Canning 101

[John-W-WI]

Holy shit! I don't even know what question to ask ... :eek:

Beautiful!!!!!

.

That might seem like a lot of kraut for a relatively small family.

We actually gift most of it away. I'm always looking for the gift that people can't buy for themselves. They seem to appreciate it more.

We had one pint that didn't seal when it cooled down, so I had Jake run it over to a neighbor last night.

Today she sent me a picture of pork chops, dumplings, and kraut that they had for supper tonight. Mission accomplished.

Now the canned venison, not much of that is given away :)

-John

 

[Bill]

That's a crap load of kraut. :D.
I couldn't eat that many hot dogs.

 

[UP Powers]

John... mind sharing your recipe for the Kraut?

 

[Bszweda]

That's quite the operation you got there!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

John - Man does that bring back memories !!!! We used to shed the cabbage on a wooden " slaw cutter " by back & forth hand motions. And I had the job of stomping it with a wooden-block " stomper " to work up the brine in the crock. Mom would put a glass plate on the kraut to weigh it down in the brine, & then cover the crock with a clean white sheet and tie it tight around the crock. We would can it - mostly - and also freeze some. I remember Mom & Dad buying 2 bushels of cabbage - beautiful huge heads - for $3 !!! Cheap, great eating.

Did you do your kraut in those 5 gal. buckets ?? I like your set-up.

 

[dsinwi]

I'd like to hear more about that kraut also. I don't eat that much of it but dearly love the stuff. Mom used to make pork hocks and kraut when I was a kid. I'd stuff myself silly on it. She'd have a big pot going when we got home from duck hunting all day. I gotta get me some hocks soon.

I used to can a lot of venison back in the day too. Hunted for many years in the NF and filling tags was the norm for us back then. Quick easy meal and delicious. I'd put carrots and potatoes in with some of the jars. That was good also. My wife liked it so that was a plus. One year she told me not to come back until our allotment of venison for the year was filled. We still chuckle about that. I'm pretty selective on what I harvest now. Been awhile since I've had any.
Been grinding most of my venison into burger lately. I'll grind 2 pork butts per deer. Makes great burger.

 

[John-W-WI]

Sorry for the delay.... I didn't keep good notes and don't have the details (an older friend of mine shared his recipe with me). When I have the correct info I'll post it rather than guessing :)

I did use the 5 gallon buckets from Menards with a wine brewing vent in the cover. Worked really well. I think they used crocks 50 years ago because they didn't have 5 gallon buckets!

Details to follow....

-John

 

[WTNUT]

48 pints and 25 quarts of kraut done for the season.

Venison is next in a month or so!

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Nice setup John. I really really really need to cut back with regard to several things and take more time to stop and smell the roses.


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[John-W-WI]

Ok, here are the details:

Core and quarter cabbage in 10 pound batches.
Shred batches individually.
As you add the 10 pounds of shredded cabbage to the crock, mix in 1/2 cup of salt.
"Pound" the cabbage to draw out the moisture after each batch.

Repeat the above until the crock is approximately 3/4 full (you need to leave room for all of the moisture that will come out during fermentation.

Cover with some of the big outside leaves you removed while quartering the cabbage. This creates a nice seal on top.

Place a flat object (plate, wood, etc) on top and weight it down to keep the cabbage below the waterline.

Depending on the container you used (crock, 5 gallon bucket, etc.) cover the whole container to keep out bugs/dirt/etc. I used 5 gallon buckets with a wine breather installed in the lid. (if you use buckets, make sure they are made of HDPE, it is food safe)

Ferment for 4 - 8 weeks (depends on temperature). Longer is better and within reason you can't let it ferment too long.

Can at 10 psi for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy.

-John

 

[dsinwi]

Thanks for the recipe John. I assume you should let it ferment in a cool dry place or does that matter, per your comment on depends on temp?

 

[John-W-WI]

Thanks for the recipe John. I assume you should let it ferment in a cool dry place or does that matter, per your comment on depends on temp?

It's shouldn't be stored above 75 degrees. I shoot for 60 to 70 degrees. If it is too cool it won't ferment.



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[Bowsnbucks]

In the old days, ( when they were young ), my parents said their parents kept the kraut in the crock all winter - submerged in the brine - and take some out as needed !!! Don't think that advice would fly today.
As John said above:
" Pounding " the cabbage with a big wooden " stomper " in the crock would bruise the shredded cabbage and make the juice come out. After a thorough stomping, the brine would be foamy as the salt and cabbage juice mixed. I still have that " stomper " sitting on our fireplace hearth !!! Good memories.

 

[IkemanTx]

Sounds like a very similar process to the fermented hot sauce I started yesterday... 20lbs of peppers in a 5 gallon bucket means the house will smell like pepper farts for a couple months.


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[Merle Hawggard]

Did two batches of wild plum and one of muscadine today. I'm most likely done for the year. Good eatin all.

 

[ncstewart]

Got my first deer meat of the season put up.


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[ncstewart]

For the record I use the raw pack method and run it for 75 mins at 11 lbs for pint jars. 1/2 tea spoon canning salt per jar.
With pint jars I find that about one lbs of meat fits which is perfect for my family.


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[bueller]

After hearing all you guys raving about canned venison I had to try. Asked for this beast for Xmas and got it. Tomorrow's the big day. Going to do a few pints for a trial run. Any tips for this first timer?

 

[John-W-WI]

After hearing all you guys raving about canned venison I had to try. Asked for this beast for Xmas and got it. Tomorrow's the big day. Going to do a few pints for a trial run. Any tips for this first timer?
View attachment 12141

It will take longer than you expect, don't be disappointed. Getting it up to pressure takes a while (which is why we use a turkey fryer) then you have to hold it at pressure for over an hour (we do 90 minutes). That seems like a life time

Take your time and enjoy!

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[Tree Spud]

After hearing all you guys raving about canned venison I had to try. Asked for this beast for Xmas and got it. Tomorrow's the big day. Going to do a few pints for a trial run. Any tips for this first timer?
View attachment 12141

I have not canned meat, only fruits & vegetables. probably most important thing I learned was take your time with cleaning and positioning the lids. getting a good positive seal is critical, especially with meat.

Good luck and post some pics ...

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Yep. Make sure the rims of the jars are COMPLETELY clean of any juice, meat " goop ", etc. I take a damp, CLEAN paper towel and wipe all around the jar rims before I place the lids on and screw the rings on. We always put a level teaspoon of canning salt in quart jars, then fill with meat. It's extremely good eating when you open a jar and brown it in a pan with some Crisco or oil. Make a pan of good home fries with onions and some baked beans to have with the venison. I can taste it all !!! :)