Thursday, February 17, 2011

Canning bacon


I just got the first batch of bacon out of the canner. I hear the music every canner loves. pop, pop, pop.

My husband was able to bring home 48lbs. of bacon and 75 lbs. of pork butt. Since we live in a 5th wheel we are limited on freezer space. Therefore I decided to can as much of it as I can.
I am guessing I will end up with about 96 pints of bacon. I am using straight sided wide mouth pint jars as much as possible. These hold about 3/4 lb of bacon before cooking. When we make bacon we eat an entire package even when we don't really need all of it. That is why I chose to can in smaller containers. When I am done I will have an accurate count of the number of jars.
The bacon cost us $2.84 a pound. I figure if I get 96 jars it will cost with the lid and propane to can them about $2.00 per pint jar. I think this is a better deal than the canned bacon I have seen advertised at $10.00 per can. I think their cans are larger than mine, maybe twice as large but even at that I think I am ahead of the game by canning my own bacon. And the bacon we got is quality bacon. I have seen similar bacon sell for $5.99 lb. on sale at our local grocery store.

The pork butt will be cut into chunks and canned with out anything but salt. I have canned pork butt in the past with salsa but this time I decided not to season in any particular way. This way when I am ready to use the pork I can have more options for different meals.

Do any of you have suggestions for seasoning for the pork butt? I just don't want it all to be pork chili or bar b que. Just a general seasoning.

Guess what I am going to be doing tomorrow? And the next day and the next day? Bet you cant guess.

Instructions were found at:
http://paratusfamilia.blogspot.com/search/label/Canning?updated-max=2010-11-28T18%3A11%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=20
That gal, Enola Gay cans anything that doesn't run away. LOL

2 comments:

alaskadreamin said...

What a blessing you are to your family. You and hubby seem to work so well together. With all the food prices going up, you are being wise and prudent. Good for you!! As for the pork seasoning, my husband grills country style pork ribs all the time & only uses salt, pepper & good amt of garlic powder. Everyone always raves over them as the seasoning is simple & enhances the pork flavoring but doesnt over power it.

Yolanda said...

I never heard of canning bacon! Yay! You're back!