Canning is a common method for preserving various types of meat, including domesticated farm-raised meat and wild hunted meat. Common types include beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, venison, moose, bear, poultry, turkey, duck, goose, and rabbit. Poultry and small game meat can also be canned.
One way to can meat without a pressure canner is using a boiling water bath. This method works best for high-acid foods like fruits and pickles but can also be used for fork-tender meat. To prepare the canner, pour water into the pot used to brown the meat and bring it to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to each jar, if desired. Fill hot jars with pieces and add boiling broth, meat drippings, water, or tomato.
On a clean stove, place the pressure canner on the largest, most even burner. Put 3 quarts of hot/warm water into the canner and add your bottles. Close the canner and turn the heat to high. Leave the weight off the vent and let the water in the canner heat until the canner starts to vent steam.
In summary, canning is a simple process that involves filling jars with food, submerging them in boiling water for a specific time, and sealing them during the process. The canner should be in good working condition and the canner should be inspected before use.
📹 How to Water Bath Meat
How to Water Bath Can Meat! Learn this heritage method of meat preservation without refrigeration used all over the world for …
How long do you water bath can meat?
Pressure canning has been a popular method for canning low-acid foods since 1917, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that pressure canning was officially recommended. The USDA started recommending using a pressure canner for low-acid foods, but people often still used water bath canning due to cost. Even canning cookbooks like Ball/Kerr didn’t force the recommendation until the 1980s, with instructions recommending boiling low-acid jars for 10-15 minutes before consumption to kill botulism. This method has been used for meat, vegetables, beef, steak, pork, tenderloin, ham, pork chops, and sausage.
Is it OK to soak meat in water?
Washing meat and poultry before cooking can increase the risk of cross-contamination in the kitchen, which can cause foodborne illness. USDA research suggests that washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking is not the safest method. Bacteria can be splashed on kitchen surfaces, making it unsafe to eat if not properly cleaned and sanitized. Cooking to the right temperature kills germs on meat and poultry, so washing is risky and not necessary for safety.
Avoid using soaps or detergents on meat or poultry products, as they can contaminate food with chemicals and make it unsafe to eat. Using a food thermometer is the only sure way to know if food has reached a high enough temperature to destroy germs, including foodborne illness-causing bacteria.
Can you water bath raw meat?
The canning of meat necessitates the use of a pressure canner to guarantee the eradication of harmful bacteria, as a water bath canner is incapable of attaining the requisite temperatures. Canned meat has a shelf life of several years; however, it is recommended that it be rotated within a two-to-three-year period to ensure optimal quality and flavor. The raw pack method obviates the necessity for prior cooking of the meat, as the cooking process occurs during the pressure canning procedure.
How long can I leave meat in water?
To thaw food, submerge it in cold tap water, changing the water every 30 minutes. Small packages of meat, poultry, or seafood can thaw in an hour, while larger packages take 2 to 3 hours. Whole turkeys take about 30 minutes per pound. If completely thawed, cook immediately. Foods thawed by cold water should be cooked before refreezing. When thawing in a microwave, cook immediately after thawing to prevent warm areas from cooking. Holding partially cooked food is not recommended as it may not destroy bacteria and reach optimal temperatures for growth.
Why can’t you water bath meat?
Home canning meat requires the use of a pressure canner, as it allows the meat to be heated at a higher temperature than boiling, killing dangerous bacteria that could cause food poisoning or illness. A simple boiling water bath canner only heats the food to boiling, which is 180° F, not enough to kill bacteria. In the past, people could can meat in a boiling water bath for 3 hours, but this was never safe and risked food poisoning.
Meat can be canned in quarts, pints, or half-pint jars, and the author prefers smaller jars for better waste management. There is a debate about using other jars for home canning, but the author has used hundreds of jars previously used for mayo, salsa, pickles, and more. It is important to ensure that a standard two-piece canning jar lid and ring fit the jar snugly. A major mayonnaise manufacturer uses jars that look like canning jars and the ring screws down, but the ring goes round and round when added, making it difficult to tighten the lid.
What is the cooking method in a water bath?
The sous vide technique is a cooking method where food is vacuum-sealed and heated at a precise temperature in a water bath. Developed in France in the 1970s by Chef Georges Pralus, sous vide has become a secret weapon for top chefs and home cooks alike. The technique differs from traditional cooking in that it relies on precise temperature control, which can be set with a simple push of a button. This method ensures that food is cooked at its ideal serving temperature, preventing overcooking or undercooking.
The technique also yields dramatically better results, developing unique flavors and textures that cannot be replicated using any other cooking method. The technique has become a go-to secret weapon for both great home cooks and TV cooking show competitors.
How to do a proper water bath?
In accordance with the research-based recipe, set the timer and, upon completion of the allotted time, extinguish the heat source and remove the canner lid.
Can you water bath meat for 3 hours?
The author recounts a visit to Kettle Kitchen Village in Pennsylvania, where they saw Amish women canning food safely in pressure canners. They question the possibility of canning in a water bath, as it is not safe. While many Amish can low-acid foods in water baths, the author emphasizes that the temperature is crucial. Botulism spores are not killed at 212F, but require temperatures of 240-250F, which can only be achieved in a high-pressure environment. The author wishes the Amish good luck with their canning, as they will need it.
How does a water bath cook meat?
Sous vide is a cooking technique where food is vacuum sealed and cooked in a low-temperature water bath over a long period, ensuring perfect doneness in proteins like steak and chicken while creating a tender texture and retaining moisture. This technique is now accessible to everyone, thanks to affordable and easy-to-use sous vide equipment like Anova’s Precision Cookers or the Anova Combi Oven. Sous vide cooking is one of the most precise ways to cook, offering better control over heat and temperature compared to traditional methods like ovens, pressure cookers, and skillets. With a sous vide immersion circulator like an Anova Precision Cooker, you can enjoy the benefits of sous vide cooking, such as reduced overcooking on the outside and a tender center.
Why do chefs put meat in a water bath?
Low-temperature cooking, also known as sous vide, is a method of cooking food at a lower temperature than conventional methods, typically around 55 to 60 °C (130 to 140 °F) for red meat, 66 to 71 °C (150 to 160 °F) for poultry, and higher for vegetables. The goal is to cook the item evenly, ensuring the inside is cooked without overcooking the outside and retaining moisture. This method was first described by Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, in 1799, who used air as the heat-transfer medium in his experiments to roast meat in a machine for drying potatoes.
Can jars touch when water bath canning?
Large metal containers can be used as boiling water bath canners if deep enough, with water covering the top of jars by 1 to 2 inches and additional space for brisk boiling. The canner should have a rack and tight-fitting lid to prevent jars from touching the bottom and allowing water to circulate under them. If it has dividers, jars will not touch each other or bump against the sides of the canner during processing.
A deep presure canner can be used as a water bath canner, but the lid should not be sealed and the safety valve should be left open to prevent pressure buildup. A canner with a flat bottom is suitable for electric ranges, while a canner with either a flat or ridged bottom can be used on gas ranges.
Low-acid foods should be processed in a pressure canner for the correct time and temperature to avoid botulism risks. Temperature must be adjusted when food is processed at altitudes of 1, 000 feet above sea level or higher. Pressure canners must be vented 10 minutes before pressurization to prevent under processing. Canners must be cooled at room temperature until completely depressurized, and improper exhaustion or too quick cooling can cause spoilage.
📹 Amish canning part 4- Water bath meat!
I’m happy to show you how I water bath meat. Please read the release and waver that I have posted on all my video’s. Thank you …
Here in Europe we water bath meat all the time. I often make beef stews and can it. We do add vinegar to it beforehand, I add a teaspoon of 9% vinegar to mine. This is because botulism can’t thrive in an acid environment. Thanks for showing alternatives to pressure canning. Where I am, few people can afford to import a pressure canner.
Grandma only had a huge stockpot for canning. She canned everything. I learned from her but got caught up in the pressure canner hoopla and was afraid to do low acid foods in a water bath. That is until the last few years when I put 2 and 2 together. Heritage canning! I love that better than Rebel canning. It is our heritage, something the powers that be want to erase from our memories.
Love your articles! My Ball canning book from the 1940’s says pressure canning is the preferred method for canning meat, BUT, also lists the time for water bath canning meat. Beef, lamb, pork,veal, all poultry, all game, birds, rabbits, squirrel and venison gets water bath canned for 3 1/2 hours. There are no times listed for fish or shellfish for water bath canning.
Thanks a million for sharing this valuable information. I expect things are going to get a bit chaotic in the next 12 months and I’m getting ready. I didn’t know you could preserve meat this way. What a gift to learn this now 🙏🥰 I send you much love and gratitude for your efforts to help humanity in this way. ❤
I’ve done this is the past, with deer meat/ scraps that aren’t big enough for roasts or steaks.. Especially good way to use some of the tougher/ odd shaped cuts (front shoulders etc) and I also season it like she shows. Once the meat is in the cabinet, it makes for a quick/ easy meal (stews, stroganoff etc) as the meat is already cooked, just add whatever else you have and enjoy 🙂
Near the end, you casually said that pressure canning was safer. Later on, you mentioned that the pressure canner must be watched. These two things are connected. My 93 yo mother says that she never adopted the pressure canning method because she considered it unsafe (because it was easy to get distracted). I have to go with Mom on this. In today’s cellphone world, it is even more probable that you are going to get distracted, which, imo, makes pressure canning less safe than water-bath canning overall. And thank you for your thorough coverage of this topic. You answered questions on canning meat that I have had for some time. Great advice, tips, and suggestions that indicate experience, not just copying someone else’s copied information.
Thanks for showing this! I have wondered about some foreign articles I have seen, and I did learn originally that you could trade the pressure and higher heat for longer time. I finally bought a lift out rack for waterbath canning. The disc from my pressure canner doesn’t fit my other pot, if I happen to be using both. I made a rack by zip tying old rings together before. I’ve also bent a flimsy wire rack to fit in a pinch. 😅 I don’t know if it would be safe, due to uneven heat, to do 80 all at one time, would it? I use even my pressure canned meat in things that will be cooked. I guess I should trust it more.
Thank you, glad you did this now, we just went through a living hell 2 days ago from Hurricane Helene here in Edgefield SC and surrounding areas. We’re not likely to have power back for a week. My deep freezer has held the cold as long as it could now i dont want to loose all that meat.popscicles and icecream i tried to eat them before they melted but just went to the grocery store, theres no way i could eat a whole 1/2 gal of chocolate ice cream by myself.
Thank you for this helpful information. I’m a brand new canner- bought a brand new 22 qt TFAL pressure cooker/canner but can’t get it up to 15psi. I’ve tried on high heat on my glasstop electric stove, GasOne 200,000 BTU burner. Next Ill try an electric coil stove. But Ive been using the pressure canner as a water bath canner- so that is working. Appreciate your content and explanations. 😊
MMM people in other countries don’t have access to Bell/Kerr Jars anyway. They re-use jam and spaghetti jars from the store, or else they use the Soviet style jars. GErmans have Weck Jars, and the French and Italians have Le Parfait/Fido jars, but those all work rather differently. Also botulism doesn’t get killed off above 212 degrees fahrenheit, even for three hours.
THANK YOU for this article!! I have two gently used pressure canners that are like new that I’ve never used. My mom wouldn’t let us near the pressure canner, telling us it’s dangerous. She never did teach us how to use one. So, I guess I still hold onto some of that fear. I also have a glass top stove that the mfg recommends NOT using for canning. Now I’ll feel less intimidated by a pressure canner & comfortable water bathing and extra meat that I buy.
Please tell me why you feel the need to put water over the top of the entire jar? I have had women say that the chance of it leaking out into the pot is greater and has happened to them and ruined several jars. I have done it with the pressure cooker with minimal water, water bathing with it below the lid at the shoulders as well as above the jar. It has all worked. I did have two jars leak out into the pot as well as water in the jar after it was canned and the fat solidified the water sat on the top of the fat layer. That concerned me and made me think the water should not go over the lid. I would like to understand more thoroughly so if you would explain I would appreciate your time. Ty and God bless.
I love your articles! I have learned so much from you over the years but never commented. I have a question when making beef stew or chicken soup is it okay to include milk, flour, noodles etc? I see others saying you can’t safely can any starches or dairy at home but they are the same ones saying you must use a pressure canner so what is your opinion on this?
A lady I follow who was born and raised Old Order Mennonite explained in a article she was NEVER taught to cover her jars with 2 inches of water when water bathing. They only ever put it up to the neck of the jar. The reason she was told was because it can cause siphoning. Which is the exact problem I seemed to have. I am curious if you or anyone reading this has heard that as well?
Thank you for the article. I too have a freezer full of meat and wondered how I could preserve it. I have to say I bought a couple water bath canning books. Their process is NOT as simple as yours. Meats are bathed in half the time you recommended and often precooked. I like your method better. One question though …. What seal has to be removed from the jar once done??? The screw top??? Thank you.
I loved your article. I’m immune compromised and need to be extra careful. just had a conversation with my chemical engineer cousin. What we ended with was 3 hours or less the temperature only reaches the boiling point of water.l at 212. To kill botulism spores it must reach 240. I don’t know if I had to save meet quickly that I would use water bath technique. Instead, I’m going to use salt and cure my meats. Good luck with the rebel canning. Vinegar sounds helpful.
If you’re concerned about water bathing remember…..on the Detroit side of the bridge it has to be pressure canned, but on the Windsor side of the bridge they water bath only. And they buy the produce from the same store and there are no more instances of Botulism in Canada than there are in the US. Do I only use PC for meat – yes. Would I boil in an emergency – you bet.
Having to baby-sit a pressure canner is one reason many don’t do that method. I know you keep saying this is for an emergency so you won’t lose meat if your lose power, but can’t this be used as a prepping method? Also, would using smaller jars be better… if you open a quart jar you’d have to eat it all before it went bad in a few days.
What is your elevation above sea level? It matters . . . Because, the higher the elevation, the less atmospheric pressure. The definition of “boiling” is: when the partial pressure of the liquid equals atmospheric pressure. That translates to water “boiling” at a temperature lower than 212°F (@ sea level) and that means you’re going to have to leave your boil going for MORE THAN 4 hours. There’s probably a chart online comparing safe boiling times vs boiling duration (time length). I’m at 616 ft ABOVE sea level, so my equivalent to 3 hours boiling at 212°F is 6 hours. In 6 hours, I can pressure can almost 3 batches. Pick your battle.
Karen’s are gonna come out of the wood work hollering about that sneeze into your hands lol..hopefully you don’t have many of’em. The world would be a better place if the whole population was required to spend a full year down here in the south before being allowed to vote or participate or comment on social media.
I panic when I view these and other prepper articles. Husband is 86, I am nearly 81. I have meat in small freezer and am concerned if I should thaw it all and can. I have no canning equipment nor canning experience. We do have generator as our power goes out for those random power outages. Any suggestions would sincerely be appreciated.
Water bathing was always the way I saw it done when I was a child over 50 yrs. ago, never got sick. I was always wondering why people in the US seem to have an aversion to this. I guess it’s all to get you to buy buy buy and not trust the tried and true methods of yesterday and now it seems there is an agenda to commercialize everything so that you can feel helpless and unsure about everything and anything. THANK YOU FOR DOING THESE articleS. THEY’RE SO INFORMATIVE. LOVE THEM.
Im in Australia and I have an old 1950s Australian Fowlers jars recipe book (our version of the ball mason jars) and in the book it also states 3 hours to waterbath low acid foods, meats, veges, stocks etc, the guy who produced the fowlers jars was originally from England and he had all the recipes tested for for food safety back then.
I just got humbled by your old school canning skills. The towel… priceless. This was a tremendously helpful article for a self-taught canner who’s been canning for 10 years plus. USDA guidelines never quite sit right with me. I have friends who learned from their grandmas and they can everything in water bath. So awesome to see this article most people are afraid to say it
Canning is about cooking and creating a vacuum. As you said your kitchen your rules, but the water does not have to cover the top of the jars lid in order to cook and have the jar lid seal. The vacuum occurs when the inside pressure is less than the outside air pressure when the jar cools the inside pressure drops causing outside pressure to be greater than the inside pressure sealing the jar. The jar doesn’t seal while you are canning. But when you hear the pop which is after the canning time and the jar is cooling. Resulting in lower pressure in the jar.
Hello, I’m from Germany and I’ve been making preserves for 35 years. Always in a water bath. I learned it from my mother and my grandma (born in 1901). But even here in Germany, the instructions of the USDA are leaving their mark. Suddenly articles appear where we are told that we will all die if we boil meat and vegetables in a water bath and only a pressure canner from the USA saves us from it. You can’t buy one here because it doesn’t meet the German standard and is therefore considered dangerous. And even the German Federal Office for Nutrition is questioning the traditional cooking methods and now says instead of cooking for 2 hours, it is better to cook twice for 1 hour and let it rest for 24 hours in between. It’s getting crazier in this world. Next up, probably, is banning canning to make the industry more profitable.
I absolutely love your Amish canning series. I grew up with water bathing everything. I was gifted a pressure canner, (a really good one). Its still in the box. When I started canning, I just felt I wanted to carry on my family tradition of canning. Everywhere else in the world does water bath, only in the US will they go out of there way to insist you pressure can which in turn, a lot of people don’t can, because of the costs of pressure canners. Makes you wonder who owns those expensive pressure canner companies 🤔
I follow you pretty close,, agan I’m in the Appalachian mountains of N.C., And this is Just being me again ! You really need to get up off yourself,,, You worry about your weight, worry about Negative Comments, worry about what people think, worry about Calling it ” Rebel” ! But here’s the real deal,,, ” STOP IT “,,, you have 56,000 people subscribed, and religiously perusal, Your Super Gorgeous,,, a great Mom & ‘m sure Wife,,, Stop beating up on yourself and be you ! There’s always gonna be ” Karens” and ” Nay Sayers”,,, Brush em off,,, and let go on up the road ! Keep getting up on it, Stay close to your Husband, Family, Our savior,,, and let the world go on by if it needs to !
You look so much more confident in this article! Good for you! I always wondered how people canned so long ago as well as questioned all the USDA regulations. Sometimes people act as if other countries/cultures don’t know what they’re doing. I love America but sometimes I feel like we can act like the know all be all on everything, as if other countries haven’t been doing this for centuries. People can “rebel” can butter, cheese, milk and other things but when it comes to meat then the USDA can’t possibly be wrong.😒 The USDA isn’t the Holy grail, but unfortunately if it is for you then just don’t water bath can meat. Simple as that.
I am from Russia. Water bath canning is our everything :)) Millions of people here have summer cottages while millions are living in villages. We have farmers as well. All of them grow their own food, some more, some less. Also, millions of people in cities and towns are canning even though they don’t grow anything. Seasonal veggies and fruits cost cheap, for example, 2 pounds of tomatoes (=1 kg) cost half a dollar at local farms markets in the fall. We’ve never heard or were directed by altitude in our canning. The majority of people use old methods of canning passed down to us from our parents and grandparents. I’ve never heard about anybody being poisoned by their canned food. Over past years pressure canning appeared in Russia as well. These pressure canners are produced in Russia. Largely farmers who can for sale and village people who can a lot for themselves use pressure canning, but even they use pressure canners for largely canning meat. I watched multiple articles on pressure canning from Russian bloggers, and none of them ever mentioned altitude.
I agree, too little liquid it’s tough/burnt, and I’ve found that too much liquid it’s mush, pressure Canning has just become less and less appealing to me, over waterbath which seems closer to fresh, to me. I so appreciate you calling it original canning, i started doing that too a few months ago. I feel it’s so disrespectful to people in other countries or sects who solely waterbath, to insinuate that their way is wrong or, dangerous/rebellious. You are such a sweet soul. Bless you❤
Good afternoon and lots of love from Ohio! I’m so glad you’ve made this article. Growing up my mom, aunts, grandmother etc did not pressure can ANYTHING, and here were are nearly 60 years later and all 7 of us kids survived without food poisoning. This past week I canned 30 lbs of beef, and put 20 in the freezer for the next time. I can pork, turkey beef, chicken and even wild game. None of it has ever seen a pressure canner. Be smart be safe and don’t try to shorten the time and your meats will be safely waiting for you to use it. Have a great day and God Bless P.S.. the only meat I precook is ground beef. The rest I can raw.
I have done both !!! My husband worked at Presto with the PC and I got 2 of them free!!! Would use them when I had a LOT of MEAT to can but family always liked the WB meat better !!! Like you said there is no difference for pints and quarts for WB I always had new lids on all of the jars for meat !!! Did beef chicken & fish also in WB !!! So go for it people it is what you can do !!!
I use wide mouth jars for meat for the reason that I can get my hand in there to clean that protein residue that clings so tenaciously to the inside of jars! My Mom always canned beef and salmon in a water bath for 3 hours. We are a big family and we all lived to tell the story. ♥️♥️♥️ PS Mom would also be doing this outdoors as the kitchen would too steamed up.😊
There were no pressure canners to get us through winter when I was a kid, Grandma water bathed literally every single thing we preserved. The litmus test was how did it look and smell when opened. 🙂 Love your website, keep up the good work in helping everyone be more able…beef doesn’t always go on sale so it’s best to have it set aside.
👍what you explained at the beginning of the article is very true and accurate. I lived in Europe and we did canning. Pressure canners don’t exist. And communities survived on water bath canning for years and no health issues. Plus that’s how families canned for centuries and also monasteries, up to now. France, Italy, Poland and most eastern European countries use the water bath canning.
WOW..GOOD FOR YOU.. In the “old days”..everyone water bathed everything.. veggies and meat..and we all survived full of life and vigor. Neither was “altitude” ever considered. I truly appreciate your new reference to Original Canning..as getting back to basics is a most needed attribute in this over regulated world we live in. K.I.S.S Keep It Simple Spirit.😇 Loving your dedication..you just GO GIRL!!
You are perfect the way you take your time to explain to us all of the process of WB Canning – I love it! Thank you for being kind, humble and for using the term “Original Canning” versus the R word. You are a BLESSING to so many of us! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love your Devotion Time also! God bless you, MIM!! <3 MIM = Make It Make 🙂
Newbie here! I just happened upon this website and have been wanting to learn waterbath canning of meat just to know how to do it. My mom and dad cooked together and used a pressure cooker to can things like South Americans. I was traumatized as a 15 year old when the pressure cooker top blew off and spewed spaghetti sauce everywhere! Luckily, none of us got hurt, but it definitely ruined our clothes! Even the ceiling had to be cleaned. I normally do dehydrated veggies and fruit but I am really wanting to try this method. So thanks very much for sharing this and being so genuine! I’m excited to watch other articles you’ve done as you seem to have a very sweet spirit! Ignore the negativity. Here’s how I see it. If I am pleasing God and doing the best I can, that’s all that matters. I was a people pleaser for years and one day, I just decided that if people don’t like me, that’s their problem, not mine. God will repay. At any rate, looking forward to seeing more great content!! Have a blessed day!!
Canned meat looks almost pretty. I love that marble effect it has throughout once cooked. And there is an obvious difference between the pressure canned meat and the waterbathed meat. The fat on the pressure canned meat is more yellow and there isn’t that much. The waterbathed meat has a purer form of fat on top.
I am so glad you are continuing your canning article series . I remember the flak you caught last year . I was one of your supporters and encourageers. You do an awesome job my mom did everything with the water bath method . She learning from her mom and grandmother . I’m alive and well . You have a blessed day, stay safe . Highest Regards Terry Lembke
I have canned meat both ways. I prefer WB. I know to fully heat before even tasting. I prefer to sear first and add liquid, usually no salt stock. when I PC the meat comes out tender but dry tasting. It makes me wonder if the times are not overkill. I use my pressure canner for a water bath by leaving the weighted regulator off, gasket in but not locking the lid down. I have done many 3 hour cooks with no water added. If I do a load it will be a full load, I add cans of water to fill, to have some sterile water on hand. Have you done chicken???
I love your common sense attitude towards this method. My English grandmother water bathed everything and it was such a joy to walk into her pantry and see all the beautiful food. I have been doing some home canning this way and have never had a problem….also, the meat done this way is so tender and delicious. Thanks for your articles.
I love that you’re so passionate about waterbath canning. My aunt got me a pressure canner last year, and I’m at a higher elevation, but for my elevation, the canner I have doesn’t make the size of weight that the glorious USDA says I need. I tried anyway, not fun. In order to use it as a pressure canner, I had to keep a little rock on the top of the weight – just big enough to add pressure weight, but light enough for it to rattle and vent steam as it needs to. As you can imagine, that was frustrating. I also was finding that the lids would NOT seal, no matter what I tried – then I realized 99% of canning advice on YT informs ppl to tighten the rings just until the jars start moving. Needless to say, I was devastated. I really wanted to can, but nothing was working for. THEN I found out that that the people who say to tighten the ring only until the jars start moving only used TATTLER lids, which you do only have to screw those rings on just till the jar starts moving (otherwise while cooking, the jars explode). But those people never said why they only screw their rings on so loose. Then I started researching how the pioneers and Amish preserved food, which led to exactly what you say each time you make a waterbath article – the US is the ONLY country that pressure cans, elevations means jack sh*t, and waterbath-only canning is not only acceptable for ALL foods but miraculously – against the USDA’s hopes and dreams, no doubt – never kills any Amish or people in other countries.
My grandmother was from an era that waterbath canned. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to learn from her about this type of canning. I appreciate you explaining the steps needed in detail. Canning can be intimidating when you are new to certain processes. Please continue to post these types of articles. I love learning from you. Thank you 😊
THANK YOU!! I have been perusal a website from a gal living in another country to get her water-bath recommendations since it isn’t found here in the USA too often. My current crazy lifestyle (by choice) has me water bath canning only AND over a wood fire🤭. It’s great. I questioned the ground meat I did last year because I watched too many nay-sayers. I am confident of it now, and planning more. Thank you for this article!
Thank you thank you thank you for bringing back these water bath canning articles. I’m so happy u r bringing these articles back. I for one appreciate these articles and I’m an experienced canner. I do however reuse My lids but only ball lids as they r the ones that seem to have no issues. I have some that I’ve reused 3 x and they reseal every time. I do however check my rubber pet of the lid to make sure there is enough rubber there for another seal. I push it. The worse that can happen if the lid doesn’t seal. Stick the jar in the fridge and eat it with in a few days. I cherish these articles. 💋👍🙏
I am so happy and grateful to see you posting these Amish article’s. Your confidence now is through the roof and you are right where you are supposed to be. #ThisIsYou and you rose to the name of your website and your tagline #MakeItMake. Well done and thank you again. Oh … I have my eye on your tea kettle and went to your store to find it. Could you please share the name of your tea kettle and where I can find it?
Guess im a rebel. I 2as 3 or 4 helping my mom. And perusal her. She never owned a pressure canner. Neither did her mom. No one got sick. I can just like her. Im 63 from southern texas. Advice. Read read read. I dont can any meats at all. But everything else i do. Salt and vinegar is what i add to all the veggies. Thank you
I am thankful to have been taught using a pressure canner for 40 years. So easy, faster, and proven safe. Mom always said buy the most current blue book and update your methods. If I didn’t have a pressure canner, I would salt cure all my meat. Dehydrating, fermentation, and curing would be my methods.
I appreciate how firm you’ve gotten along with your confidence. You’re doing fantastic. Also I’m a new canner, the very first thing I ever canned was ground beef. I had so much that was given to me and it was going to waste (I only have a small fridge) if I didn’t do anything with it. I watched one of your articles from last year, I also did excessive research. Well it took 6 months to use up, every jar turned out great. Thank you so much for doing these articles! You’re so very much appreciated. Also you look fantastic!
You have already had so many comments, you don’t need mine, however, I want you to know that your Amish series pushed me forward. I did not want to buy an expensive canner. So I started with potatoes early on…the little ones and they looked wonderful. Then did for fries and lots of cubes for soup. I was so thankful I did not have to loose any this winter to rot and I put up many dozens. Also did green beans, carrots and corn and combos with celery for stew. And I have canned many jars of beef, chicken deer and pork, black bean and now recently lentils. I did a good measure of vinegar (and Azure Standard’s is a bit strong but used it full strength). Sometimes I rinse the jar, but we don’t mind the ACV background taste…at least it is our food and we have made it last the entire winter…other than Azure Standard for the basics, we did not buy elsewhere this year. Thank you ! I don’t know that I would have done it with out your encouragement.
Love it! I just plunged into this method, my first experience canning about 4 months ago. My training came in the form of multiple you tube articles and yours were central. Thank you! Between you, the Amish and a couple of European websites I had the confidence to make my first batch and then quite a few subsequent batches of meat for my family. As the prices rise and concerns surrounding our food supply increase, this is priceless information. God Bless you and your family!
Thank you, I really enjoyed this. I remember that my Mother canned salmon one year. It was only years later that I wondered how she did it – she was terrified of pressure canners (they are, after all, a bomb) And I did read somewhere that what she must have done was pasteurize the salmon, which is what I think you have basically done here. Time is a chemical reaction when it comes to food. I believe it took 8 hours for the salmon. With canned tomatoes, the nchfp says they must be filled to 1″, have lemon juice or citric acid added and cooked for whatever time. I started canning tomatoes over half a century ago with my mother. We peeled the toms, stuffed them into jars, added salt and water bathed them. I even have the 1975 edition of the USFDA Canning and Preserving Guide to prove that was okay. (As far as the tomatoes go, I thought it might be because today so many are genetically modified there wasn’t enough acid to can them safely.) And I do know that many older people with European backgrounds will heat the tomatoes to boiling, fill their jars and put the lids on, then simply turn the jars upside down to cool and seal. In the end, nobody is going to fund a study to verify the validity or safety of these methods because there is no profit in proving someone can do this safely (and cheaply) at home.
First of all, it is so nice to see you again!! I found your website last year and watched you tread the canning debate. I am so glad to see your renewed confidence! It has inspired me! I haven’t canned yet and yes, I did spend money on a pressure cooker, but couldn’t understand the need for it. I am going to try Original canning, first! Small batches until I feel more confident. What I wish is that you or a fellow homesteader would actually open up cans and make recipes with it to spur us new canners on!! But in short, great article!!!!
I’ve ordered directly from Weck here in the US. Not a single broken, or even chipped jar/lid. To prevent horrible sticker shock, look up their shipping charge amounts. Save enough money to get to the highest order amount realistically achievable for the year or season. Helps the total cost per jar come out less. Interestingly enough, I’ve never had one of the Weck jars not seal. Pressure canner, water bath, off the rails recipes, whatever. Ball on the other hand, has been a wild ride around the last half decade. Probably have an equal amount of each brand, so it gets very noticeable. Glad to see you are becoming more confident about what you want to share, and how you want to do that. I’ve heard that searing the meat is meant to make it not clump together so much. Yet it does anyway, just not a full on brick? Which is easy enough to gently bust up with a fork? I don’t know that all the cleanup, heating jars, and such of searing the outside is worth it. For certain I don’t agree with cooking any of it through. That way results in tough meat. So I’m personally on the side of raw pack. (With the exception of searing seasoned veggie meat patties.) Stepping away from recommendations, to add a quarter, for pints, half cup for quarts, of whatever liquids. Lemon juice, water, sauce, currant juice, etc. Faster, and in the end you get the same basic deal. Without too much or even any meat sticking up above the liquid. Curious to hear if you all found there to be any taste difference between raw packed pressure canned or water bathed.
Thank you so much for this article. Lots of very useful information here! I believe that many old ways can still be followed today…just watch any Youtubers from Europe who can through water bathing! My Sister In Law is from Slovenia…her Mom only water baths and does everything in the ‘old and traditional ways’. I also appreciate your initial apprehension in sharing these traditional ways, but am very grateful that you have ‘taken a chance’! Thank you again.
I have found this to be true about the top of my meat pressure canning it also. So I am learning about canning it another way. When I started canning at 20 yrs old and no books or much guidance, in 1982, no online research, I used to water bath all vegetables like green beans and fed them to my family for yrs and nobody ever got sick.
I’m 75 and have been canning since I was in my 20s. There seems to me that altitude makes a difference. I moved from very low altitude in Wisconsin to 7,200 feet in Colorado, where you could reach into a boiling pot of water to retrieve eggs. Went hiking to 11,000 feet and brought “Rice a Roni”. There was no way it was going to cook. I boiled it for hours and it was still hard as a rock!! My friends got a good laugh. Even today, I wonder if it could have gotten soft just by soaking it? Now, I guess I should have put the pan in the hot springs that were up there! LOL
I am very pleased to see this method demonstrated. I also need to tell you it looks like the shelf behind you the second big shelf down right about at your shoulder line… It looks like it might be bowing from the weight of your canned goods and need a support( or maybe it’s just the angle of the filming?)
Yes! Good on you for continuing:). I’ve only just found your website so the upset is short lived for me but I’m so glad you have chosen to share this knowledge with us. As others have said there are other countries on earth aside from the USA, I’m in Australia and the methods you’re sharing seem just like what my mum and grandma do/did. While I’m sure that other lady had terrific information that’s not what is being talked about here which is pre-pressure-cooker invention. I’ll be learning all I can from you and Susie. Thanks :).
the clothe buffering the jars against breaking in a great tip in an emergency. I lost a rack but used a hardware clothe (1/2′ wire mesh screen) cut to size of the canner bottom for the same purpose. Either on seems to keep the canner usable when the produce is available rather than trying to have a replacement rack shipped from the manufacturer. thanks for the tip!
I am so grateful I had your website show up again, and I really appreciate this information more than you know. This is my second year gardening and canning, and now I’m hooked. If I find a great deal at the grocery I preserve. People do not think about how things were done before pressure canner was even a thing. Btw I love your knife. To think that their are people that would even say a da#@ thing. It’s a hard job, and to maintain the motivation to push through with the choice you made on how you take care of your family and home is what I see, and I can relate. I can see a change in you and think it’s awesome! Xo thank you, friend.
I just came across your website. I think I found a new love. Someone that cans they way generations prior to myself have canned. I continue preserving the way my parents have done it. Guess what? NO ONE has ever died or even gotten sick. Blessings to you. I will definitely check out your site for more ideas.
Thank you sooooo much sharing with all of us exactly how this process can still be done safely. I have been waiting for your article for so long and had alot of faith in you for sure my friend. Ignore the haters the trolls and the canning police who insist they have all the answers and believe old wives tails. I grew up with this type of canning and we never got sick ever!
Hello from Poland 😉 I must admit that the first time I heard about pressure canning was here on Youtube. My grandmothers always (back in the days of deep socialism ) canned / pasteurized everything they got and wanted to store, in a water bath. Now, more and more often, they subjected meat preserves, beans, etc. to the tyndalization process – pasteurization three times 24 hours apart. But no one gives a second thought to altitude….
I pray we are able to be friends one day! I even prayed about moving to Pennsylvania 😅. We are currently in So Cal. Anyway! I canned my first batch of meat a couple weeks ago all inspired by your articles of original canning methods. I do not want the extra equipment. I want to do things the classic way! Thank you for all you do in partnership with the LORD! Oh! What did you do to lose weight?!
Hi, first time perusal your website. I have never canned. I have seen canning demos over the years from at least a dozen and a half websites. I find you clear, focused, and easy to follow. Also, your discussions snd explanations are convincing. (I have always been scared to keep meat in a jar, but I do trust science. And I am finally feeling confident about trying this after hearing your discussions anc explanations. (I am not trying to put down any other canners whose demos I have viewed; some of the readiness had to come from my finally being ready. But you are also excellent at educating with clarity and connecting with audience. Thank you!
When I first started getting interested in canning by perusal American canners I was confused by the canners, here in the U.K. we don’t have the canners Americans do, we can send to America on Amazon but the price of delivery is nearly as much as a canner. We do however have pressure cookers which is basically the same as the American canners but smaller and I’m not sure if they get to the same pressure as the big ones so I have been doing this and I’m not dead yet 🤣 I honestly don’t understand why Americans and Canadians water bath preserves such as pickles jams etc anything with a high sugar or vinegar content is safe to make and let the lids seal themselves, sugar and vinegar are natural preservers any way.
Very glad to see this article. I like learning about different methods of preserving for. My favorite, to date, is oven canning. Very similar to water bath processing time. So far, I’ve oven canned beef roasts, beef brisket, ground beef, chicken, carrots, and potatoes. Keep up the good work of sharing information about ORIGINAL canning methods.
Just curious as I watch your article… why not just add 1Tbs of distilled vinegar to each jar of meat? It helps with the acidity of water and juices as well as provides an extra measure of antibacterial since it’s the bacteria “they” worry so much about in WB vsPressure canning? It doesn’t change the flavor a bit to add only 1Tbs of vinegar. Just curious.
I’m so glad I found your website and particularly this article. I’ve only canned 2 jars of tomatoes in my life but I really want to water bath some meat. Even though everything seems very simple and straightforward there’s no telling how many times I will watch this before attempting it. BTW my first two jars of tomatoes I threw away after two years. I watched many more articles since I jarred them and wasn’t taking any unnecessary chances. How long of shelf life will the meat you jarred store for if you happen to see my comment. Thanks
LoL I jumped right in on canning meat. I water-bath canned some and I pressure canned what I couldn’t fit in my small stock pot. I love the speed of a pressure canner but I love the ease of the water-bath canner. I have upgraded to a 21.5 water-bath canner. Which has made my canning so much easier. I appreciate you sharing USDA vs. original canning methods. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing this article snd information with us! I have a pressure canner but I also have a glass top stove snd didn’t think when I bought the canner about not being able to use the canner in it because of the heat and weight which to me is strange because I water bath can on it without any problems ! Anyway it’s good to know I can safely csn meat in my water bath canner ! Do you know can we can Ham in the water bath canner also ? Thsnk you do much your very good with your instructions and it is appreciated very much! God bless ❤️🙏🙋🏻
I really appreciate that you took the time and effort to point out to everyone, especially the newbie’s, that this is not the approved way to can … although the Amish have been canning this way for years. I also agree that beginners need to understand the why’s before breaking any rules…like you I am a bit of a rule breaker however there are some things I will never do (like oven / dry canning), glad to see your article plainly points out that there is more than one way. Thanks for the Waiver and Release, Makes a ton of sense
I appreciate your information,, You spent a lot of time and research on this. Thank you for showing alternatives, I appreciate it. I guess since, we have a pressure canning options, I feel safer, however,, your knowledge shows other options. I appreciate it and love perusal your content. I do want you to make meals,, and taste them.
Bless your heart Heather, I know you are so ready for the mouth surgeries to be over with. I feel so bad you are going through all this, I will continue to keep you in my prayers. It’s been 7 months for me now since my Husband passed I’m still holding on to Jesus. Today I’m not asking for prayer for me but a young lady named Ella’s she’s 12 and a young man named Blake he’s 14, they truly are in need of prayer please, please remember them in prayer.
Happened upon your article and I appreciate that you are the first person that had a disclaimer on their article about the subject of canning. That’s very responsible of you and I was like, yes. For that, you’ve got a subscriber. I’ll check put a few other articles you have too because I’m sure I’ll learn something new. 🎉
Water bathed fresh potatoes by your instructions last fall, absolutely love them!!I have a PC but I prefer water-bath methods so much more and I do some canning on an open woodfire because here in Oklahoma even in the fall it is so hot 🥵. Do you have a article on water bath sweet corn our local grocery has a realy good sale on cases of sweet corn right now!!
I so much enjoy your articles! I get so stressed with the pressure canner, making sure the weights are right, eye constantly on the clock. I am definitely going to do this. I’m assuming the shelf life is the same whether water bath or pressure canned? We watch this Bulgarian woman and all her family did was water-bath for centuries . I trust it.
I love water bath & pressure canning. I think that we get to fixated almost stubborn on notions that there’s only one way to do things. I have thought about . People around the world have been preserving & canning food for ages. My mother always said there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Thanks for this wonderful demonstration & information. Looks wonderful.
I’ve been canning meat with a water bath canner since the early eighties and I’ve never even added salt or liquid I’ve may had two jars lose seal and sometimes keep them as many as five years before consuming I don’t give advice on canning but I boil for at least 3.5 hours but generally 4 hours. If I do turn the heat off at 3.5 hours I leave the jars in the canner for a while
Hi, Im from Chile. I love your articles. In my country we don´t have recommendations of the CDC or something like that. I do it like my Mother did or my Grandmother did. But I do use a pressure canner sometime. For years I made marmalade, Jams, fruits and tomato sauce. And during the pandemic I start trying with other vegetables and soups. Before that, I mostly froze the vegetable of my garden so I could use them in the winter. A cuestion…how long can you store de canned meat?
I live in New Zealand I am 77 my mother canned everything fruit veges beans meat and everything was water bathed. We didn’t ever get sick but there was always a good meal even in hard times. I learned from her and only lately on you tube I heard the word altitude (other than my brother talking of altitude sickness when he went to the Himalayas ) in conjunction with canning it has never been a consideration here so I wonder why it’s pushed so much over in the USA? And boy the pressure canner makers must be making a fortune!
Best canned meat I ever had? Believe it or not but it was venison which Mom water bathed using a recipe for beef out of an old Kerr canning book. That was 50 years ago and I haven’t been able to make anything close to it. Also I’m done with this pressure cooker, I swear I don’t like the flavor of meat nor chili which comes out of it. I can taste stuff which is spot on before I put into the PC but it comes out over done tasting.
I have tried to ask this question on other websites but never get an answer. I’m hoping someone here can be of help. I’ve never canned anything before, but I’ve wanted to try the past 2 years. My grandmother just passed and I’ve inherited her canning collection (pressure canner, water bath pots, jars, ect). My question is how long do home canned foods stay good? Is there a difference between meats and vegetables? I’ve read only 12-18 months and also read as long as the seals are intact (potentially 5-10 years).
Excellent information, I love your website. If anyone is interested in “steam canning” for jams and jellies which seems to be another gadget in the market you can easily make that too. Simply put an empty cake tin on the bottom of a stockpot and fill with water ( the whole pot to the level of the cake pan) place a circular cooling rack on top to hold the jars so they sit just above the water level and bring to boil with your pot lid on top and follow whatever recipe you’re using. ❤
I see you have a flat top stove that you are using to can with. I have one as well and have not tried canning yet because i have seen articles/ group chats saying that the weight of the canner, water & jars are to much and has caused peoples flat tops to chatter. I was wondering if you have heard that? If you personally have had any problems & how long you have been canning on your flat top. Thank you for your time
I’m so glad you are doing this article! Just today I watched a article from a woman who lives in the Czech Republic. She was water bath canning rabbit and chicken and stew. She used small jars(half pint?) with one piece button lids. She said she boils the jars for 2 hours the first day and 1 hour the next day. I thought that was interesting. One question I have about the meat. Is there a cut of beef that turns out more tender after canning? I have only canned chicken, ground beef and chili with chunks of beef in it. I don’t know if it was the fact that it was in the chili or if it was the cut of meat, but it turned out very dry and kind of a hard texture. I don’t remember if it was a very lean cut and if that could have been the problem. I would like to can more beef chunks, but I want to make sure I get a good product, I guess I’m picky, lol. PS I’m so glad to see the happy change in you of more confidence and no apologies!
Great article, thank you so very much!! I was so flabbergasted to hear “altitude is not a thing”!! I will also be honest, when I started to learn about caning & was told about altitude and processing times, that blew my mind!! You telling me that “altitude is not a thing” doesn’t! It tells me my gut instinct made sense. I could not wrap my head around why altitude made a difference, & now I know why! Lol I really appreciate you telling us there are other options and letting us decide for ourselves what is right for our family once we do our own research. As the years go on, I trust USDA far less than I did 4 or 5 years ago! Very interesting article, thanks again!!