank I could ever want for.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

GrannyCarol - it sounds like she was describing "waterglassing" her eggs. They are supposed to keep for up to 6 months, although the quality isn't going to be that of a fresh from the hen egg.


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## fratermus (May 11, 2009)

olivehill said:


> I just was thinking about it the other day and got to thinking if something should happen to render our stove top unusable I'd hate to lose the ability to pressure can certain things.


I do a lot of canning outdoors on a Coleman suitcase-style stove, to keep the heat and humidity out of the house in the summer.

You could also use a propane turkey fryer, but they put out so much heat that the rapid increase in temp might artificially shorten processing times. So if you go that route I'd allow the heat to build at about the same rate as your stove.


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## Henry (Mar 1, 2006)

We have been canning on a wood cook stove for 40 years. In summer we use the outdoor cook stove because of heat. Pressure canning on a cook stove is easy as pie. You soon learn the right spot and can move the pressure canner around to cool or heat it. Modern canners are safe and you will not have any trouble if you use common sense and follow the directions. 
If I wanted to can on an open fire I would get a big grate and put a solid sheet of steel [1/8"] on it. This would keep the canner relatively clean and make it easier to regulate the heat. You could get a wood stove thermometer to keep track of the temps until you are use to it. These thermometers are meant to lay flat on wood stoves to tell you if they are overheating. Any hardware store will have them for a few bucks. 
This system would be a good backup if you have a good supply of wood.
Also remember lots of people are changing to EPA stoves so that means there are lots of cheap wood stoves available. You could build an outdoor cooking area with barbecue and wood cook stove. Most all old all STEEl stoves can work for cooking. Just a thought.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Henry, thanks! Your experience and thoughts are encouraging.


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