# Pressure canner question-AGAIN!



## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

I canned chicken legs on the bone for 90 minutes at 10#. About 15 minutes before the canning process was over the pressure seemed to change in the canner. The rocking of the weight slowed down and the sound level dropped dramatically. 

I left it alone to finish then sat it on the counter when the 90 minutes was up. I thought the bottom of the canner appeared to be bowed or swollen. After the pressure dropped I opened the canner and it was all but dry as a bone. I put 3 qtrs of water in the canner as the manual stated and it was definitely bowed; when I moved the canner after I took the chicken out I had branded the counter top with the logo on the bottom of the canner. :bash:

*Luckily* we had a contractor out earlier that week to measure and estimate for new counter tops. Lesson learned on the old crappy ones !!

Did I just need more water or did I leave them processing too long? I don't plan to can bones again anytime soon but still.


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## oneokie (Aug 14, 2009)

Did you start with the correct amount of water in the canner?

Did you have the heat higher than usual?


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

Could you have had it boiling too rapidly? If you had your weight rocking wildly the whole time, you let too much steam out over the 90 minutes time. Normally the three quarts water will do you fine, but when it says rocking 2 -3 times a minute, that is what it means, not 2 - 3 times a second.


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

I followed the directions Judylou spelled out for me. I have them taped to the inside of the cabinet door. 

It did rock fairly rapidly almost the entire time. I have never seen a pressure canner in action; maybe I should head over to You Tube to see if I can find one. I've had it described to me online but without seeing it I'm not sure I can tell what's right. 

Is the chicken okay to eat? If anything it's been over pressure cooked!


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## oneokie (Aug 14, 2009)

My concern would be that it is underprocessed because of the loss of water and pressure in the canner 15 minutes before the processing time was up.


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

Agree with oneokie that they are under-processed, NOT over processed. And it will need to be run again or you will need to freeze them. 

When we think about it average pressure canning time is 30 mins. and the 3 quarts that is the standard amount is for standard processing time. So it never hurts to put more water in the canner to begin with when processing the few things that go that long - 90 min runs.  



> I have never seen a pressure canner in action


I thought you had canned potatoes or something in yours?

I can't recall which brand of canner you have. If it is a Presto it is supposed to rock the entire time.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

That's a silent little problem with those canners which rely on just the weighted gauge. The steam is invisible and a lot may be escaping without being noted. Those who aren't familiar with the canner may turn the heat up high and figure that the gauge will take over from there. Unfortuneately, the penalty is a warped canner.

Martin


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

UGH! 

I guess I'll pick the meat off the bones and freeze it. CRAP! 

I've pressure canned stock and potatoes before but I'm only relying on what I've seen when I did the canning. I don't know if I'm doing any of it right! 

So now that my canner is back to the right shape can I use it again? And it's a Presto; it's imprinted right there on my countertop beside the stove.


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## oneokie (Aug 14, 2009)

Just reprocess it.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Only the bottom should have been affected by the warping. They aren't as thick as they used to be so it must have popped back when it cooled.

Martin


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

oneokie said:


> Just reprocess it.


Well okay. I guess it can't be any more dead than it already is. 

Is 90 minutes correct for chicken legs, thighs and all? I read 75 minutes on the site Judylou quotes but read here that 90 minutes might be best. 

I'll just set the canner back up since it's back in shape and I still have breast meat to do (which I'll do separately).


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

This could become an interesting can of beans. According to my BBB, you were safe at 75 minutes. For Chicken-On-Bone, it's 65 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts. First time I ever noticed that since I've always figured 75 and 90 for meats.

Martin


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Martin-I did it in quart jars and it was right at 75 minutes when I noticed that definite change in the sound of the canner. 

But saying that, I've got those breasts in at 75 minutes right now-but added more water this time. 

If I don't hear differently from you fine folks I'll just reprocessed them tomorrow. 

Thanks!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

As I said, a can of beans was opened and if there's enough heat there they will be popping! According to BBB, you'd be safe. For certain, they never cooled any from minute 1 to minute 75 with apparent high heat under them. My gut feeling is that your water held out right to the prescribed BBB time when pressure was then lost. According to all of the facts which you presented, plus BBB data, nobody can dispute that your jars are not safe. But to make everyone else happy, run them through again and use it as a learning process for heat control. Start with the usual 3 quarts of water. If you don't end up with 2.9 quarts of hot water when you remove the finished product, you've used a lot more fuel than needed to produce it.

Martin

(Don't tell anyone but I had a similar problem with an old Mirro except that it was an actual hole in the pot. The final use happened to be a special batch of venison with garlic and onions. From the moment the dial hit 10#, it was a bit more heat about every 5 minutes to keep it there. At about 60 minutes, stove element was red and still just barely 10#. Somewhere between 65 and 70 minutes, every window in the house was dripping water and no more steam was spewing out of the hole. The canner was dry! Those 9 pints never officially made it to 75 minutes but I called them done. But, that was after many, many years of canning experience and knowing most of the gray areas.) 

Martin again


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

Martin is correct that for chicken ON BONE the times are For Chicken-On-Bone, it's 65 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts.

My under-processed comments above were based on your statement that


> About 15 minutes before the canning process was over the pressure seemed to change in the canner. The rocking of the weight slowed down and the sound level dropped dramatically.


If that happens, regardless of the time called for, then the food is under-processed. And for future reference, if that (rocking of the weight slowed down and the sound level dropped dramatically) happens it is a clear indication that there is some sort of serious problem and the heat should be turned off and the processing should be stopped immediately. 

As I mentioned above Presto canner weights are supposed to rock continuously when at pressure.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I have the presto canner with the gauge and bought the weight set. If I don't turn the heat down once it gets up to pressure, it will get to dancing wildly and the pressure will start to climb even with the weight set. I've got it down pretty good, I start turning the heat down just as it is getting up to pressure, and then turn it down a bit more the next minute, and again a bit later until it's where I want it. It gets up to pressure and stays right there - I end up with the coil stove at about 4.5 on the dial. 

On my glass top stove, I needed to turn it down to about 1.5-2, but on my hotplate it's about at 75%, not turned down much at all - but that one is calibrated to have fine control at the simmer so a small change of the dial at the high end has a bigger change in the temps.


On the coil and hotplate, I can turn it down a bit farther with my AA. The two canners have different type weights and they do sound different. The presto has more of a constant hiss, but if the AA is constantly hissing, it's over pressure and the weight is having a hard time releasing it fast enough - I know this because I keep an eye on the gauge too. 

All this talk makes me want to go home and can something - hopefully I'll have more venision by the end of the month!


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