It's a matter of .....Canning Hamburger

I recall riding in a vehicle with several sisters from our ward.  We got on the subject of Food Storage.  One sister stated that she had been given a case of canned hamburger....and that the thought of it was so unpleasant to her that she gave the case away.

On the flip-side, I have siblings who have canned all types of meat and have found them to be as valuable as gold.   I have one sibling who's husband is in the banking industry and is highly educated.  They have been seeking the right employment that Heavenly Father wishes them to have for 2.5 years.  They have lived the Food Storage life for a long time,  She states that they are so very grateful for all their food storage staples, and in particular her canned meats.

Canning can be intimidating to many people, but once you start and do the process a few times, you will wonder what you were fearful of.  In regarding to pressure cooker canning, it is my opinion that meats are the easiest thing to do.  Once done, they are  so convenient to use.   Here are the steps to preparing your own canned Hamburger.

I had 10 lbs of hamburger that I needed to do something with.  I choose to can it.  So, I choose to fry it all first.  On top of the hamburger, you can see dehydrated onions....that I dehydrated last year.  You do not have to flavor your meat, but since I generally put onions in most everything I prepare with ground beef, I choose to include some.  Just as a note, I have read that some people boil their hamburger in water when cooking and break it up in water. This is another option if you should  choose to use it.

Brown you Hamburger completely.  I purchase the leanest ground beef because I hate to deal with fat, and I also dislike discarding something I had to pay for.  At this step, you could rinse the beef to ensure that the fat were removed.

Place your cooked ground beef in sterilized jars.  Press down with your spoon and leave 1 inch of head space.  This is a half-pint jar which is the equivalent of 1 Cup.  I do can it in pints which equal 2 Cups as well.

Put hot water into the jars.  You could put in 1/4 teaspoon of salt if you wish at this point.

Sterilize the lids.  Wipe the rims of the jars well.  Place the lid on each jar and secure with a canning ring.

Place your jars into the Pressure Cooker Canner.  Because this is a Protein, you must use a Pressure Cooker to make the food safe.

Here they are after processing for 90 minutes.  Now, I often get the comment that I make everything look so easy.  Here is an example of a 'lapse in judgement'.  I have hard water, and have to place Vinegar into the water inside of the Pressure Cooker.  Well, I forgot to do it this time.  So, you can see a cloudy film on the outside of the jars.  The meat is fine, but the jars have a hard water film on the outside.  No need to worry, after using the meat, I will need to clean the jar by hand to remove the film.

How to use it:

The texture is a bit different than ground beef you cook up by frying.  If you prefer a crispy texture, just fry it after you take it out of the jar.  This meat is really great to use in dishes such as the following:

-Enchiladas
-Beef Stroganoff

-Taco Soup

-Sloppy Joe's

-etc.

This is very, very simple to do. 

What about Cost:  To can this yourself, it costs about $.08/ounce.  If you were to purchase Yoder's brand Canned Ground Beef, the cost is $.25/ounce. 

Give it a try!