Canned Meat and Rainy Weather
Ernest Miller
We've had some fantastic weather recently, but that looks like it is
going to change next week. The current weather reports indicate an
entire week of rain (3 different storms giving us 4-6 inches from
Sunday night to Friday). It may be inconvenient, but our watershed
sure could use it. Hopefully it won't cause too many problems
(mudslides and the like).
Of course, rainy weather is a great excuse to cook out of your pantry
- no need to head out to the market and spend more time in the rain
than necessary. The weather will also be cooler (and I was so enjoying
the Spring-like temperatures), which means that warm and filling
comfort food would be ideal on the menu.
One thing that comes to mind for me is a stew. The wonderful thing
about stew is that you can pretty much use whatever you have in your
pantry to make your stew. Some potatoes, onions, carrots, squash,
celery, any root vegetables, really, and a flavorful liquid (broth,
tomato juice) and you are well on your way to a stew. Meat, though, is
usually the base of a stew and how convenient if you have some
home-canned beef in your pantry? And really, that is what home-canned
beef is all about, convenience.
Sometimes, dedicated to canning sustainable, local produce in order to
savor the seasons (and wonderful flavors) throughout the year, we
forget that canning can also be about convenience. You put in a few
hours of extra effort to can when you have the time and then, weeks or
months later, you take advantage of the convenience of canned goods to
make a quick and simple meal. Home-canned meat is definitely more
about convenience than flavor and seasonality. After all, during the
canning process you'll be cooking the living heck out of the meat.
Which also means that home-canned meat is also about economy. This is
not a cooking process well-suited for a high-quality, marbled, tender
cut. Indeed, it is actually most ideal for cheaper cuts, with plenty
of connective tissue. Shoulder is my favorite (both pork and beef) or
thigh (chicken). When you spot a good deal on these cheaper cuts,
consider buying in bulk and canning. You might be surprised how
inexpensive you can get cheaper cuts if you watch for the sales. Don't
be afraid to buy on the bone either. It is a little more work to
debone, but you can freeze and save the bones for stock and soups as
well. Bonus.
Economical and convenient, what's not to like about canned meat?
In addition to stews, here are some other suggestions for your home-canned meat:
1) Chicken salad.
2) Various soups (chicken noodle, tortilla soup, posole) (the juice
from the can comes in handy here).
3) Any recipe calling for shredded meat (tacos and burritos are
classic uses in my house - but quick faux-bbq is a close second).
4) Faux pot roast and other gravy-based applications.
5) Stir fries.
6) Hashes.
7) Noodle and pasta dishes.
8) No, kitty, that's my Pot Pie (I actually prefer to make Pot Pie
casserole - that bottom crust is a devil to get right).
Interestingly, the LA Times food section had an article on savory pies
this week:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-savorypies13-2010jan13,0,6419229.story
There really are quite a lot of uses for canned meat. The important
thing to remember though is that you are cooking the heck out of the
meat. That delicious broth in the can after cooking? That's all the
liquid squeezed from the meat during the cooking process, which
tightens the muscle's protein strands and essentially wrings the meat
from the inside out until it is dry, dry, dry. Gravies, sauces,
mayonnaise ... all these things are ways to lubricate the resulting
dry meat. On the bonus side, all that heat also converts any collagen
(aka connective tissue) into delicious gelatin.
And really, canning is pretty simple. For beef, chicken and pork, cut
the meat into 1/2 - 1 inch cubes and remove as much fat as possible.
Fill jars with the raw meat, leaving 1-inch headspace. You don't add
liquid. Optionally, you can add up to a teaspoon of salt per pint (or
bouillon, which is mostly salt anyway). Put on the lids and pressure
can. Seventy-five minutes for pints and ninety minutes for quarts at
10psi at sea level. The National Center for Home Food Preservation
has more detailed instructions here:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can5_meat.html
You can brown the meat before canning, following the instructions at
the NCHFP, but I've found that it doesn't really change the flavor
that much given all the extra effort.
Removing as much fat as possible is important for two reasons. First,
excess fat in the jar can rise and prevent a good seal during
processing. Second, the fat will increase the chances of rancidity
over time (one reason to keep your jars in a dark cabinet, as light
can increase the chance of rancidity). You'll never get rid of all the
fat, and it will usually congeal at the top of the liquid layer in
processed cans, but try to reduce it as much as possible.
And if you want to use bouillon, why not try making your own?:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/homemade-bouillon-recipe.html
Anyway, that's it for this week. I hope you take advantage of these
upcoming rainy days to do some canning.
I'll be at the HFM this Sunday (hopefully the rain will hold off) and
this coming Wednesday, I'll be starting to go to the Santa Monica
Farmers' Market on Wednesdays once a month (third Wednesday of the
month).
The HFM will be hosting dietitian and author Elizabeth Somer this
Sunday from 10am to 12pm and she will signing her book "Eat Your Way
to Happiness" and performing a cooking demo.
As always, if you have any questions on any food preservation topic,
feel free to email me at ernest...@gmail.com.
Enjoy!
Ernie