Canning bacon - jars floating in pressure canner.

[Hilly]

Bacon went on sale at my fav store for $1.99 a pound, so I bought 21 pounds to put in jars. I got it in the jar, and when I went to put it in the pressure canner, the jars kept trying to float. I put the grate for a second layer on top of the jars, and put a heavy weight on top of it to keep the jars from floating. I hope that this isn't the wrong thing to do in a pressure canner. I guess I'll find out when I open it.

[Herew]

How much water is in your canner? You're only supposed to have like 2 or 3 inches in the bottom.

[Hilly]

There was about 3 inches of water in it. The problem was that the jars were not filled with liquid, as would be if I were canning veggies or something similar. There was enough air in the jars that when I put 7 of them in the canner, the water level came up pretty high, and the jars wanted to tip over, so I put the top rack on them and put a weight on it to keep the jars upright.

I processed the first batch, and it worked out okay, though 2 of my jars did not seal. I'm going to reprocess them tomorrow. For now, they're in the fridge. I'm just about ready to open the canner and take out the second batch. If any of those don't seal, I'll reprocess with the 2 from the first batch.

[slingblade]

I'm getting ready to do the same thing.  Any suggestions?

[Hilly]

I'm getting ready to do the same thing.  Any suggestions?

Use thick cut bacon slices. I used regular slices, and I wish I had thick ones, as the regular become very delicate, and break apart when you try to get them off the paper. Live and learn, I suppose.

[TexasGirl]

Hilly,

Which recipe did you use?

~TG

[Hilly]

Hilly,

Which recipe did you use?

~TG

I watched a couple YoutTube videos from a couple different people.

[Koldsteel]

There is a good article on Backwoods Home weBsite on canning bacon.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/gay127.html


Kold

[nelson96]

There is a good article on Backwoods Home weBsite on canning bacon.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/gay127.html


Kold

 

I thought you guys were all crazy when I first started reading, but when I looked at the pictures from the provided link, I got hungry.  It looks like regular bacon.  Where do you find that paper? . . .  I had a whole different picture in my mind about what canned bacon would turn out like.

[Cedar]

I pack 1 pound of bacon into a pint jar. 2-3" of water in the pressure canner. Mine don't float. I refuse to use paper as it has alot of chemicals in it. You had too much water in the canner when the jars were put in and why they floated.

Cedar

[Koldsteel]

The paper is called masking paper. You find it in the paint section of the big box stores. Its brown and is sold by the roll. It will be with the masking tape.

Kold

[ID_Joker]

I refuse to use paper as it has alot of chemicals in it.

Cedar - Do you have to do anything different since you're not using paper?  Do you pack it in any differently?  Does the bacon stick together?

[nelson96]

The paper is called masking paper. You find it in the paint section of the big box stores. Its brown and is sold by the roll. It will be with the masking tape.

I refuse to use paper as it has alot of chemicals in it.

Well there you go.  If it's not food grade paper then I have to agree with Cedar. 

My wife uses parchment paper at times when baking things but that process doesn't get the paper very wet so the paper doesn't really break down.  Would "food grade" parchment paper be safe?  I know they make unbleached fda approved paper but it's intended for baking and wrapping dry goods.

[Cedar]

Cedar - Do you have to do anything different since you're not using paper?  Do you pack it in any differently?  Does the bacon stick together?

I buy bacon ends from Fred Meyers and then stuff it into the jar. It doesn't all stick together, but I did not start with traditional full length bacon either. For the price I don't care if my bacon is straight. It is also very versatile this way, for instance I was looking for a fast 'cook' meat for nachos the other night which was not rabbit and my hand grabbed a jar of bacon. No chopping for chowder etc..

Again.. I refuse to use paper due to chemicals http://www.paperonweb.com/chemical.htm

The whole point for me to can, is to feed as non-toxic foods to my family as possible.

Cedar

[ID_Joker]

Thanks Cedar!  I'll have to try it that way!

[nelson96]

Again.. I refuse to use paper due to chemicals http://www.paperonweb.com/chemical.htm

The whole point for me to can, is to feed as non-toxic foods to my family as possible.

Cedar

Maybe nobody really knows, and maybe I'm being naive, but does anyone know if "food grade" paper contains nasty toxins like other paper?  I didn't find anything on the link Cedar offered up.

[Koldsteel]

I looked around at some other canning web sites. This question has came up on them all. Parchment paper is the one thing everyone agreed on. Butcher paper has plastic, wax paper releases wax, and masking paper not food grade.

Kold

[Cedar]

Maybe nobody really knows, and maybe I'm being naive, but does anyone know if "food grade" paper contains nasty toxins like other paper?  I didn't find anything on the link Cedar offered up.

I just use my logic (such as it is), and if it is something I cannot produce at home, it probably has some kind of 'fancy' chemicals in it. You can make your own paper at home without any chemicals, but try it out and get it wet.. no chemical binders. It will not hold up for canning.

Cedar

[archer]

I buy bacon ends from Fred Meyers and then stuff it into the jar. It doesn't all stick together, but I did not start with traditional full length bacon either. For the price I don't care if my bacon is straight. It is also very versatile this way, for instance I was looking for a fast 'cook' meat for nachos the other night which was not rabbit and my hand grabbed a jar of bacon. No chopping for chowder etc..

i can vouch that Cedar's canned bacon ends are tasty

[nelson96]

I don't know if they know what they're talking about, but I had someone tell me today that food grade parchment paper isn't made with toxins other made is made with.  The wax in the paper is what helps bind it and the wax they use is food grade.

[killerbeezid]

Hey, I canned hardboiled eggs yesterday by boiling eggs, peeling them, put them in hot, sterilized widemouth jars and poured a Boiling saltwater solution over the eggs and sealed them with heated sterilized lids. I put the jars in a hot water bath of boiling water for 20 minutes and removed. Set them aside and they all sealed like normal.

Will the eggs stay preserved? and turn out right for a long term storage?

[nelson96]

Hey, I canned hardboiled eggs yesterday by boiling eggs, peeling them, put them in hot, sterilized widemouth jars and poured a Boiling saltwater solution over the eggs and sealed them with heated sterilized lids. I put the jars in a hot water bath of boiling water for 20 minutes and removed. Set them aside and they all sealed like normal.

Will the eggs stay preserved? and turn out right for a long term storage?

They'll be great . . . .  next time use some leftover pickled beet juice or follow the process one would use to pickle cucumbers.

[TexasWolf]

I am about to can some bacon, a la Yoder's style, and I wanted to find an alternative to traditional silicone coated parchment paper. Now, silicone itself, if you look at it's MSDS, contains nothing deemed toxic to the human body. BUT, to make parchment paper, paper is put into sulfuric acid to gelatinize some of the fibers. So anyhow, supposedly Whole Paycheck carries a brand called Regency, that is a all natural paper coated with an all-vegetable coating and is good up to temps of 450 degrees. Anyhow, I am going to pick some up the next time I am in Austin and I will post an update after the first batch is done.

[TexasWolf]

Just wanted to make a quick post regarding water bath canning boiled eggs that are NOT put into some kind of acidic pickling juice. The extension agency recommends that you always pressure can anything that is non acidic since botulism spores are not killed at boiling temps. Wouldn't want anyone to get sick.

[nelson96]

I am about to can some bacon, a la Yoder's style, and I wanted to find an alternative to traditional silicone coated parchment paper. Now, silicone itself, if you look at it's MSDS, contains nothing deemed toxic to the human body. BUT, to make parchment paper, paper is put into sulfuric acid to gelatinize some of the fibers. So anyhow, supposedly Whole Paycheck carries a brand called Regency, that is a all natural paper coated with an all-vegetable coating and is good up to temps of 450 degrees. Anyhow, I am going to pick some up the next time I am in Austin and I will post an update after the first batch is done.

Keep us posted.

[scoob]

Use thick cut bacon slices. I used regular slices, and I wish I had thick ones, as the regular become very delicate, and break apart when you try to get them off the paper. Live and learn, I suppose.

I just tried canning bacon this weekend too, and the above was what I found out as well.  The thicker stuff remained in strips, but the thinner strips just crumbled when peeling them off the paper, and broke down even further in the pan.

I'll probably go the 'ends-n-pieces' route in the future, however, I'm interested in the alternatives to masking paper, as I'd still like to have some strips on hand.

[Morning Sunshine]

ok - I am trying this today.  I have 22 jars of stew meat, and well, my canner only holds 20 at a time (pints, that is), so I have some extra space, and since I have been wanting to try bacon for some time, I picked up 2 3-lb packages of bacon ends a few weeks ago.
So while the first batch is in the canner, I am washing more jars, thawing the bacon, and preparing for another round.
I am planning on 1lb per pint jar.  maybe 12 oz - that is how much beef and chicken I do in a pint jar.  anyway, that is the plan.  any bacon that doesn't fit into my 8 available bottles can be eaten for dinner tonight - pretty sure I can come up with some tasty meal for which bacon bits and pieces would be a good topping.

[Morning Sunshine]

ok.  did this.  canned 8 jars.  4 with traditional metal seals, 4 with tattler seals.

7 sealed, one tattler did not, but it had some weird issues - like I couldn't get the ring to screw on very well.  I should have changed the ring right then, but didn't think about it.  that was ok cuz I wanted to see what canned bacon was like to cook with.
8 jars - 2 had a 12-oz package of sliced bacon (each); the other 6 had bacon pieces: i cut off a lot of the fat but left more than I probably should have.

so that unsealed jar was one of the two with sliced bacon.  Well, sliced did not come out well.  Once I put it in the cast iron pan to fry up and crisp, well, it was a lot of bacon bits without any form.  oh well, it was tasty on the soup or whatever we had that night.  Hubby was a fan.
I put the other 7 jars downstairs.
A week later, I decided to check them.  Another tattler seal had failed.  It looks like the bacon grease got between the rubber and the jar and between the rubber and the white lid.  When cool, the grease acted like a glue and made it look like the jar was sealed, but in reality it was not.  So I threw that bacon in the garbage and washed the lid, seal, and jar thoroughly.

last week I was downstairs looking for a quick meal and saw the bacon.  I grabbed a metal sealed one (I want to wait on the other tattler lids to make sure they are sealed good and proper before I use them) for dinner.  I fried up the bacon - it was one of the bits and pieces jars.  then I mixed that bacon with a pint jar of canned chicken and a teaspoon of vegetable powder http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=13569.msg350673#msg350673 .
Oh, that was a tasty dinner.  we spread it on tortillas and bread for sandwiches.  hubby is a definite fan of that one!  I think though, that next time I will spread the bacon out a little more and use two pints of chicken to one pint bacon.

oh, and there is a small amount of bacon liquid at the bottom of each jar.  weird.

so my preliminary report on canned bacon:
tasty for bacon toppings, but not for breakfast.
cut off ALL the fat?  just put in the meat?  seems like that takes away all the fun of bacon, doing that.
not use tattler lids for canning bacon?

[Cedar]

When you did the Tattlers, did you remember to turn the ring snug, then back it off 1/4 INCH and then when you pull them out to use oven mitts and tighten them again? I didn't have them fail on anything yet, but one jar of pears and one jar of V-8 juice and I am pretty sure it was operator error.

Cedar

[Morning Sunshine]

When you did the Tattlers, did you remember to turn the ring snug, then back it off 1/4 INCH and then when you pull them out to use oven mitts and tighten them again? I didn't have them fail on anything yet, but one jar of pears and one jar of V-8 juice and I am pretty sure it was operator error.

Cedar

yeah - I am making sure to do that.  Like I said, I am pretty sure I know why that first one didn't seal - the ring just wasn't working right.  I should have scrapped it and found a different one.

on your bacon ends - do you cut off all the fat, 80%, 50%, 30%?