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Farm Kitchen:  Canning Bacon... Update: Done! :)  |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 26 2015 : 9:15:42 PM
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Well, girls - life set me back a little bit in getting to this project, but I finally did it! I canned bacon!!! Here are the results:
I'm telling you, it was SO, SO EASY! I had about 18 lbs. of bacon from our Zaycon purchase last fall in the freezer. After thawing it in the fridge, I filled each quart jar with approximately 1 1/4 - 1 1/3 pound of bacon rolled tightly in parchment paper. Next I processed it at 15 pounds of pressure (what is required for pressure canning at our elevation), for 90 minutes. When all was said and done, I had 14 quart jars full of ready-to-eat bacon, and two VERY drool-y guys to boot! LOL! Everything sealed up wonderfully - absolutely no problems. From what I have read, it will be a little bit messy coming out of the jars, and the best way to heat it up is in a baking dish in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until it gets to our preferred crispiness. And the grease can be saved (rendered?) and used for frying or to make a button candle in an emergency. LOVE it!!! They say it should be good for at least two years on the shelf... I hope so, as we don't really use a lot of bacon. :)
<< PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a process approved by the USDA, as there hasn't been a lot of testing done. Concerns range from botulism (which can only occur if the botulism is on the utensils or on the food to begin with), to whether the inside of the bacon roll will heat up adequately for safe canning. If you try a similar process, you do so at your own risk, so proceed with caution and be meticulously clean. I did a lot of research both online as well as on YouTube before deciding to try it. Also, there was an article in Backwoods Home concerning the process back in 2011, if you're interested in learning more: http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/gay127.html >>
Trying new things - SO much fun! Now it's on to the frozen tomatoes!
Hugs -
Nini
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Hi girls -
Have you ever canned bacon? I've been doing a bit of research. Some suggest wrapping raw bacon tightly in parchment and canning that way, and others suggest par-cooking first. The par-cooked stuff looks better, but I think that would take me hours with all the bacon I've to to prepare. Any thoughts? I'm adding that to my to do list this week, too!
Thanks so much!
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Feb 10 2015 3:30:16 PM |
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Terralea
True Blue Farmgirl
138 Posts
Terra
Midland
Michigan
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2015 : 06:20:03 AM
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I have been cooking my bacon in the oven for years. I put aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and place the bacon on it. You can either put it in the oven for 17-20 minutes at 400 degrees and not preheat so the bacon and oven are cold together or preheat the oven and put the bacon in for about the same time. Either way it comes out beautiful.
What I'm wondering is if you could roll your bacon in the parchment and cook it the same way but for much less time and then place it in your jars. The parchment would be modeled but much of the fat would be left behind on the aluminum foil. What fun canning bacon would be. I used to buy double smoked bacon at the local meat market and found out that it was Hormel and then found out Hormel contributes heavily to Monsanto (as do many other companies I would not have expected) so I stopped buying it. Do you raise your own pigs Nini? That seems to be my best bet for knowing what went into the bacon.
Terralea |
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl
2349 Posts
Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area
Texas
2349 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2015 : 06:27:23 AM
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Girl, if you figure this out, let me know. Bacon at the ready anytime?! Dreamy.
I have canned several meats but not this one. I think the amount of fat has got to be the most difficult thing about it. But, hey, if Spam can be canned then I guess anything can.
Know what's funny? We were vegetarian for 10 years. The whole 10 years I missed bacon (and boiled crawfish). After adding meat back to our diet, I was so happy to have bacon again.
Catherine
Sister #76 (2005)
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt.
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Terralea
True Blue Farmgirl
138 Posts
Terra
Midland
Michigan
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2015 : 09:05:25 AM
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I read somewhere that Spam gives you the most bang for your buck when it comes to fueling your body and happen to been a prepper and it lasts something like 25 years...can you imagine. My husband worked on the Spam Museum and got the teeshirt :) Trivia I know....comes in Turkey too...
Terralea |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2015 : 11:43:47 AM
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Ew! Spam! That was like the bane of our existence as kids. I remember seeing the can in the cupboard and trying to hide it! That and Underwood Deviled Ham... EW! Funny, though, we watched a documentary a few years back that discussed how big Spam is in Hawaii and all the neat ways you can prepare it. Maybe if my Mom and Grandma had been a liiiiittle bit more creative! LOL! Where is the Spam Museum, Terra? How cool is that to have worked there?! My hubby would probably love wearing THAT tee shirt himself! LOL!
No, Terra... We don't raise our own pigs. I wish! We aren't allowed to raise any type of livestock here in our small city - not even chickens or rabbits! :( Bummer. We purchase them from a friend who raises them organically, however - they are very happy, healthy piggies, indeed! :) His bacon has very little fat at all, so I'm not sure how well that would can up. I wouldn't want it to dry out. That wouldn't be so good. We actually purchased a bunch of it from Zaycon, and have ended up sharing a lot of it with friends because we don't really eat it that much. We like it with eggs or pancakes, or in a BLT on occasion, but other than that, I just really wanted to try canning it. One purchase for us will last a veeeery long time, so canning a large quantity all at once seemed to make the most sense for us. And you know, Catherine, if someone took it away and said I couldn't have it any more, I'd be craving it myself for sure! :)
I've actually checked out a few different videos on You Tube, so I'm confident about doing this. Thing is, they say that when you don't pre-cook it, it's a hot mess coming out of the jar, but you can use that bacon grease for cooking in an emergency (I just want to save room in our tiny freezer!). When it is cooked up in the oven, it looks awesome. Another guy, though, pre-cooks it partially before rolling it up in the parchment and canning. It's a lot less greasy that way, and I think maybe it might be a little better because less fat might make the risk of it going rancid quickly a bit less. I don't know. And then some people just smash the bacon pieces in the jar and cook it that way - without rolling it in parchment first. That would not be practical for my purposes, I don't think; but I suppose if you only need a little bacon at a time for flavoring, that might be a good option (I would just use really small jars to do it.). I'll let you know how it turns out when I'm done, I promise. I was just hoping one of our farmgirl sisters had already tried these methods and could provide some insight before I dive in. We shall see!!!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Jan 27 2015 11:44:24 AM |
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Terralea
True Blue Farmgirl
138 Posts
Terra
Midland
Michigan
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - Feb 11 2015 : 06:43:01 AM
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Having read the same Backwoods Home article and watched a number of U-Tube video's that you watched I think I would not hesitate to can bacon myself. As for worries about Botulism, with any meats you can it is recommended that the meat be pre-cooked (as in canned chicken that I place in a pan and bring to a boil for a few minutes before adding to the stew pot) before adding it to any dish you might be making. With the bacon I would fry it in a pan or bake it in the oven anyway so that covers the pre-cook part.
You mentioned that your bacon from your guy that grows them organically is very lean and you have concerns about low fat content for canning. Fat seemed to be a problem with poorly sealed jars in the video's and articles I read so maybe leaner is better. Bottom line...your canned bacon looks wonderful. I stopped buying my favorite double smoked bacon from out local butcher because I found out it was Hormel bacon and they contribute heavily to Monsanto (a company I oppose):( Drat!
I don't know what Zaycon is but I am going to look it up on the internet. We have a meat processor not far away that raises and processes organic pork and beef but it is so very expensive. I've thought about raising a couple of my own. I get my leif fat (sp?) from them because it's organic and process my own lard which makes great pie crusts. Enough said.
Great job Nini!
Terralea |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Feb 11 2015 : 08:47:09 AM
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Thanks, Terra! It was SO easy, honest!
The organic bacon we get has so little fat that I would hesitate to can it. Thing is, when we're frying it up in a pan, unless we add oil when cooking, it would turn out like a very hard bacon-flavored jerky. Since canning cooks the meat, I'm afraid it would become super hard and virtually inedible (other than crumbling for recipes, maybe). I'm just not sure. Maybe that would be a good bacon to fry up first and then can in small quantities. Next time we get our pig, I'll have to try canning up a jar or two just to see. I'll have to give that one some more thought!
As far as the fat in the bacon I canned this time around, I think that is one of the main purposes of using the parchment paper. For one, it keeps the pieces separate so they don't melt together in the processing. For two, it helps soak up the fat. I had absolutely no problem with the jars sealing, and I think it's because so much of the grease is retained in the paper. If you'll notice, in the pictures, the juices from the meat fell to the bottom of the jars, and then there is a fat layer just above it. That really isn't a lot of fat from all that bacon! It's amazing! And in one of the YouTube videos the lady suggests saving the parchment for use as fire starters. How cool is that? Sure would help with a campfire! I was thinking how neat this would be to take Glamping... Bacon in the morning, firestarters at the ready in the evening, and some extra fat for frying up chicken or making button lamps at dinner time! Pretty nifty!
In short, Zaycon is a company that sells bulk meats. They eliminate the middleman soas to save their customers a tremendous amount of money. Basically, you order the meat as it is offered (sometimes we split it with friends), they bring it to a delivery location at a designated date and time, you meet them there to pick up the order. They are very popular for their chicken, ground beef and bacon, but they have many other products to try throughout the year. Here is our referral link, if you would like to check them out: https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf234188 There is a lot of information at their website, but if you have questions that are not answered, they are very, very helpful and informative when you call. :)
Their meats are not considered organic, but, for example, their beef is grass fed and virtually organically grown with the exception that they will have antibiotics administered to sick animals if necessary. Their chicken breasts are HUGE, but they said it is not because the animals are fed chemicals or hormones. They say that because they are such huge bulk buyers, their sellers are happy to provide their biggest and best breasts. Their meats that we have tried (chicken, ground beef, sausage and bacon) are very, very good. I had to stop buying meat at the grocery store because I was having all sorts of crazy reactions to it. We started buying direct from local growers and from a local butcher who only buys locally grown, organic meats, and then the reactions stopped. I had been reticent about trying the Zaycon foods, but was happily surprised to find that I have had no reactions to any of their products thus far. The meat is very tasty, the chicken very tender; there is very little fat, except with the bacon, of course; and when I make a purchase, I either can up or freeze the meat. To us, it is well worth the time and money to purchase it in bulk and process at home ourselves. I have saved a lot of money this way, and the meats last us a long time. It's especially nice when it's all canned up on the shelves, pre-cooked for dinner. And I really like making up meatballs and meatloaves ahead of time so that they're at the ready on those super busy nights! :)
Like I said, I know it can be a lot of food for a single person or small family like ours, but it's easy to split orders with friends and neighbors. What's really funny is that at Christmas I didn't have a lot of time to bake gifts for our neighbors as I do every year, so instead we wrapped up 3 lb. packages of frozen bacon with big red bows. HUGE hit... HUGE! Since then, everyone has asked me to let them know when the next bacon sale comes around so they can all share a case. It's really that good! ;) We still buy meats from local organic farmers and the butcher, but for chicken, ground beef, sausage and bacon, Zaycon is our number one!
Hope that helps a little. I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have, if I have the answers! :)
Terra, is lard difficult to make? I have watched some videos on rendering fats, but haven't tried it yet. Do you save your fat scraps in the freezer for a while? I'd love to hear about your process! I want to learn how to do EVERYTHING! ;)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Feb 11 2015 08:47:42 AM |
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Terralea
True Blue Farmgirl
138 Posts
Terra
Midland
Michigan
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2015 : 06:08:39 AM
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Nini,
I didn't find making lard hard at all. It takes time though because you are slowly cooking down the fat and don't want to burn it. I have only made two batches so far and both turned out white and lovely. As I use the lard to make pies (about 30 or 40 at a time with a friend and then we freeze them for gifts), I don't save fat that I might have gotten throughout my daily cooking. Instead I have contacted a butcher in Rose City who has organic meat for sale and ask for the leaf fat they get from the pigs they process. This fat comes in bands or clumps and is around one part of the pig (kidney? Can't remember). While this leaf fat has some flecks of pink in it, it does not have any large quantities of meat from what I have seen. I bought one bunch from a butcher in Bay City who had to order it from his meat provider. I think he charged me somewhere around a $1.00 a pound. I got around 15#. The organic place saved me their leaf fat and charged me around the same price. They process pigs at least monthly and more than likely weekly.
Like I said, both batches turned out beautifully white and were basically tasteless which is what I want when making pies. I love, love, love, lard crusts. My Aunt Lois used to make them and I think of her every time I roll a crust...which turns out to be quite a bit. Anyway, I keep the lard in the freezer until I'm ready to make it. It actually unthaws rather quickly which surprised me. I cut the fat into little chucks, place it into a very large stainless steel kettle with a cup or so of water in the bottom (it cooks away as it is cooking in the oven)and just stir it every once in a while. I will look up the recipe I used but right now I'm just giving you an overview. I actually finished rendering it on the stove so more of the fat would cook down. Then I poured the hot fat through a sieve with cheese cloth over it (this is actually the most labor intensive part because the remaining fat is gelatinous and difficult to strain...doesn't flow so well). The liquid fat (which is yellowish) went into my jars and some containers that were heavy and sealed well. The jars went into the fridge for immediate use and the other containers went into the freezer. Canning may be an option though I did not try that but may in the future.
If you buy lard for pies at the store and compare it to the home made stuff you will be shocked. The store stuff has a smell and has preservatives. The homemade stuff does not. You can use it for almost anything since it doesn't have a taste. I have 15# in the freezer right now that I need to render. Is used up all of my stock at Christmas when my friend and I made so many pies.
Hope this helps. Like you I love to try everything. My kids (who are actually adults with children of their own) look at me as though I were strange sometimes but I cannot help but notice they love coming for Sunday dinner every week and no one complains. I will look for the instructions I used the first time. Also there is a book out there with the virtues of lard that I want to get. You can find it on Mother Earth news website and other places. I'll get back to you with more info in a bit. My granddaughter has just arrived and the party (ie..the tearing apart of my kitchen drawers) is about to begin. She loves to pretend to cook.
Terralea |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2015 : 10:38:25 AM
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Terra! LOL! I have to "brace myself" for our little cyclone, Ary, when she comes, too. She is the twinkle in my eye, but, man-oh-man, is she energetic and inquisitive! She loves going through everything, and leaves a wake of chaos in her path. In the summer, she will spend all day in the pool and exploring the garden. She keeps asking what "we're" going to plant this spring, and when can we get started. LOL - too cute! Trust me when I say if she's quiet and still, it's only because she's sound asleep! LOL! Her favorite things to do here are baking, having a tea party, playing with dolls, and cuddling up for storytime. I just love every minute we spend together. CJ made a lovely matching apron set just for her and me... They are hands-down my favorites. They hang on a peg on my kitchen shelves, always at the ready! They always make me smile and think of the fun we will have when she visits. I hope you have a great visit with your granddaughter!
I will definitely check out the Mother Earth News site to find that book. And I know what you mean about the lard in the store. I was looking for that and for salt pork last year and when I read the ingredients, I was really surprised. I never thought of asking my butcher or fat - I bet he would do something like that for me, too! Thank you for the idea! I might not need nearly as much as you, but if it stores well, one good batch should last me a long while. I was thinking of canning it, myself, but wondered how difficult it would be getting it out of the jars. I'll have to do a bit more research on storage options, because I really want to try this. I think the more we learn how to do for ourselves, the better, don't you? It might be a bit time consuming, but well worth the effort on many levels! Thanks so much for your insights!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Feb 12 2015 10:41:25 AM |
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Terralea
True Blue Farmgirl
138 Posts
Terra
Midland
Michigan
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2015 : 1:46:42 PM
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Barry and I have been babysitting since Sloan was 6 weeks old. This was a way to help my daughter who had to go back to work. I retired, took a week off and then jumped in with both feet, a mind that was willing and a back that often protests. Gotta head out right now but when I get back I will tell you what I found about canning the rendered lard. Sounds easy.
Blessings,
Terralea |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Mar 08 2015 : 10:14:47 AM
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Hey there, girls! Just wanted to let you all know that we opened our first jar of bacon this morning and it was AWESOME!!! And SO easy to cook! I lined a baking sheet with parchment, unrolled the bacon out of the canning parchment, spread it on the baking sheet parchment and baked at 375 until it was done to our liking! The guys loved it! It even tasted a bit milder than if we had cooked it out of the package, and it was much less salty. I wonder if the salt was caught up with some of the grease in the parchment when I canned it? Anyhow, for us, canning bacon is definitely a winner. I saved quite a bit of money in my bulk purchase, I'm saving room in my freezer, and I've got plenty of bacon at the ready. The best part is, as I mentioned before, we don't use a lot of bacon, so what I've canned should last me a good long time. And Terra, if I save the bacon grease, I will have plenty for cooking when I need it, and plenty for rendering for soap (once I save up enough)! If we camped or had a fire place, I'd definitely save the canning parchment for use as fire starters, too. I was thinking I probably could use the grease for a button lamp in a pinch, too!
Oh - and just FYI, we canned some pretty thick bacon and some of it kind of fell apart as I unrolled it from the canning parchment. If you try this and use a thinner bacon, I don't know how pleased you'd be with the results. Our bacon was fine for sandwiches and on the side, but a thinner bacon might end up being better for crumbles. The thinner bacon would still be tasty, of course; but definitely would not turn out as nice slices.
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2015 : 6:12:36 PM
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Yay, congrats! I did the parchment with the bacon one round, and yes, it is quite messy/crumbly when you pull it out.
If you don't *need* the strips you can also pressure can bacon bits (the gal at Rural Revolution is where I learned this trick from). Cut up the bacon ends (cheaper and meatier than regular nice bacon), let them simmer on low while sporadically stirring for like a day, and pack into your jars (I use half pint, rarely do I need more than that for a recipe), then heat the grease a little hotter and strain to can up/set aside as well. Works so entirely lovely. :D And I can make bacon-y things in a snap without having to clean up the inevitable grease on top of the stove. |
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Marilyn Hartman Sullivan
True Blue Farmgirl
1138 Posts
Marilyn
Oxford
PA
USA
1138 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2015 : 1:28:38 PM
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Color me impressed.
Farmgirl #6318
"Where there's a will -- there's probably a family fight." |
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modernpioneermama76
Farmgirl in Training
40 Posts
Rebecca
Cavour
South Dakota
USA
40 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2015 : 5:51:03 PM
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Gotta try this!
Farm Families Forevermore
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Mar 30 2015 : 3:38:32 PM
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Thanks, girls! I hope you WILL try it! It sure makes life easier for us! Just remember - this is not a process approved by the FDA. Do your research before you decide... and if you do, be impeccably clean and safe in all you do! :)
Lanna - I have also seen other people on YouTube can pieces of bacon by smashing the smaller pieces right into the jar raw and can it up like that - have you tried it that way? I think I like your idea. We honestly don't use a lot of bacon, and I do like the idea of having bits ready for adding to recipes. I'll have to give your method a try next time! Thank you for the suggestion!
I just want to share with all of you that we opened our second jar last week and there were even more strips that fell apart in that jar. It wasn't a big deal, though. I still popped everything in the oven to cook it up for BLTs. It worked just great. Instead of pretty strips laying across our sandwiches, we had what looked more like "mounds" of bacon, and the guys went nuts for it. I honestly don't think there is any need for perfect strips of bacon in anything for which we would use it. Pretty doesn't necessarily equal tasty! LOL! All I know is, my guys are happy, and that's all that matters to me! :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Farm Kitchen: Canning Bacon... Update: Done! :) |
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Canning Bacon... Update: Done! :)
