So yesterday I saw that ham was on sale at my local grocery. Ham is one of my favorite meats to can and my supply was getting low. Lori said she would be happy to do a grocery run for me (Bless her heart.). She came back with a lovely spiral cut ham for our Easter dinner and 4 regular hams for me to can. The hams to can weighed in at about 40 pounds, total.
I spent the afternoon cutting the meat from the bones. Roughly a third of the meat was cut into 2 to 3 inch chunks to be used for regular ham dinners. The rest was cut into smaller cubes. These will be used in scalloped potatoes and ham or casseroles or for sandwiches.
Early this morning I packed the ham into pint and half pint jars. I don't add any liquid. The ham generates its own juices. Both are processed in the pressure canner for 75 minutes. The four hams gave me 13 pints of the larger chunks and 45 half pints of the smaller cubes.
There is a generous amount of meat left on the bones, so maybe tomorrow I will boil up the bones and can the resulting ham broth. The meat will be packaged and frozen for use in ham and beans or in soup.
It is good to have a variety of meats on the shelf and canning ham is one way to accomplish that. It is a bonus that the home canned ham tastes really good.
Opus 2024-397: Absolutes
5 hours ago
I am inspired. Someone gave me a pressure canner that I have yet to use because of fever and uti. So, it should be time soon, well, when I get over allergies that are laying me low. Now, I want ham, any ham.
ReplyDeleteLinda...With your knack of finding grocery bargains, you should be able to find all sorts of ways to save money by canning sale items. I figure that whatever I can this year will cost more next year and home canned food lasts a long time.
DeleteVicki,
ReplyDeleteThe "canning police" say you can't can ham. It doesn't seem to me that it would be any different than canning any other pork. Do you know why they say you shouldn't can ham?
W...Generally, when the "canning police" say you can not can something, it is because they have not done the testing on that particular food. Common sense tells us that if pork loin can be safely canned, so can ham. The government agency that does the testing for home canning, like so much of government, is long on rules and short on common sense. Those of us who do home canning for our families consumption aren't going to take a chance canning something that might make those who eat the food sick. Common sense is the key. :)
DeleteI'm getting hungry just reading about it!
ReplyDeleteGorges...You always get hungry when I post about food. :)
DeleteI can vouch for the ham. It is quite tasty. Duane
ReplyDeleteSon...I used a jar that didn't seal for supper tonite. It is really tasty, isn't it. Lori did a good job picking out the hams.
DeleteWhy did you fire your ham??
ReplyDeleteRob...Are you off your meds tonite? Or is it just me. I must be a little bit dense this evening because I don't get what you meant. :)
DeleteRob...Never mind. I got it. Just took me a while. Duh!!!
Delete