Pressure Canning Chicken and Other Meats At Home

Learn step by step about pressure canning chicken and other meats at home. Pressure canning meat is one of the best ways to preserve what you raise or purchase for a long shelf life. We’ll answer all your questions and help you feel equipped to provide healthy home-canned meats for your family.

Growing up on the farm, we always pressure canned the meat we raised. But when I was grown and it came time for me to pressure can chicken and other meats, I was anxious.

The deciding moment to switch from freezing and canning chicken and other meats to preserving meat only by pressure canning came in 2005. It was named Hurricane Katrina. When she hit us, she was still a Category 5 Hurricane. We lost power and were without it for 12 days.

Before the power came back we had lost the entire freezer of meat and produce. That’s when we decided we wouldn’t risk that great loss again. We began preserving all the meat we raised on the farm by pressure canning.

As a way of a required disclaimer, we cannot tell you what you should do to preserve your meat; we can only share with you how we pressure can the meat we raise here on the farm.

Pressure Canning Chicken and Other Meats

The most frequently asked question I get about it is, “How long will home-canned meat be good for?” This is a reasonable question and one I don’t mind answering again.

The truth is it can be good for over 10 years. I’ve known people who dust the jar lid off and eat it without knowing how long ago it was canned. Personally, for quality and nutritional value, we consume it within 3-5 years. After 5 years, the nutritional value begins to decline.

I learned the rotational method of food consumption from Granny. You write the month and year on the jar lid or on freezer tape placed on the jar. This ensures that the oldest jars are consumed first.

The newer jars are put on the shelf behind the older jars as another step to ensure they’re in the right order. You have to decide what you are comfortable with and go forward with that decision.

We dehydrate and pressure can our produce in addition to canning chicken and other meats. The principles are the same for both. Preserving what we have in abundance during one season to consume when it’s not in season is the whole point of food preservation.

Tips for Canning Meat

Many home canners experience stress and fear when pressure canning meat. However, the process is as simple as canning produce and fruit. Let me share my best tips for safely doing this at home.

• Start by selecting quality meats. Any meat we don’t raise ourselves, we purchase from Seven Sons or, when available, from a local farm that raises grass fed meat.
• When you begin canning, be certain the meat is chilled to 40 degrees F or less. This prevents spoiling and applies to store-bought and home-butchered meats alike.
• As with any food preservation or preparation, start with a clean, sanitized prep area. Any cutting board used for meat should not be used for any other purpose in the kitchen. Clean it with hot water after scrubbing it with salt.
• The first step before canning any meat is to remove any discolored bruising and as much of the tendons or gristle as you can.
• Next remove some of the fat, not all of it. We don’t do this because the fats are unhealthy, they’re not. It’s because excess fat may cause the jars to have sealing problems if it gets between the seal and the glass lip of the jar.
• It probably goes without saying, but you MUST pressure can all meats. Canning meat without a pressure canner is dangerous due to its low acidity.
• You can choose between two methods: the Raw Pack method and the Hot Pack method. We’ll look at how to use both methods, and then you can decide which works for you.
  • The difference between the two methods is that the raw pack method involves packing raw meat into the jar without adding liquid. With the hot pack method, the meat is browned, packed into the jars, and hot liquid is added.
• If you are pressure canning wild game, such as turkey, venison, rabbit, etc., you may want to soak it overnight in brine to remove some of the gamey flavor. A good brine solution is 1 Tablespoon of real salt for each one quart of water. We like to soak venison in ice water and salt for at least 48 hours.   

• 

• 

• 

The Raw Pack Method

1. The meat needs to be no warmer than 40 degrees F. This applies to all types of meat: poultry, red meat, wild game, and pork.
2. Remove excess fat, bruised areas, tendons, and gristles.
3. Different types of meat require different preparations.
   • Red meats, pork, and large wild game (such as moose, deer, or elk) should be chopped into 1” cubes or ground into ground meat.
   • To preserve tenderness, cut meat against the grain.
   • Do not pressure can these types of meat with the bones in. Once you’ve removed as much meat as possible from them, put the bones in the refrigerator or freezer to make bone broth with later.
   • All types of poultry can be left on the bone and cut into pieces that will fit into your jars. You can also remove the meat from the bone if you wish. I like canning chicken and other poultry with the bones in for the rich flavor they give.
4. Pack the jars loosely with raw meat, making SURE to leave a 1 ¼” head space.
   • DO NOT add liquid.
   • Add 1 teaspoon of real salt to each quart. This is optional, but real salt has been used for food preservation for centuries and is vital to maintaining the proper functioning of many body systems.
   • Remove air from the jar by sliding a knife around the inside of the jar.
5. Remove air from the jar by sliding a knife around the inside of the jar or a special canning tool.
6. Using a clean, damp cloth, wipe the rim of each jar.
7. Put a clean, undamaged lid and ring on each jar and place them in the pressure canner.
8. Process both pints and quarts at 10 pounds of pressure.
   • For Pints, Process for 75 minutes
   • For Quarts, Process for 90 minutes
   • For altitude adjustments, see the chart below.
9. After processing time is finished, turn off the heat and allow the canner to vent naturally until it is at 0. For most pressure canners and climates, this will take about an hour.
10. Remove the lid and carefully take each jar from the canner using a jar lifter. Set them on a heat-proof surface like your counter. I lay a towel over my counter and set the jars on it.
    • Caution should be taken since they’re HOT! Allow to cool completely before lifting or handling the jars.
    • As they cool you’ll hear the sound that’s music to every home canner’s ears: “Pop, Ping, Pop, Ping…” as the jars seal.
11. Store your sealed jars in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
12. If you have a jar that did not seal, place it in the refrigerator once it is completely cool, and use it first.

The Hot Pack Method

The hot pack method differs from the raw pack method because the meat is browned first, and liquid is added to the jar before processing in the canner.

1. Same as Step 1 of the raw pack method: The meat must be no warmer than 40 degrees F. This applies to all types of meat: poultry, red meat, wild game, and pork.
2. Same as Step 2 of the Raw Pack Method: Remove excess fat, bruised areas, tendons, and gristle.
3. Different types of meat require different preparations
   • Red meat, pork, and large wild game should be chopped into 1” cubes or ground into ground meat.
   • To preserve tenderness, cut meat against the grain.
   • Once chopped into 1″ cubes or ground, place it into an appropriately sized pan and stir continuously until browned.
   • You may have to add fat to the pan if it’s lean. I recommend Coconut Oil because of its health properties and high smoke point.
   • Be careful to add only enough to help it brown. You are browning it, NOT cooking it.
   • If you do not want to brown it by frying it, you could boil it or bake it until it is medium-rare. Again, you are NOT cooking it.
4. Pack each jar loosely with browned meat. Make SURE you leave a 1 ¼” head space.
5. Add 1 teaspoon real salt per quart (optional).
6. You MUST add liquid in the hot pack method.
   • My tip is to use the pot you browned the meat in to heat enough water to fill the number of canning jars you need.
   • By using the pan you browned it in, any meat seared to the bottom will be loosened, creating a tasty liquid.
   • You want enough water to fill each jar while leaving a 1″ head space.
7. Remove air from the jar by sliding a knife around the inside of the jar.
8. Using a clean, damp cloth, wipe the rim of each jar.
9. Put a clean, undamaged lid and ring on each jar and place them in the pressure canner.
10. Process both pints and quarts at 10 pounds of pressure in your pressure canner.
    • For Pints, Process for 75 minutes
    • For Quarts, Process for 90 minutes
    • For altitude adjustments, see the chart below.
11. After processing time is finished, turn off the heat and allow the canner to vent naturally until it is at 0. For most pressure canners and climates, this will take about an hour.
12. Remove the lid and carefully remove each jar from the canner using a jar lifter. Set them on a heat-proof surface like your counter. I lay a towel over my counter and set the jars on it.
    • Caution should be taken since they’re HOT! Allow to cool completely before lifting or handling the jars.
    • As they cool you’ll hear the sound that’s music to every home canner’s ears: “Pop, Ping, Pop, Ping…” as the jars seal.
13. Store your sealed jars in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
14. If you have a jar that did not seal, place it in the refrigerator, once completely cool, and use it first.

Altitude Adjustments for Pressure Canning Meat

Pressure levels must be increased at higher altitudes because the air is thinner. I had a huge learning curve with canning and baking when we were in Idaho for three years. My old-timer friend, Helen, helped me by sharing her lifetime of experience with me.

If you don’t adjust the pressure, your food will be ruined. The County Extension Office in your area will have information to help you know your altitude and appropriate pressures.

This chart is a standard guideline for altitude adjustments for pressure canning.

Altitude	Weighted Gauge	Dial Gauge
0 – 1,000 Ft	10	11
1,001 – 2000 Ft	15	11
2,001 – 4,000 Ft	15	12
4,001-6,000	15	13
6,001 – 8,000	15	14
8,001 – 10,000	15	15

How to Use Meat Canned at Home

Before you eat anything pressure canned, open the jar and inspect and smell the food thoroughly. If there is any mold, fuzzy stuff, cloudiness, or foul smell, DON’T eat it. Our rule is, “If in doubt, throw it out!”

You can consume it straight out of the jar; elk and deer are especially good like this. It can be warmed up and used in your favorite recipes. For example, you can make sandwiches that are especially good with homemade mayonnaise.

The uses are the same as any meal it’s simply that the meat is cooked already. This is perfect for the busy family needing a fast, healthy meal!

Wrap-UP

I hope you see now that pressure canning meats is nothing to be stressed over. This is the way we have done it safely for decades. You have to decide for your family.

By simply following the steps for the raw or hot-packed method, following canning safety, and basic health rules, you’ll be serving delicious, healthy meals to your family year-round.

When canning, be sure to adjust for altitudes. The chart we included is a good standard to consider.

Once you start canning meat, you’ll be shocked at how much better it tastes than frozen meat. You’ll be glad you decided to give it a try.

As always, we’re here to help.