canning turkey

[LaBellaVita]

started researching and it appears I can do this just like chicken?

 

OK, I saw where I should boil the turkey. Uhm, don't think my biggest stock pot is big enough. How about baking? After I bake it, do I need to add chicken stock or something to pack it in when canning?

 

I'll keep researching, but please !!!

[LaBellaVita]

OK everyone, I just found this:

 

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/food_preservation/30109

 

What do you think? Good? I think I'm going to some turkey tomorrow.

[Violet]

Yes, that is a good plan. I like broth in mine. That keeps it moist, plus that broth is good to thicken or use for soup, etc. Makes for a fabulous quick meal.

 

[Crazy4Canning]

I picked mine off the bone when it was raw. Then did a raw pack.

 

I never realized I could add broth to already cooked meat and then can it.

 

Hmmm....interesting.

 

Normally with turkey around here, it doesn't last long enough to worry about.

[Stephanie]

I'm going to try this today I think. Well, atleast I'll start the deboning. Sounds simple enough. Do the pieces of meat have to be uniform in size? Does anyone know?

[Virginia]

Mine never are.

[Canned Nerd]

I try to stuff into jars with some similarity according to my future use, solid pieces in one and bits & pieces in another.

 

[Stephanie]

Thank's y'all!

 

I wonder if there would be any advantage to keeping the dark and white meat separate? Just kind of thinking out loud.

 

Right now I've started the Turkey Bone Soup with the carcass of one of the turkeys.

[Canned Nerd]

Only if you have people to feed that hate/love dark meat, otherwise it can be an equal opportunity jar.

 

[Cricket]

I picked the meat off my roasted turkey (actually two turkeys) and refridgerated the meat.

 

The carcasses went into a big stockpot with cold water and some chunks of carrot, onions and celery, with the celery tops. This was slowly brought to a boil, foam skimmed, and turned down to simmer for a few hours, until any remaning meat fell from the bones and the bones were seperating.

 

I fished out the solids with a slotted spoon, which were discarded. The broth was then strained through a cheesecloth lined colander into the next size down stockpot. The strained solids were discarded.

 

A lid was placed on the pot of strained broth and a big strong handsone man carried it to the garage, where it was set on the floor near the garage door to chill overnight. It was too big to fit into the refidgerator.

 

I put my feet up, drank some beer, and flirted with the big strong handsome man.

 

The next morning, the big strong handsome man carried the pot of chilled broth to the kitchen. I removed the fat that had risen to the top.

 

The turkey meat pieces were put into a seperate pot, with some of the broth. Both pots were heated to a bubble while the canner and jars were made ready.

 

Each quart jar was given a half teaspoon of salt, filled about halfway with turkey meat, a couple tablespoons each of diced onion, carrot and celery, then filled with hot broth, leaving an inch of headspace.

 

I ended up with 7 quarts of turkey soup and 4 quarts of the broth. They were canned at 10 pound pressure for 90 minutes.

 

They are beautiful.

[Stephanie]

That sounds delicious! I'm making a soup out of the turkey bones and bits of remaining meat for supper tonight. But I love the idea of canning it. My problem would be that I like rice in my turkey soup.

 

I am cooling a good bit of the broth to skim the fat and use it for the hot liquid when I'm canning the turkey. I seem to be making slow progress....might be the seven children running around.

 

Well, if I get all the turkey meat ready and the broth ready it will be okay. Then I can do the processing tomorrow.

 

(((Cricket))) I like to flirt with my big strong handsome man too!

[Cricket]

Just add the rice when you open the jar (or jars, with your brood, LOL) or noodles, or dumplings....

[etp777]

Heh, I'm 47 pints in on my turkey soup,a nd expect to probably double that, using same method Cricket said (wthout the man. or rather, I was the man ). I keep whole wheat eggnoodles around for my chickena nd turkey soup. Rice works fine too though.

 

Still have another 24 pound whole turkey in freezer, plus at least 3-4 quarts of meat that I ran out of jars for. Trying not to even think about turkey right now, but expect even with giving soup away, will have enough turkey meat and soup to last me until next Thanksgiving.

[Cat]

Dittos to Cricket's method of cooking and cooling. ("Solids" mean anything NOT meat.)

 

I like to just can broth and meat so I can use it for anything. Some jars have more meat than others.

 

But soup is good - you already have the veggies in it.