1. The Right Equipment
Unlike canning fruits and vegetables, you must use a pressure cooker to can meat properly. Meat and poultry are very low acid foods, and only temperatures of 240 degrees F or greater are sufficient to destroy all of the microbes that can cause spoilage and food poisoning in home-canned meat. You must also assemble cutting boards and high quality knives for cutting the meat to size. Keep your equipment and tools scrupulously clean, as bacteria grow rapidly in meat and poultry.
2. Jars vs. Cans
You can use self-sealing glass jars with a flat metal lid and metal screw band to can meat, or you can choose plain cans. If you can meat in jars, you can reuse the jars and the screw bands, but not the flat lids. You can't reuse metal cans, but this may be an advantage if you don't have storage for jars. If you choose cans, you must also invest in a sealing machine that crimps the lids onto the cans. If you can meat in jars, you must allow the jars to cool down gradually to prevent breakage. You must cool the food in cans quickly to prevent the meat from continuing to cook.
3. Choose the Meat
Canning is a worthwhile method of preserving inferior cuts of meat that would otherwise take up valuable freezer space. The canning process tenderizes the meat, preparing it for soups and stews. Canning is also an ideal way to salvage frozen meat if your freezer gives out. If you elect to can wild-caught game, such as venison or bear, you must use a pressure canner at 240 degrees F for the time appropriate for the cut to prevent parasites such as Trichina spiralis from flourishing.
4. Prepare the Meat
Before you can meat, you must remove all bones with a sharp boning knife. Poultry and small game are the exceptions; you may leave the bones intact. Cut large pieces of meat with the grain, and remove as much visible fat as possible. Any fat you leave in the meat can increase the chances of ruining the seal, and fatty canned goods are susceptible to rancidity. If the meat is especially fatty, such as ground beef or sausage, freezing is a better method of preservation.
5. Before You Enjoy
When you're ready to taste the fruits of your labor, examine the canned meat for signs of spoilage. If the cans are dented or bulging, you must discard the contents. When you reheat the contents for eating, boil the meat for 20 minutes. If the product appears foamy or has an unpleasant odor during the cooking process, discard the meat in the garbage disposal or bury it so that no animal or human has any possibility of encountering the deadly botulism toxin.
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