# Ordered an All American Canner



## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

Hi There!!

After reading the whole "What are you canning today" thread yesterday I pushed the order button on a pressure canner =) I'M SO EXCITED!!! 

I also got the Ball Blue book I think everyone was mentioning (DH got a HUGE laugh because I was reversing those first two words, you know what comes up in a search when you do that)

The only canning I've done have been water baths (tomatoes and jelly) so this is way out of my comfort zone, but I'm excited to have full meals ready to eat.

I haven't even gotten the canner yet and I've already come up with a couple questions. I'm sure the answers will be in the book but maybe not since they are kinda simple questions.

First I make a semi-homemade Veg. Soup (use all store bought veggies and potatoes, hopefully next year that will change with the clearing of some land). Is it ok to can that stuff? It does have hamburger in it also. Right now I freeze leftovers in ziplock freeze bags. Which works great now but one day I may not have that option so I want to learn everything I can.

Next we eat a ton of hamburger meat so I'd like to be able to can that. We (DH and I only) eat about 1 lb per meal. Well we cook with about that usually have left overs. So would I fry up the lose meat, pour grease off then can or leave the grease and can it all together? Would it hurt to go ahead and mix seasoning in? We cook Lasagna and use Prego tradition for the sauce. Could I mix that and the hamburger up and can it? Taco Season? Fajita Seasoning and steak strips?

Most of the photos I've seen everything looks juicy, where does the juice come from for the meat, say if it was fried? 

I'll stop for now  But I'm sure I'll have a ton more.

Thank You for giving your knowledge so freely!!!!


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

I really like my All American.

Yeah, just pressure can like a soup.

Hamburger can be canned to. The juice be a water/seasonin mix ya add to it. Under season some cause cannin seems ta intensify it. Ya can always add more after ya open it. Try an keep the fat down ta a minimum. Yer gonna get some no matter what.

Here be some canned smoked pork what I do:


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## cybergranny (Mar 11, 2011)

We have done all of the above except semi homemade veggie soup. If meat is in your recipe you just process longer. I had canned some hamburger that was too greasy so I rinsed it in hot water first, put back in the pan and then seasoned; i.e. taco meat. For patties you're going to cook them til almost done, so the grease will be mostly out. You want wide mouth jars for most meats canned alone. Either for presentation (patties) or ease of cleaning. You can can meat cooked/browned or raw pack. You could get lots of use of your canner this winter. Soups, beans, meats on sale it goes on and on. Have fun, you're addicted now and your canner hasn't got there yet.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

I need to make a trip to S.Florida and buy some veggys to can.
Our meat grinder tore up,next one I hope to get is manual.We never buy ground beef,always grind our own from roast.All recalls on beef are on the ground stuff it seems.


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

Thank You for all the help!!!!

Meerkat I live in a really really really small town, our really really really really small store still butchers their own meat =) One of those town where the butcher also plays in the local band LOL!!! That's the only place I buy my meat, a bit more expensive than walmart but chance are I saw the cow walking in a field a day or two eariler.

Yes CyberGranny I'm addicted, I should have a nice big box waiting on me when I get home today =) I use to rinse all my hamburger meat before add any seasoning then, DH caught me. You would have thought I was adding paint thinner to it LOL!! SO I better make sure he doesn't see that step. I may have to try out the veg. soup this weekend.

OK Rev Coot you added water to the smoked pork before you canned, did you put anything else in the water (like liquid smoke) so it doesn't pull the flavors out of the meat? Still haven't wrap my mind around all the juicyness. I love my Dh to smoke pork butts they are so yummy, but I like to eat it without any BBQ sauce, too. So I would just pack the meat into the jars add water (which I'm sure will help to keep it from drying out during processing) and process? 

Thank Ya'll again for all the help, I have all these questions and I haven't even started. Just imagine when I actually start LOL!!!


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

All I added ta mine was water an a bit a seasonin.

Now, here be the trick ta the whole deal. Ifin ya smoke (cook) yer butts ta the pullin stage, yer gonna have mush after ya can it. So, I smoke mine ta 165° an then let em cool. Cut inta cubes an pull as much fat off as ya can.

Now warm yer pork back up an hot pack in yer jars an add liquid leavin a bit more headspace the usuall cause yer gonna render more fat outa the meat an we don't wan't the jars ta get to full. 

If ya pack the jars perty full, it don't take much liquid.

Mighty tastey stuff!

When I get back ta work, I wanna smoke some more ribs an try cannin them.

I make my own BBQ sauce, fer the folk that gotta have it. But I don't use sauce on my BBQ either. If ya make good Q it don't need no sauce! What I always tell folks what buy from me, ifin it be smothered in sauce they be hidin sumtin!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Oh great. Now I need to buy a smoker and a canner. I am gonna need a second job. 

Congrats on the new canner razorback. Did you get it from Walmart?


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Smokin be a whole nother addiction!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I already do some small scale smoking on my grill via add on smoker box, but it's not for serious work. I do make a mean rack of ribs however and my beef brisket is the stuff of legends.


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

Sentry I ordered one from Amazon, along with 2 books and a neat little canning kit that has stainess steel funnals, can't beat the 6 months no interest and free shipping 

I agree I even eat my steak with no steak sauce, why on earth would I hide that flavor. DH sauces everything up LOL!!! He has his eye on a Big Green Egg, says it's all he needs (for smoking and grilling, his I need list is longer than mine most days). I told DH about the 165 he said he may put one on the old smoker so I can do some experimenting =)

And he told me be prepared he's taking some does this year so I can can them. Unfortunatly I don't eat deer meat unless it's jerky (don't like the game taste). So does canning get rid of that wang?


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Try smokin it then can it. Might do the trick.

I got a drum smoker what I built an do most a my smokin on. Some a the folks I know what got a egg say ya gotta be real carefull when openin them thins. A few had ta regrow some eyebrows an one feller trimmed his beard perty good!

Try makin sausage outa some a that dear, good stuff to! (yeah, sausage makin, another addiction!) Course, ain't nothin wrong with jerky either!


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## ilovetigger (Aug 10, 2011)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Smokin be a whole nother addiction!


DEFINITELY!

I picked one up for hubby for Christmas and it has become one of his favorite toys. BUT, I can't complain cause smoking pork for a pulled pork to can, or beef for the same, and even those cheap chicken quarters to strip and can is AWESOME!


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## Moby76065 (Jul 31, 2012)

You're gonna love that canner ma'am.


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

I sure hope so, that thing is HUGE!!! Luckily I had already decided to can in the great outdoors, cause it barely fits under the vent a hood on the stove.

Haven't thought about smoking the deer, will have to try that!!!

Just the canner came Friday, so I'm waiting on my books and other goodies before I give her a test run =) or maybe it's a him.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

When cannin outdoors be carefull a any breeze ya might have when ya take yer jars out. They tell ya ta set yer jars where there aint't any cause it can cause em ta crack.


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

Thanks and will do =)


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Canning PDF's

http://www.foodsaving.com/canning_guide/

http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE 5 Home Can.pdf

https://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/PB724.pdf

http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/B2718.pdf

http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8072.pdf

http://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/assets/pdf_Files/B2593_Pressure Canner.pdf

http://urbansurvival.com/vacsealer.pdf

http://www.preppers.info/uploads/Canning_and_preserving_2_.pdf

http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8116.pdf


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

Thank You for all the links, looks like I got some homework to do =)

Also would someone post a picture or a link to the Ball Blue Book everytone is referrring to. I don't think I ordered the correct one =( But books are like bullets you can never have to many =)

Thanks in advance!!!!


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

razorback said:


> Also would someone post a picture or a link to the Ball Blue Book everytone is referrring to.


goolge is my friend... http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Blue-Book-Guide-Preserving/dp/0972753702

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_...01&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=31-34473217-2


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

Thank You!!! I'll check tonight when I get to the house, but I think I got the right one =) For some reason I was thinking it should be bigger than that. LOL!!!


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