Patrice over at "Rural Revolution" has a post about canning bacon that shows the process way better than I am able. You can see it HERE. Go take a look. I will wait.
There are a couple of small differences in what she did and the way I did it. I had parchment paper on hand so I used that to wrap the bacon. I cut the bacon slices in half and used pint jars instead of quarts. I used the regular thin sliced bacon and it looks like she used thick slices.
The thinner slices of bacon got a wee bit mushy in the pressure canner, but by using a spatula it was possible to remove the meat from the paper. I like to cook bacon on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven, and the canned bacon browned up nicely that way. Still, I will use the thicker slices next time.
I will still can more in pint jars for smaller servings for one or two, but I think I would also like to have quart jars of bacon on the shelves, just because. I can always freeze leftover strips of cooked bacon.
My youngest son stopped by while I was canning, and he wanted to know why I didn't just freeze the bacon instead of going to the trouble of canning it. I told him that I do keep a pound or two in the freezer. But a couple of years ago a tornado went through a part of Minneapolis. Some of those people, the ones whose homes weren't damaged, were without electricity for nearly two weeks. If that kind of thing happened to us he would be cooking meat from his freezer like mad, trying to save as much as possible after it thawed. Me...I don't need to worry. Most of mine is in jars.
Even with the thinner slices of bacon, I am really pleased with the results. I know that I can buy canned bacon and many who aren't into home canning do, but the cost is way above my pay grade. So I will can more myself because, after all, one can never have too much bacon. :)
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Power outage, the biggest fear of any preparer, During the winter just as bad as summer in my book. Glad it worked out.
ReplyDeleteRob...I have been lucky so far in that there have been only a flicker or two during a storm - just enough so I had to re-set the digital clocks. I like to have some food in the freezer, but mostly in jars so it won't go bad if there is no electric.
DeleteInteresting! I also love bacon. A LOT. lol
ReplyDeleteJenn...I love bacon,too, which is the reason I wanted to test canning it. Definitely going to can up some more!!
DeleteWay to go! Very fun to read your post and hear about your success.
ReplyDeleteMe - I've been playing in the gardens every morning for about an hour. Little by little, I'm getting things done. Today, I carefully took out my pea vines as the tomatillos had started to grow in that space.
Take good care, SJ
SJ...It sure is fun to try something new and have it turn out well. Spent today straightening out my home canned food shelves. Need room for more bacon. :)
DeleteTomorrow I think I will see about the biscuits. Today - I am done. Time for some crochet and maybe a movie.
Summer seems to be going by so fast. You are already removing vines from your garden. What are tomatillos? Don't think I have had them before.
Tomatillos grow inside a husk. The ones I grow are green but there is also a purple colored variety. They are used to make salsa verde.
DeleteCheers, SJ
Thanks, SJ...Live and learn. :)
DeleteGlad to hear that it worked for you!
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Gorges...Usually my experiments result in dismal failures! :)
DeleteWhen I can bacon, I am going to put most of it in half-pint jars. I love bacon, but for health sake, I don't eat much. If I need more for someone else, I will open two jars.
ReplyDeleteLinda...When I can bacon bits I use half pint jars. That is a good amount for adding to scrambled eggs or omelets. But for slices, I need more than a half pint. Love the stuff.
DeleteI could eat bacon every day and probably three times a day. However, it is not a very healthful thing to eat in excess or often. So, I would rather have smaller portions to tempt me. Any leftovers from pints would never make it to the freezer because I would eat it.
DeleteLinda...I am a big fan of bacon, too, which is one reason I go to the trouble of canning it. I'm not so sure bacon leftovers will get as far as the freezer, either. That's probably wishful thinking. :)
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