Hamburger

[YYY]

Hi Everybody,

 

A couple of weeks ago in a previous thread titled “Grease/Fat”, I explained that when I canned some hamburger following the Ball Blue Book instructions for Seasoned Ground Beef, there was ¼” to ½” of grease/fat at the top of the jar. It was suggested that I brown the meat, cover with water, and let it sit in the frig overnight so I could skim off the fat the next morning - then process as recommended.

 

When I threw out the old hamburger, it smelled sort of like dog food. At that time I assumed that was because of the grease/fat.

 

Well I canned some new hamburger following the same Ball Blue Book instructions, except this time I let it sit in water in the frig overnight so I could skim off the fat the next morning.

 

Last night I wanted to use a jar of the new hamburger. It still smelled sort of like dog food. What did I do wrong ???

 

YYY

 

[Darlene]

There shouldn't be anything wrong with it YYY...I don't know what seasonings you used, and I don't know what liquid you used, but I'd venture to guess if you processed it correctly and the lid sealed, that you'd be ok.

[zinger]

YYY - I know exactly what you're talking about. The first (and only) time I canned meat and meat products (chili, sloppy joe, roast, etc.) it had a funky smell, flavor, and/or texture. I used as much as I could stomach and eventually threw most of it out. I've decided that with my "weight" canner and wanting to make sure I didn't poison the family that it was simply over-processed. I'm not sure how to correct the problem so I've never done beef again. Chicken was fine...all veggies are fine. Just the beef. For anyone out there that may have suggestions - I'm pretty sure it was simply over-done. If you've ever mis-judged the cooking time on the crockpot you'll know what I mean.

[KimMC]

The way I do my ground beef is to boil it! Saves sooo much time and mess. I do about 10 pounds at a time in my big stock pot. I just cover the meat with water, add chopped onion if I want. Bring it to a boil, and turn it down to simmer. Then stir to break up the clumps. When it's about half to 3/4's cooked I drain it. Boiling it takes a LOT of the fat out of the meat. Then I pack it into jars, add liquid (water, beef broth what ever) any seasonings and pressure can it. I still offten have a tiny layer 1/4" or less of fat on the top but have never had any problems. I find all meat weather home canned or bought ready canned has a smell and it goes a way after you recook/heat it up. I always fry or boil my meat for 10 to 15 min after I open a jar.

Oh if you save the broth you boiled the ground beef in you can use it as a cooking liquid for rice, or as part of a stock. Yummy. This way also saves all the splatter on the stove and I can do much more then my fry pans would hold at once. The time saved is a big plus when I have small children to look after.

[pegsol]

What an excellent idea. I will try this. Thanks, Peggy

[Snowmom]

I did my ground beef just like the Blue Book said and I still have some and have use a lot of it.

 

Yes, it will smell funny, but that is ok, it is still good.

 

[YYY]

Hi KimMC,

 

I saw your hamburger “recipe” last night and tried it with one (1) pound of hamburger this morning. I also rinsed it after boiling. So far, so good. There is a VERY thin film of grease/fat at the top of the jars. I’ll try one in about a week to see how it turns out. I’ll let y’all know.

 

I took your advice about saving the broth from boiling the hamburger. I put a little over my dog’s dinner. She loved it and she’s a VERY picky eater.

 

Now that I know there WILL be a smell, I won't worry about it and I won't throw it out like I did twice before.

 

I ended up with 2 – 12 oz jars from the one pound of hamburger. I have a question – these jars are the quilted 12 oz JELLY jars. Is it OK to use these JELLY jars for meat?

 

Thanks everybody,

 

YYY

 

[Cat]

Yes, Sweetie... jelly jars are just fine. Some people prefer them for some things you want to "slide right out".

 

I'm sorry you threw out all that meat. We should'a talked about that more.

 

 

I don't want to step on toes, but *a little* grease isn't necessarily a horrible thing in canning. The biggest concern is whether the grease affected the seal; like if it boiled up and wouldn't allow the seal to properly seal down. That should be apparent when the screw rings are taken off and you wash the jars.

 

 

I feel a real need to can chicken and turkey, because I know when Bird Flu is a fear in the US, it will just "go away" with all the culling. Already Asia is importing our eggs???

 

 

You GO girl... keep canning! You're doing GREAT!!!

 

 

 

 

 

edited to clarify

[Darlene]

I dunno Cat...

 

I've had to throw out many things due to an above normal amount of grease in the jars...over time it went bad and the product was no good.

 

All the canning authorities stress lean meats...I would assume that is for a reason. People can experiment with different things if they wanna...I sure did and what I say here is based on my experience with that.