# Canning on propane grill????



## HomegrownGal

I just got a killer deal on a grill! I'm sitting here looking at it and the thought hits me--can I pressure can outdoors on it this summer when it's really hot outside instead of heating up the house??


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## Caribou

As long as the grill is stable and can hold the weight of the loaded canner you should do well.


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## Magus

I've seen the "old folks" can over an open fire using a washtub and a steel plate as a canner.


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## UncleJoe

I've done it a couple times just to keep the heat out of the house. Since I set up a second kitchen in the basement I don't need to anymore. 
There's something else to consider besides the weight factor. Wind! If it's breezy when you're canning you lose a lot of the heat. It takes longer to heat up the canner and it's harder to keep your pressure up because so much of the heat is lost in the atmosphere. You can't have the cover down on the grill with a canner setting on it so be prepared to use more propane than you think you will.


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## HomegrownGal

Hmmm! Food for thought. What about a one burner portable propane cooker? Heavy duty! I'm trying to avoid the heat, too.! There's a canning kitchen in the downstairs of the homestead I just bought in April, but ran out of funds before I got a stove/oven. Still looking for a gas/propane one on Craigslist.


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## UncleJoe

HomegrownGal said:


> What about a one burner portable propane cooker? Heavy duty! I'm trying to avoid the heat, too.!


Never tried that. I just know I wasn't thrilled with using the grill. I used nearly 2- 20# tanks. Last year was the first for the stove. I did all my canning on less than 1 tank.



HomegrownGal said:


> Still looking for a gas/propane one on Craigslist.


That's where I got my propane stove. $200.


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## jeff47041

I've done quite a bit of water bath canning on a stand that's like a turkey cooker. I've done the pressure canner once, just to see if I could keep the pressure right. It worked just fine, but there was no wind that day. 
A picture of what I used came with my pressure canners with a big X through it, meaning DO NOT USE THIS.
I know my grill would never keep the water boiling. I tried to boil one of my pots of sap on it one year.
Sometime, I'm gonna try my pressure canner on an open fire, just to see if I can adjust it in and out to keep the pressure right


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## ContinualHarvest

HomegrownGal said:


> Hmmm! Food for thought. What about a one burner portable propane cooker? Heavy duty! I'm trying to avoid the heat, too.! There's a canning kitchen in the downstairs of the homestead I just bought in April, but ran out of funds before I got a stove/oven. Still looking for a gas/propane one on Craigslist.


If you go this route, make sure you're using a stainless steel cooker. Aluminum wont hold up on one of those. I use one to boil my beer wort.


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## Jason

I've heard of people using turkey fryer bases and having good results. Never done it here ourselves but I think it's a sound idea. Of course, as the others have said, it's best on a calm day.

ETA-Our propane grill has a side burner on it but it has a big warning sign saying that the side burner is only rated for 15 pounds. It's crossed my mind to try the side burner with the canner but I'm afraid the canner would just be too heavy.


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## HomegrownGal

So a turkey cooker type propane burner might work best to can on outside on a calm day. Would it be stable enough or should it be reinforced so it couldn't be knocked over? Anything to avoid the heat inside! I've always wanted an outdoor kitchen! Nothing fancy--just functional.


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## readytogo

HomegrownGal said:


> Hmmm! Food for thought. What about a one burner portable propane cooker? Heavy duty! I'm trying to avoid the heat, too.! There's a canning kitchen in the downstairs of the homestead I just bought in April, but ran out of funds before I got a stove/oven. Still looking for a gas/propane one on Craigslist.


My canner has a warning label on using a high BTU burner, be warned. :surrender:


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## readytogo

Jason said:


> I've heard of people using turkey fryer bases and having good results. Never done it here ourselves but I think it's a sound idea. Of course, as the others have said, it's best on a calm day.
> 
> ETA-Our propane grill has a side burner on it but it has a big warning sign saying that the side burner is only rated for 15 pounds. It's crossed my mind to try the side burner with the canner but I'm afraid the canner would just be too heavy.


My canner came with a warning on high pressure burners, be careful.


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## LincTex

They have to say that for liability reasons.

A turkey or fish fryer is fine to use if you keep your head out of your behind!


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## cowboyhermit

There are a couple reasons they tell you not to use a free standing (deep frier) burner imo. The main one being that most people will think, "gee, I can crank this to max and save all kinds of time" without realizing just how different the amount of heat is. Typical gas stove is about 15000 btu max (some are higher) but lots of these burners are 60000btu (4times the heat) A person can experiment to see if a rapid heat up will cause problems with what they are canning, or they can simply not crank the heat to max on a large burner.

Most deep fryers that these use are aluminum, not stainless so that is not much of an issue. Stainless is great but they don't make large, stainless steel pressure canners (and aluminum works fine in this capacity).

They are also typically very sturdy (made to handle a huge pot filled with oil), though some are better than others.

Imo it is fine to use these as is, definitely try to get out of the wind to make holding a constant temp easier and use less propane.

However, if a person is worried about the canner, then a sheet of metal placed on top of the burner to avoid the flame directly contacting the aluminum and prevent scratches will work.


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## HomegrownGal

Awesome! Thanks! Great advice, as always!


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## Genevieve

I use these to can on outside in the outdoor kitchen.










Never tried on a regular grill.


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## HomegrownGal

Genevieve said:


> I use these to can on outside in the outdoor kitchen.
> 
> Never tried on a regular grill.


Those are so cool! What are they? Where did you get them? How much? Thanks for the pic!


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## Tirediron

If you are trying to do this on a budget a salvage RV stove top might be a good solution. of course you would have to build a very sturdy stand for it. depends if you have time or money.


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## ZoomZoom

Like Genevieve, I use the Camp Chef double or triple burner stove.

They're available at most places (Cabela's, Amazon...).

I recommend the double. The triple doesn't allow 3 large pots.

Here's a pic of our normal setup for sauces. One or 2 pots of sauce cooking, 2-3 canning pots for sterilization and hot bath.

We have a 4 person setup (me, wife, 2 kids).
1. Wife sterilizes jars in canning pot. Passes (clockwise around the table) to son.
2. Son adds salt and lemon. Passes to bottom right station in the picture.
3. Daughter adds sauce and passes across table to me.
4. I clean rim and install flat and ring. I move back up the table.
5. The Mrs. takes the filled jars (when the rack is full) and starts the hot bath.

We average better then a quart per minute (going through the whole assembly line process) so it's pretty quick.


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## HomegrownGal

ZoomZoom, that's an awesome set up! )


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## Genevieve

I got mine at Dick's sporting goods store. We had a coupon from them because hubby has their rewards card. We got them for $124 each ( I think lol)

I also use them to cook meals on outside so I don't heat up the house and since hubby built the kitchen we can eat out there when it's nice out.


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## ZoomZoom

I was flipping through a Cabela's catalog I got yesterday.

The Camp Chef Explorer 2-burner is now on sale for $89. ($50 off!)

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camp-Chef-Explorer-Stove/727834.uts


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## gun_nut

We do our canning at the farm on a Camp Chef 3 burner outdoor stove.


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## LincTex

It's been a few years since cooking on one of these. I would like to try it for canning.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Single-Burner-Cast-Iron-Propane-LP-Camp-Camping-Stove-/370877697384


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## readytogo

Any source of heat will work for canning BUT my canner came with a warning on the used of high pressure burners for canners, so be very careful and never leave *unattended *


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## LincTex

readytogo said:


> Any source of heat will work for canning BUT my canner came with a warning on the used of high pressure burners for canners, so be very careful and never leave *unattended *


Correct, many people often are not a good judge of how much fire = too much fire.

A large burner can add way too much heat, and too too fast _if you are not careful_. Leave it turned down a fair bit and let it heat up slowly, to be on the safe side!


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## goshengirl

readytogo said:


> Any source of heat will work for canning BUT my canner came with a warning on the used of high pressure burners for canners, so be very careful and never leave *unattended *


Yeah, those warnings concern me, but I need something that can be used outdoors that doesn't require electric. It helps seeing other people using the different burners.


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## Jason

DW canned some applesauce in a waterbath canner on a boxwood stove the other day, from our own apples. It's not propane, so I'm kind of deviating from the OP here, but I wanted to show a couple pics of our setup. The one at night is the black canner with tinfoil around it and the daylight pic is us cooking breakfast yesterday, just to show the stove in daylight conditions.


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## goshengirl

Thanks, Jason. Glad you posted that - along with propane, I've wondered about using wood to can outdoors. Good to know it can be done!


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## Jason

GG-it worked out fine for us. I don't know about using it for a pressure canner, especially on a windy day, but it was fine for the water bath. Even with the fire burning really hot it took a while to come up to a boil but once it got there it stayed boiling. It helped, as others have mentioned, that it wasn't a windy day.

That stove is a floor model demo from Harbor Freight. My neighbor works there and managed to grab it for me for a reduced rate. The legs are junk, which is why it's sitting on blocks. That same neighbor makes maple syrup and had the legs buckle on hers this Spring. She stood there helpless watching 5 gallons of maple sap run down the driveway. So now we all block up the stove.


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## goshengirl

I've seen a model like that at Tractor Supply every year, and every time it goes on clearance at the end of the season I want to get it, but hold back (because it wouldn't be going in our house). Good to know about the legs.

I've thought about how to set up something outside, and the wind is a concern for getting a good, consistent heat source. I honestly hadn't thought of a woodstove outside (just a grill or rocket stove). The rocket stove may still be an option, but this now totally knocks the grill out of the picture. 

We have tons of osage orange here, and I'd love to figure a way to safely burn it for pressure cooking. But even if we couldn't pressure cook over wood, if we could water bath preserve our orchard and bramble harvest, that would be great. And we want to learn maple syruping, too.


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## LincTex

Jason said:


> That stove is a floor model demo from Harbor Freight.


We heated our house for three years with a $129 Vogelzang Boxwood Stove. never placed anything heavy on it... had to use tinfoil to seal the door area because it would get too much air otherwise.

Pull one of the lids off, and the "bowtie" between the lids so your fire can get to the bottom of the canner directly, that will cut in HALF(or better) the time to get a boil going.


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## Wellrounded

LincTex said:


> It's been a few years since cooking on one of these. I would like to try it for canning.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Single-Burner-Cast-Iron-Propane-LP-Camp-Camping-Stove-/370877697384


That's what I pc on. I have two. I wb on them at times but use the wood stove more often to save the propane.


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## LincTex

Wellrounded said:


> That's what I pc on. I have two. I wb on them at times but use the wood stove more often to save the propane.


It's too hard to regulate the heat with the wood stove?


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## jeff47041

LincTex said:


> It's too hard to regulate the heat with the wood stove?


But, now is the time to figure it out...Right?

I've often wondered how I'm gonna pressure can when I have no propane left. I figure if I use a wood fire and make a steel grate that easily adjusts the height of the pressure canner, I'll be in good shape.


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## Wellrounded

LincTex said:


> It's too hard to regulate the heat with the wood stove?


My wood stove has a warmer shelf and my prestos won't quite fit under it.


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## cowboyhermit

Over a fire would be tough, maybe some kind of sheet steel between the fire and canner that you could adjust easily?

On a wood cookstove it isn't the easiest thing in the world but because the surface has hotter and cooler spots fine adjustments can be made by shuffling it around. Not a set it and forget it deal though.
One thing that can be really useful in getting the hang of things like this is an instant-read thermometer either mechanical or one of my favorite toys (infrared) with this you can check the temp of the canner and the surface in different spots and see what is happening before things go sideways. And you can amuse yourself by measuring the temperature of everything including your dog, I am not a child


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## Eddie

I bought a propane stove and oven combo from a parted-out RV. 
It's setup in the garage. Works great and keeps the heat out of the house.


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## Jason

I like the infrared thermometer idea. We don't have one right now but sounds like a justifiable purchase.


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## ZoomZoom

I too am a big fan of the infrared thermometers. My wood stove doesn't have a thermometer so I just shoot it with the infrared. Also handy for checking for leaks around doors and windows in the winter. Use it to check register temps on the furnace & A/C to make sure it's running properly as well.


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## cowboyhermit

We paid a lot of money for a infrared thermometer years ago to check bearings and temps on machinery and it was worth it imo. Now you can pick one up for less than $20 that works decent:dunno: of course more expensive ones are still out there.


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## LincTex

Jason said:


> We don't have one right now but sounds like a justifiable purchase.


Here you go...


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## partdeux

yesterday was forced into taking the canner outside to the gas grill. It was getting late, I wanted to get it done, so the American Canner got to spend some time outdoors.


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## Jason

Partdeux, how did it work? Pretty good?


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## partdeux

remember, I'm cooking on a gas grill outside. I find the burner does not get hot enough, nor does it get cool enough. Can't simmer on it, can't deep fry on it.

It worked good, I couldn't lower the heat down far enough to get an occasional rattle, it was non stop, but the pressure stayed at 10lbs. But it allowed me to use the third canner.


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## LincTex

partdeux said:


> It worked good, I couldn't lower the heat down far enough to get an occasional rattle, it was non stop, but the pressure stayed at 10lbs.


Place a thin layer of sheetmetal under the PC and see if that helps.


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