# Canning Bacon Question



## Enchant18 (Feb 21, 2012)

After taking the bacon out of the canner it appears to have a layer of water as well as bacon grease. Is it normal?
I searched and couldn't find an answer so I apologize if it has.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

That is normal, nothing to worry about!


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## Enchant18 (Feb 21, 2012)

Thank you very much. Thought I might've done something wrong.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

I know nothing aboot canning bacon.

Do you have hard water? If so add a capfull of vinegar to the canner water and it will cut/keep the hard scale off of the jars.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Enchant18 said:


> Thank you very much. Thought I might've done something wrong.


If you didn't have the liquid/fat in the bottom of the jars, that would be a sign you may have done something wrong.lol


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## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

Looks as though you used small mouth jars.


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## Enchant18 (Feb 21, 2012)

I actually had to run out and buy wide mouth because I forgot until I tried to shove it into a regular jar. Was still challenging in the wide mouth and ended up using a little less than 16 ozs per.


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## Enchant18 (Feb 21, 2012)

PackerBacker said:


> I know nothing aboot canning bacon.
> 
> Do you have hard water? If so add a capfull of vinegar to the canner water and it will cut/keep the hard scale off of the jars.


Thank you. Will try next batch.


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## Enchant18 (Feb 21, 2012)

Davarm said:


> If you didn't have the liquid/fat in the bottom of the jars, that would be a sign you may have done something wrong.lol


Today I can see there is more water than grease in some of the jars. Expected grease but the water sure was a surprise!


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

Enchant18 said:


> Today I can see there is more water than grease in some of the jars. Expected grease but the water sure was a surprise!


Cheap bacon.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

I found when I was canning my bacon that once you get the paper just inside the top of the jar you start gently twisting and sort of pushing at the same time. It went right in.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Enchant18 said:


> Expected grease but the water sure was a surprise!


Most mass produced bacon has been injected with the "Cure" and liberal amounts of water and thats probably where most lt that you see in the jars came from.


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## Enchant18 (Feb 21, 2012)

Freyadog said:


> I found when I was canning my bacon that once you get the paper just inside the top of the jar you start gently twisting and sort of pushing at the same time. It went right in.


Maybe it was the brown paper I used but it ripped quite a bit.

The Kroger brand bacon had very little water compared to the discount store ones.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Enchant18 said:


> Maybe it was the brown paper I used but it ripped quite a bit.
> 
> The Kroger brand bacon had very little water compared to the discount store ones.


You can rub oil or bacon grease on the outside of the brown paper bundle to make it easier to stuff/twist into the jars.


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## Enchant18 (Feb 21, 2012)

Thank you. I will try that on the next batch.


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## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

OMG...you have way more ba&&s than me! I am new at canning and can't figure this out! You just stick bacon ina a jar!?
No water?...(I am not being my typical sarcastic self...I am seriously fluxmoxed by this technique)


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

MetalPrepper said:


> OMG...you have way more ba&&s than me! I am new at canning and can't figure this out! You just stick bacon ina a jar!?
> No water?...(I am not being my typical sarcastic self...I am seriously fluxmoxed by this technique)


Yes. You can can dry pack raw bacon.

http://www.rural-revolution.com/2011/01/canning-bacon.html


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## boomer (Jul 13, 2011)

Wonderful thread. I have never managed to can bacon, it disapears too fast around here. I have however eaten lots of it. This may get me moving on the task.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

boomer said:


> Wonderful thread. I have never managed to can bacon, it disapears too fast around here. I have however eaten lots of it. This may get me moving on the task.


You can buy the cheaper "Ends and Pieces", fill a jar and can it without the paper separator if you just want to use it for seasoning or to mix with scrambled eggs.


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## Enchant18 (Feb 21, 2012)

I've been looking for the ends and pieces around me and haven't found it yet. Sounds like it would be much easier.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

Enchant18 said:


> I've been looking for the ends and pieces around me and haven't found it yet. Sounds like it would be much easier.


The only place I can find bacon ends is the local butcher.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

The bigger supermarkets generally carry it. Usually in the case with the regular bacon.

I know wally round here does as well. Might stop at the meat counter an ask the manager. One local store got it in the cooler behind the counter so ya gotta ask.

Mosta the time be all I use.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I gotta try the ends. Bet I could get more in the jars that way...


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

Bacon ends here are the same price as the cheap bacon. Mostly because the local supermarkets here don't cut their own meat anymore. We won't go to the big local butcher because he 'steals' meat. He subs in old icky cow meat for the meat people get from their 4H steers that they buy. So, I found that buying a bacon slab works out well for us. It works out to slightly more than the cheap bacon, but it's worth it to be able to cut it ourselves.


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## Gians (Nov 8, 2012)

Grimm said:


> Yes. You can can dry pack raw bacon.
> 
> http://www.rural-revolution.com/2011/01/canning-bacon.html


Great blog. Yoders ingredients list "Pork, Water, Salt, Sugar, Smoke Flavoring, Sodium Phosphates, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite" and has a shelf life of 10 yrs. , wonder if the shelf life of the home canned bacon is the same :scratch Perhaps all bacon has the same ingredients.


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## merks (Jul 2, 2012)

Grimm said:


> Yes. You can can dry pack raw bacon.
> 
> http://www.rural-revolution.com/2011/01/canning-bacon.html


I have done this method and you do not end up with crispy strips when fried. The fat disintegrates when fried and you end up with bacon bits. Taste's good though. I have heard that if you fry it a bit first that it will help.


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

It also helps loads to use thick cut bacon. Regular bacon tends to fall apart when you fry it after canning.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Ezmerelda said:


> It also helps loads to use thick cut bacon. Regular bacon tends to fall apart when you fry it after canning.


I second this. I opened one of our jars this morning and it was from the only 'normal' cut batch I canned. The bacon didn't fall apart per say it didn't want to peel off the paper without issues.


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## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

I have been wanting to try canning bacon, but it is $4.00 per pound here and I just didn't want that expensive bacon to turn to bits like in the pictures. Monday I found a wonderful deal on bacon and bought 20 pounds to try canning. I have 10 pounds thawing in the fridge and will try it later in the week or the weekend. It is not ends and pieces but irregular cut bacon with lots of lean. I was thinking about cutting it in strips long enough to stand in the pint jar and try standing it without wrapping.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

SouthCentralUS said:


> I have been wanting to try canning bacon, but it is $4.00 per pound here and I just didn't want that expensive bacon to turn to bits like in the pictures. Monday I found a wonderful deal on bacon and bought 20 pounds to try canning. I have 10 pounds thawing in the fridge and will try it later in the week or the weekend. It is not ends and pieces but irregular cut bacon with lots of lean. I was thinking about cutting it in strips long enough to stand in the pint jar and try standing it without wrapping.


If you cut the bacon to fit a pint jar you could get away with one piece of paper rather than 2.


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## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

Grimm, I wound up just standing the 4 inch strips in the jar without paper. It turned out ok. One pound in one jar.


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## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

OMG....I just now saw Grimm had repiled to my question....(sorry) ....I now "GET IT".....amd am ON THIS!!....Gonna start stocking up on on sale bacon and can a batch or two.....talk about a "trading item"...LOL....everything tastes better with BACON!!


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## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

MetalPrepper said:


> everything tastes better with BACON!!


You got that right.


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## gabbyj310 (Oct 22, 2012)

Since it's been over 30 years since I'v canned  anything, I would love a couple of good books to help me re-start and add to my library??I used to can veggies and one of my friends canned everything but its been so long I want to do it right...Any suggestions???Cool thread to keep us old folks but newbies up to date too!!!!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

gabbyj310 said:


> Since it's been over 30 years since I'v canned  anything, I would love a couple of good books to help me re-start and add to my library??I used to can veggies and one of my friends canned everything but its been so long I want to do it right...Any suggestions???Cool thread to keep us old folks but newbies up to date too!!!!


There is a thread called "what is everyone canning today" It has lots of info and recipes. Great thread for questions too.


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## gabbyj310 (Oct 22, 2012)

Thanks Grimm,I read that one all the time too. But being absent minded(thats nice for saying CRS)I need books to go by and would like to add to my "written" stash!!!!!I am a firm believer in saving information....


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

gabbyj310 said:


> Thanks Grimm,I read that one all the time too. But being absent minded(thats nice for saying CRS)I need books to go by and would like to add to my "written" stash!!!!!I am a firm believer in saving information....


I agree 100%. When I find a good recipe or info online I save it as a PDF and print it out. I have binders filled with info and recipes for canning I use all the time.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Here's a book that may be helpful if you like to keep reference material handy!

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Storage-Preserving-Dairy-ebook/dp/B00B1V6GZ0

Has things you wont find in the "Ball Blue Book".



gabbyj310 said:


> Thanks Grimm,I read that one all the time too. But being absent minded(thats nice for saying CRS)I need books to go by and would like to add to my "written" stash!!!!!I am a firm believer in saving information....


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