5th canning session - pulled chicken

[GinnyB]

I did 21 pints of pulled chicken today- by this I mean whole chickens I simmered in seasoned water and then removed meat from bones. I packed the meat hunks in hot chicken broth. Jars have cooled and it appears only one of the twenty-one has not sealed, but perhaps it will seal overnight. This is a big improvement in sealing success rates from my previous sessions (except for the water bath processed apples which all sealed).

 

There was not much fat in the chicken meat when removed from the bones and I chilled the broth overnight so I could skim off all the fat from the top. Fat really does hinder sealing when processing meats and sauces in my very limited experience. I also tightened the rings more than what the manuals seem to indicate was necessary. And, I made an effort to push down on the rims of the lids where the sealing compound makes contact with the jar before screwing on the rings.

 

Tomorrow I'm processing machaca (shredded beef with onion and Mexican seasonings). I'll let you all know how this turns out. Even though I used lean beef and no extra fat,I know there's more natural fat in beef than chicken. So, we'll see...

 

All in all, I'm very pleased. I have all these lovely jars lined up in the cabinet. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable using the pressure canner and have figured out more efficient ways to organize things in my kitchen. Ah, the virtue of practice...

 

Ginny

 

 

[Fritz_Monroe]

Congrats on your success. Keep the updates coming. The DW and I will start canning within the next several months and seeing your successful and not as successful canning sessions will certainly help us out.

[Centexan]

GinnyB - would you mind sharing the recipe for Machaca - or is it one of those "pinch of this" and "smidge of that" type recipes that you just learn by watching your mom?

[GinnyB]

My mother (she was Italian, not Mexican!)didn't make machaca; I learned by first tasting it in Mexican restaurants and then searching for recipes, online and in cookbooks. Yes, I'm afraid that mine is a pinch of this and that. However, you can google "Dave's Machaca" to get an idea of how to do it. I have made that recipe and while it is quite good, I find you don't really need to do the marinade. You really only need slowly roasted, tender beef - I like chuck or sirloin roast the best. You can also do the beef in the crockpot with a little onion and garlic powder and some beef broth (base is fine). An even easier way to get the cooked beef is to buy a #10 can of imported (Argentina or Brazil)beef cubes. I can get those at Smart and Final here in AZ; Smart and Final is a restaurant supply chain open to retail customers. Prices are usually very good and I can often buy the canned beef more inexpensively than even beef on sale. The beef is very lean and I've never been disappointed in it.

 

One tip: before I add the chili powder, ground cumin, and ground coriander to the meat/broth/tomato/onion and garlic mixture, I always dry roast the spices in a skillet till they are lightly fragrant. Brings out a lot of flavor! Just don't let burn; stir frequently over medium heat.

 

Sorry to not be more precise but perhaps this helps a little.

 

Ginny

[Darlene]

Here's the recipe:

 

Marinade:

 

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

Juice of two limes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ cup vegetable oil or olive oil

 

Machaca:

2-3 lb Chuck Roast or Skirt Steak, trimmed and cut into ¼ lb portions.

1 Large Texas Sweet Onion (yellow onion) diced

½ green bell pepper diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1 Fresh Jalapeno Pepper, minced

1 14oz can diced tomatoes or tomatoes with green chilies

¼ cup beef broth

1 Tb dried oregano

1 Tb ground cumin

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco

salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil for searing the beef

 

Preparation

 

For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl then whisk them to form an emulsion. Add the beef making sure every piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate.

Marinate the beef overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. Before preparing, drain thoroughly and allow meat to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

 

In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Sear the beef a few pieces at a time to develop a rich brown color on all sides as well as on the bottom of the pan. Do this in several batches if the pot is too crowded.

 

When all the beef is browned nicely and removed from the pan, add the onions, peppers, and garlic to the hot pan. Sauté for a few minutes then add the remaining ingredients to the pan along with the beef. Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for about 2 hours. The meat should be very tender and should easily fall apart when pricked with a fork.

 

Remove from heat, remove meat to a cutting board and shred with a pair of forks. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce the liquid until very thick, almost dry. At this point, adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and whatever additional heat you want to add if any.

 

Serve with tortillas, cheese, salsa, lettuce and guacamole for a great beef taco. Portion and freeze the remaining machaca in zip lock bags for later use.

[The MacKinnon]

Ok I know this is probably a stupid question but:

 

Here at the rental, I don't have a dishwasher to keep jars in as I can. So I haven't tried anything yet. It's still at least 3 months til we can get into the house IF we could start yesterday, which we can't because of the rain (better than a drought, but cheese whiz).

 

Now I'm reading from 3 different books (2 canning, 1 gardening) but what did folks do prior to sterilizing, keeping jars in a dishwasher?

 

 

[PoGo]

Mtn Mama, using a dishwasher does not sterilize the jars.

It just washes and rinses them well in really hot water, then keeps the jars warm for a short time.

 

This is a quote from my canner manual:

 

Quote:

Jar Cleaning

Before every use, wash empty jars in hot water with detergent and rinse well by hand, or wash in a dishwasher. Unrinsed detergents may cause unnatural flavors and colors. These washing methods do not sterilize jars. Scale or hard-water films on jars are easily removed by soaking jars several hours in a solution containing 1 cup of vinegar (5 percent acidity) per gallon of water.

 

Sterilization of Empty Jars

All jams, jellies, and pickled products processed leas than 10 minutes should be filled into sterile empty jars. To sterilize empty jars, put them right side up on the rack in a boiling water canner. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft. At higher elevations, boil 1 additional minute for each additional 1,000 ft. elevation. Remove and drain hot sterilized jars one at a time. Save the hot water for processing filled jars. Fill jars with food, add lids, and tighten screw bands.

 

Empty jars used for vegetables, meats and fruits to be processed in a pressure canner need not be presterilized. It is also unnecessary to presterilize jars for fruit, tomatoes, and pickled or fermented foods that will be processed 10 minutes or longer in a boiling-water canner.

[Darlene]

I wash my jars in hot soapy water, rinse with hot water, turn upside down on my drain board and then fill when dry.