# Review of Canned Meats



## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I thought this review might help some of the new members who are just starting to stock up on food and aren't sure how good commercially canned meats are.

I have cases of canned meats I bought from MREDepot and ReadyDepot and a couple of other places. We regularly use and replace chicken chunks, turkey chunks, pork chunks, beef chunks. We have canned bacon, sausage, hot dogs and ground beef that are for emergencies only, although I'll rotate them out after a couple of years. We can some of our own meats, but I like having commercially canned meats in the pantry for busy nights and emergencies. Plus the cans travel better than a glass jar, in case you want to take some with you when you camp or in a bug-out situation. I like that the Yoder brand canned meats have minimal ingredients added.

I bought a case of Werlings canned BBQ pork just to try, and I'm not impressed. It comes in 14.5 oz cans, which means we need two cans to feed a family of six. I found it to be very watery and the "BBQ" sauce was more like tomato sauce. I drained off the sauce in a colander (even squeezed it a little) and added my own BBQ sauce. It was pretty tasty served on buns, but the meat is in very small pieces, BB sized to pencil eraser sized. I probably won't buy any more of this.

The Yoder's canned bacon is great! I comes with 40-50 pieces rolled up in parchment paper, and it's easy to crisp it up it in a skillet (it's already cooked but limp). It's kind of expensive ($12/can as of today) but bacon in general has gone up a lot in price. One can will feed us for two breakfasts, and I can use the leftovers for bean soup or other dishes.

We like Yoder's beef, pork and chicken chunks mainly because they come in large 28 oz. cans. One can feeds our family with leftovers. If I'm making soup or a casserole, I use some or all of the broth that comes in the can. If I'm making something else I just drain off the broth. I make "pulled pork" by draining, shredding and adding BBQ sauce, and I've made curried chicken or beef. The chunks fall apart a little when you stir, but the flavor and quality of the meat is good. The beef also makes good burrito fillings with some rice and seasonings. I've used all three for casseroles, rice dishes and other things.

The canned sausage tastes pretty good, but contains a lot of fat. I warm it up in the skillet and drain off some of the fat. Because it's already cooked, you need to use it in omelets or casseroles. You can't make a patty out of it.

Same with the ground beef - it has a lot of fat and water in the can, and has to be drained. And you can't make a hamburger out of it.

We haven't tried the hot dogs yet. These are mainly just comfort food for our kids, who would miss (shudder!) hot dogs if they couldn't have some once in a while.

Hope this review helps some of you who have wondered about canned meats!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Good info...
I haven't purchased any because we have lots in production at home but I do pressure can a lot of meat...and I really like it! 
I did get a can of the sausage TVP and got a can of taco TVP coming...I've used them "in" dishes(spag. chili) before and they were good....but not as good as "real" meat...the fact that it is flavored helps!


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## snowcap (Jul 1, 2011)

I keep canned roast beef hash, chilli, fish.
But all the rest of our meat we can.
Mostly rabbit. But when i see some on sale at cash & Carry I will can beef or pork. Raw pk in cubes. Pints feed both of us in soups and will make good enough BBQ sandwiches for 2 as well. I haven't tryed canned bacon or sausage yet. When we get them they are usually the first thing eaten up, so no need to can them.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Meat is my favorite thing to pressure can. It saves so much money compared to using jars and space for veggies or fruits. I can buy canned veggies on sale for .40 a can on sale, but meat is $2 a can.


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

Myself I don't buy from the large on-line/ mail-order supply stores - or should I say I have not done so yet. I get my 'real military issue' MRE's, from a totally different source.

I had not seen mentioned above the 1 pound 'DAK' canned hams, that require no refrigeration. Thay have been mentioned in the past when they come up on sale at $1.99 each at Walgreens or other stores. They can be a bit tough (they are chopped processed ham) and heavily salted, but hey it is still canned meat.

Also the all time favorite "Spam".. Original flavor, hickory smoked, turkey spam, and other favors/ styles, etc. Plus there are some of the store brands out there besides "Spam". They are heavy on the sodium amounts per serving also. I also have canned corned beef 'product of Brazil/ Argentina' in my supplies. The sort of square shaped cans, that require an old fashioned 'key' - to roll open the factory sealed cans.

I find them on sale (I try never to pay full retail price for anything), and get as many as I can while they are on sale. 

The above canned meats can be added to cooked dried beans for flavor, sliced for sandwiches, chopped and added to eggs, or any other methods of preperation that you would prefer.

Then I also buy 'vienna sausages' - they may not be your 1st choice for a canned meat. But as my dad would say, a can of those and some crackers will sure take the wrinkles out of your stomach. Or in the past I would get the cans of 'Deviled Ham' and use it with crackers too. Now there are the pre packaged tuna or chicken salad and crackers available at about $1.00 per package. A quick source of ready to eat protein, and I always carry a few of those in my travel and BOB bags.

Plus of course there is processing one's own meat supply. I like to use the wide mouth pint and 1/2 pint sized canning jars, for my meats. If/ or should I say when I get this years deer, I am planning on pressure canning up a good amount of venison.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

you didnt get that rascal yet?? what a TEASE he is


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

hate to even ask...what does "deviled ham" (underwood I think is the brand) taste like?? Or potted meat??
I store vienna sausages...they are cheap, salty and mechanically separated...but the kids will eat them without complaint during an emergency 
I am very sure canned pork and beans eaten cold would be much healthier


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

_
I had not seen mentioned above the 1 pound 'DAK' canned hams, that require no refrigeration. Thay have been mentioned in the past when they come up on sale at $1.99 each at Walgreens or other stores. They can be a bit tough (they are chopped processed ham) and heavily salted, but hey it is still canned meat._

Hey RF get a can of crushed pineapple and simmer w/cover the DAK ham in the juice and fruit for about 20min....maybe even some pepper and cinnamon sugar...served with mashed potatoes and peas and/or baked beans....a fav. at my house.

Another "treat" in our house is sandwiches with the deviled ham, hard boiled eggs chopped up like egg salad with mayo and relish...

Also canned chicken--I make a mountain of chicken salad with a quart ground up in food processor with celery onion then add mayo....fresh greens pickles and tomatoes w/ salt and pepper...yummy sandwiches or salad.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

Eariler this month I fixed up a can of roast beef with gravy from Aldis. Added mashed potatoes real but used canned milk, and Italian flat green beans from the garden. Fresh peaches for dessert also from the back yard. If needed instant or dehydrated veggies & fruit could be substituted. 
Not bad @ all enough to feed two people (sides were bigger portions). 
Cost is $2.56, shelf life is 2 years but I'd give it 4-5. Something to have either as back up when home canned meats are depleted or @ a BOL. 


~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


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## Jakk (Aug 14, 2008)

My kids love the Aldi roast beef with gravy. I cooked up some egg noodles and put the roast beef over it and it wasn't bad. I also have Aldi's chunk chicken in a can that makes for a good chicken pot pie. 

My youngest loves Vienna sausages and would eat them daily if I let her. The Yoders canned bacon is amazing. We really liked that the best out of all of our canned storage meats. The canned ham at Aldi was not a hit, even the dog threw it up


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

I use the Aldi's canned chicken when I don't have time to roast a chicken. The only thing that I use it for is to make chicken salad. It isn't as good as my own roasted bird, but it is decent. I stock the chicken because my hubby doesn't eat tuna and I wanted to make sure that we had some sort of canned protein that he would eat in an emergency. We don't eat pork in our house, so Spam is out, too!


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Underwood brand deviled ham tastes like ham. Ingredients are: ham(cured with water, salt brown sugar, sodium nitrate) and seasonings (mustard flour, spices, turmeric) I like to mix it with the yolks when making deviled eggs. ETA, it's minced really fine. Good for salad and spreads but not mixing in soups and beans, IMO.

The deviled ham, canned salmon, kippers and occasionally canned clams are about the only canned meat I buy


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

beaglebiz said:


> hate to even ask...what does "deviled ham" (underwood I think is the brand) taste like?? Or potted meat??
> I store vienna sausages...they are cheap, salty and mechanically separated...but the kids will eat them without complaint during an emergency
> I am very sure canned pork and beans eaten cold would be much healthier


The deviled ham is a semi-smooth paste type product that tastes like ham only a little spiced up, and I like it. I also like the deviled chicken, just tried it recently. But for what it is, it's actually pretty expensive, though it is handy to keep in the pantry, along with the Vienna sausages. My son (32, not a kid, lol) loves those things!

But the potted meat.......IS VILE!!! lol I tried it again a while back to see if it really was as bad as I remembered, and it was even worse, hock ptooey. When I was a kid, our neighbors had it all the time, the parents thought it was great, but we kids all secretly called it beaks and...uh...buttholes, lol. Hope it's okay to say it that way, since the actual word would be too rude!


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

Yeah the Underwood Deviled Ham, with the white paper wrapper and a red devil's pitchfork on the label. I ate a lot of that stuff when I was single and doing field work in fisheries. Open up the can with my trusty P-38 can opener, and serve on crackers with the spices/ added ingredients of your choice

I kinda got tired of eating canned tuna fish. That was when I had access to fresh salmon/ trout most every day while in the field working in the creeks and rivers. Or when I was working at the fish hatcheries.

Having access to fresh salmon most of the year, I am not real fond of the store bought commercially canned pink/ sockeye/ chum salmon.

mpillow - Yup we know how to doctor up those canned hams with the small cans of pineapples, cloves, and maraschino cherries on a toothpick(s). Many years of stream/ riverside camping and cooking in remote areas was part of my job description. I even have a small ceramic coated 'roaster pan' I dedicated for cooking up that sized piece of meat.

I have been meaning on making some home made hash browns and adding some of the canned corned beef - to make corned beef hash from the prep items.


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## Trixters_muse (Jan 29, 2008)

Good to know about the Yoder brand meats, I have some of the bacon and agree it is awesome, but have not tried any of the other meats.

I buy the canned chicken from Walmart (their brand and also Family Dollar's Brand.) They are the large cans and are enough for a meal (leftover too if used for soup or casserole) for the three of us for $2.00 a can. I bought Sweet Sue brand once on sale, it was $1 for the small can and it was not nearly as good as the Walmart and FD brands were.


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## acde (Jul 25, 2011)

when chicken is on sale .88 per lb or less i buy a lot and can my own. works great. 
I do this with turkey too when it goes on sale.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

I actually like the Underwood Deviled ham. It just tastes like a salty ham spread. One of my guilty favorites is King Oscar Kipper snacks eaten on a buttered saltine! I actually eat this pretty frequently when DH is out of town and I don't want to cook.

I tried the Sweet Sue brand of chicken and thought it tasted like cat food...blecckkk removed the rest from my stores and sent it to the food bank.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Potted meat product smells just like liverwurst and has a similar texture. It probably tastes like it, but I wouldn't know because I've not tasted either liverwurst or potted meat product.

I used to be able to buy it super cheap and I bought it for my dogs, who loved it. I seem to remember that it's got tripe in it.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

I am fairly new at pressure canning, been putting up mostly vegetables, also dehydrating, and now will be moving on to canning meats, instead of buying canned meats. We will have our pig ready by late November, so will be canning pork, also looking forward to that venison, will be canning that, almost out of freezer space and DH loves to fish, yep, more canning. I was given over 50 quart canning jars, recently, and close to a 100 before that, also I haven't counted the pints (being reserved for meats) or jelly jars. I am canning my veggies in quarts, otherwise dehydrating them, saving the freezer space for meats.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

All that fat and broth you throw away would make great gravy.


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## campfiregirl (Mar 1, 2011)

I just started canning meat this summer, and I love it! It is so easy! We use a lot of chicken breasts for salads and it is so much cheaper than canned chicken, even at Costco. NOTE: in the Boise area, Costco's 14 oz cans are now 6 for $9.99; that's cheaper than doing it yourself if you have to buy a jar unless you get the chicken breast for $1.69/lb or less.

Our favorite canned meat so far is shredded pork. If it's really lean, like a shoulder, I crock pot it for several hours first (no added juice) and then put it in wide-mouth pints along with any juice it formed. YUM!

For commericially-canned meat, I must admit I LOVE Turkey Spam. It is leaner and has less sodium than Spam Lite, and it is so good heated up in a fry pan (I use a little butter flavored Pam) with some cajun or Cavender's Greek Seasoning on it. I prep Cavenders, and would be so sad if I ever ran out... so good on Turkey Spam and on pork loin chops. Also great on french fries! Reminds me; I need to Google a "recipe" for that and try to recreate it.


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## Gaelic (Mar 12, 2011)

http://www.walnutcreekcheese.com/category_s/41.htm

i've bought from Walnut Creek here in Ohio and its really good YMMV


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

tinknal said:


> All that fat and broth you throw away would make great gravy.


I haven't read about any one throwing it all away... (?) Nothing gets wasted around here.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

tinknal said:


> All that fat and broth you throw away would make great gravy.


The broth and fat goes to the dog, but I do save the bacon grease. The BBQ sauce I drained off went in the compost pile. Not much goes to waste around here, with the rabbits, chickens, cats and dog. And if we were facing hard times, any veggie peels or other "scraps" would be used in soup stock or other foods.


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## theant00 (Jun 18, 2002)

Sorry to be so late on the comments of canned meat, I had password problems. My favorite it Keystone Meats. I used to order canned meat from MREDepot, but received too many damaged cans and the product quality got really bad. I moved to Keystone about year and half ago.


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