raw pack chicken question?

[DRUCED]

looking for input regarding some chicken breasts I just canned - I cubed up 15 pounds of chicken breasts and raw packed them into pint jars with 1 inch headache. The only thing I placed in the jars was a 1/4 teaspoon of canning salt. I didn't add any broth or water. I processed at 10 lbs of pressure for 75 minutes (850' elevation). I had 1 jar that didn't seal that obviously leaked a little bit - I believe it was a headspace issue. anyway, my question and/or concern is that my BBB recipe calls for broth or water to be added to the jars but I've also read numerous accounts where ppl didn't add anything. I wanted the chicken to make its own juice, which it did. Am I ok with what I did? pretty sure I am but I'm new to meat canning and want to verify with someone more experienced.

thanks in advance

[Summerthyme]

It's probably ok, but I really wish people would follow the official directions until they get a LOT more experience under their belts.

That "broth or water" is BOILING when you add it... which gives a "head start" on getting the temperatures up to where they need to be. ALL of the "official" times which are quoted in the reputable canning books or official USDA pamphlets are based on years of testing in test kitchens/labs and there are reasons for them saying to add boiling water or broth or whatever.

We've used hundreds of jars of chicken canned with added water or broth... if you're putting chunks into the jars, you just don't add that much. I don't really understand why you wouldn't want to do it, to be honest.

Summerthyme

[Homesteader]

I've done beef that way--cold pack, add salt, NO water--in pint jars. Right now, I'm looking at 10 cases that I've been working on. So far I'm still kicking.

If you are worried, do it as Summertyme and the Ball book says next time--add a little boiling water. But I wouldn't throw away what you've already done. I'm sure it will be fine.

I also plan on doing my chicken your way when the snow melts and I can get around to butchering my old laying hens.

However, I will again be using pints, not quarts. I want to make sure that the heat can reach the center of the jar.

[DRUCED]

It's probably ok, but I really wish people would follow the official directions until they get a LOT more experience under their belts.

That "broth or water" is BOILING when you add it... which gives a "head start" on getting the temperatures up to where they need to be. ALL of the "official" times which are quoted in the reputable canning books or official USDA pamphlets are based on years of testing in test kitchens/labs and there are reasons for them saying to add boiling water or broth or whatever.

We've used hundreds of jars of chicken canned with added water or broth... if you're putting chunks into the jars, you just don't add that much. I don't really understand why you wouldn't want to do it, to be honest.

Summerthyme

Actually, the USDA guide says that when raw packing chicken NOT to add liquid - http://www.foodsaving.com/canning_guide/ It's in guide 5.

My concern was that it isn't listed this way in my BBB. I appreciate your input and realize from reading these forums that you know tons more about canning than I do. In the future I will add the broth as called for in the BBB.

Thanks again.

[orion commander]

I have done pork loin with out adding any water. I was expecting the juice to fill the jar. Now I have a chunk of meat not covered in liquid. It looks OK but now I always add water to cover and I know there will be enough liquid.

[Summerthyme]

I should have phrased that differently. (sorry, not enough sleep lately around here)

When you follow a recipe, FOLLOW IT. Don't combine different parts of different recipes, and then add "what some people on the 'net have done", if you truly want to be safe.

If you've got a few years of canning under your belt and have a "feel" for what works, that's a little different, although a couple of the worst people I've known in terms of doing unsafe things were both women who had canned for decades. WHY they never poisoned their families, I'll never know.

My older (1977) Farm Journal Freezing and Canning cookbook calls for heating "raw pack" chicken in OPEN jars until boiling temps are reached, then putting the lids on and pressure canning. That is how the commercial canners do (did?) all "low acid" canning for years.

So, that particular book doesn't even have an approved "raw pack" (or what I'd call "cold pack") for poultry at all.

If you can find a newish canning book that calls for simply dry packing the chicken and canning it that way, follow that recipe. At least you'll be assured that the times and pressures will have been tested to guarantee that the interior temps of the jars will reach and hold the safe temperature so you're safe.

Sorry for sounding snarky... I didn't mean to. But I know that many people who are trying home canning now are NOT also using the old - required in the "old days"- method of bringing any low acid foods (including meat and vegetables) to a rolling boil and boiling for a minimum of 10 minutes (some resources say 20) before serving. THAT was "insurance"- it would kill off any botulism toxin which a... less than perfect... canning method allowed to form.

So, at the very least, if you do try "creative" methods or recipes, follow that old "insurance" practice. IOW, don't use your canned chicken for cold chicken sandwiches straight from the jar. At the least, use it in casseroles or other dishes which will be heated above 212° and held there for *at least* 10 minutes. Botulism is rare, but it's not something you want to experience first hand!


Summerthyme

[DRUCED]

I should have phrased that differently. (sorry, not enough sleep lately around here)

When you follow a recipe, FOLLOW IT. Don't combine different parts of different recipes, and then add "what some people on the 'net have done", if you truly want to be safe.

If you've got a few years of canning under your belt and have a "feel" for what works, that's a little different, although a couple of the worst people I've known in terms of doing unsafe things were both women who had canned for decades. WHY they never poisoned their families, I'll never know.

My older (1977) Farm Journal Freezing and Canning cookbook calls for heating "raw pack" chicken in OPEN jars until boiling temps are reached, then putting the lids on and pressure canning. That is how the commercial canners do (did?) all "low acid" canning for years.

So, that particular book doesn't even have an approved "raw pack" (or what I'd call "cold pack") for poultry at all.

If you can find a newish canning book that calls for simply dry packing the chicken and canning it that way, follow that recipe. At least you'll be assured that the times and pressures will have been tested to guarantee that the interior temps of the jars will reach and hold the safe temperature so you're safe.

Sorry for sounding snarky... I didn't mean to. But I know that many people who are trying home canning now are NOT also using the old - required in the "old days"- method of bringing any low acid foods (including meat and vegetables) to a rolling boil and boiling for a minimum of 10 minutes (some resources say 20) before serving. THAT was "insurance"- it would kill off any botulism toxin which a... less than perfect... canning method allowed to form.

So, at the very least, if you do try "creative" methods or recipes, follow that old "insurance" practice. IOW, don't use your canned chicken for cold chicken sandwiches straight from the jar. At the least, use it in casseroles or other dishes which will be heated above 212° and held there for *at least* 10 minutes. Botulism is rare, but it's not something you want to experience first hand!


Summerthyme

Didn't think you were being snarky at all. I agree with everything you posted and assumed you were just trying to ensure that I was being safe. I've read a ton of your posts on here and have learned alot from them. One of the reasons I posted the question was for the input I received. I agree that I should have followed a recipe precisely...but I did research what I did prior to doing it. My fear was that the research I was reading (USDA guide from 1994) may have been changed or outdated and I was unaware.

Again, thanks for the input.

[Animal Lover]

Summer....this is more proof that we need a book that you have written on various subjects. REALLY. I know it would be a best seller. I no longer do canning but I purchased canning/freezing books for my children and they were fantastic. Once they went out of print, I had to go the used route to find them but I did because they truly were the finest for everything being put up. I wish I could remember the title as I would share it. It was written in the early 60's. Fantastic recipes too. AL