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I purchase turkey around the holidays when it’s at rock bottom prices. At what other point in the year can you get meat for .50 cents/lbs or cheaper?! You get the meat, plus you can make a fantastic broth with the carcass.
Canning meat kind of weirded me out, to be honest. I’ll eat tuna fish, but I’ve never been able to enjoy canned chicken breast or other meats. And in my mind, they pretty much all equated to Spam. ::shudder:: BUT, I kind of got over that after reading many other mamas talking about how much better home canned meats taste than store-bought, and obviously since you’re canning them at home, there are no weird unpronouncable ingredients to worry about. So, I decided to give it a try. I had 2 turkeys. A 16 pounder and a 20 pounder. This yielded me about 20 pints of canned turkey, plus lots of broth. I froze the excess broth that I didn’t need for canning.
Raw Pack vs. Hot Pack?
It’s possible to raw pack turkey. I was tempted to go this route because I thought it would make my life easier. However, I read several sources encouraging me to roast the turkeys one day, take all the meat off the carcass once it cooled, and then on Day 2 do all of your canning. On second thought, de-boning 36 lbs of raw turkey while juggling a fussy teething baby and 4 other kids didn’t sound so great after all.
Note: Canning meats or any low acid foods requires a pressure canner. This is the one that I have:
Presto 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker
Day 1: Roast
Roast your turkey. Take all the meat off once it has cooled, and store in the fridge. Put the carcass in your slow cooker, cover with water and set to low overnight in order to make a broth with which to can the turkey.
Day 2: Can.
- Prepare your jars and lids. I wash my jars in hot soapy water and then put them on a cookie sheet in a 250 degree oven for at least 10 minutes (or until I’m ready to use them). Lid and ring preparation can vary depending on what type you’re using, so make sure to read those instructions first.
- Pack hot, clean jars with turkey and then ladle in hot turkey broth leaving 1 inch head space.
- Use a skewer or plastic knife to remove any air bubbles by sliding it around the side of the inside of the jar.
- Wipe the rims to remove any grease or food bits. I actually used a bit of vinegar to make sure there was no fat or grease left on the rims (this would impede a good seal from forming).
- Put lids and rings into place according to instructions (different depending on if you’re using metal lids
or reusable canning lids
).
- Load your canner with your jars, and then can according to instructions. For the 23 quart presto canner (linked to above), I add 3 quarts of water and a splash of vinegar – to prevent a chalky residue from building up on the outside of my jars). Put the lid on, then turn on the stove to high until their is a steady stream of steam coming from the exhaust. Let it exhaust 10 minutes, then put the weight on and bring the pressure up to 11 lbs. Process of 75 minutes for pints.
- I usually let my canner sit overnight to come down to 0 pressure and cool. If you’re in a rush and want to get a second load going, let the pressure come down to 0 on its own (about 30-45 minutes), wait a few more minutes, and then remove the lid carefully (there will still be lots of hot steam). Use your jar lifter
to CAREFULLY remove the lids. Some of them may not be sealed yet, and you don’t want to disrupt that forming seal. So hold them upright and steady, and place them on a towel on a corner where they can finish cooling/sealing undisturbed. Let them be for 12-24 hours. Check seals.
- Rinse with warm soapy water to remove any grease or residue from the jars before adding them to your pantry. Enjoy!
Another Note: Be sure to check the instructions that you came with your specific canner. You should also be aware that elevation will change the pressure and amount of time required in the pressure canning process.
What have you canned this year?
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I’ve never canned anything, but after reading tons of blog posts about it, I decided to take a class offered by a local grocery store with a demo department. I’ll be starting with the basics, like jam and salsa, but I hope to build up from there!