Canning hamburger patties - will this work?

[Aggie]

I'd love to can hamburger patties, since my husband and I both love hamburgers...not sloppy joes, chili, spaghetti, etc., but good old-fashioned hamburgers.

 

I found the following post at

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?p=3116781

 

 

Quote:

I make hamburger patties the size to fit down into a wide-mouth jar. I brown them lightly in the fry pay. I can usually stack about 6 or 7 patties in the jar. add 1 tsp salt to each jar and fill with warm water. process 90 minutes in pressure canner 10 pounds pressure.

 

#1 - Is it safe?

#2 - Will the patties hold together after canning?

#3 - Is density a problem?

 

After our freezer door didn't shut properly last week, causing us to loose several pounds of meat, I'm looking for ways to can the meat I've been buying on sale for future use.

 

Any advice? Thanks in advance!

[susie]

I do it like this...

 

I cheat and buy already-frozen patties, then thaw them and form each one into four little ones, which I fr lightly and then put into jars. I put ten into each pint-sized jar (half a pound), and then I put in a heaping teaspoon of dry onion soup mix and top the jar with water and can them (90 minutes at ten pounds).

 

The patties hold together very well and taste delicious. I usually use the fat from the jar to make a roux with flour and then add the liquid from the jar along with either water, canned milk, or red wine and then serve them with this gravy.

 

 

 

(also good on cheeseburger pizza with pickles and ketchup)

[Suz]

our upright freezer doesn't seal well so I use a bungie cord hooked from handle to the grate thing a dingy on the back. Keeps lil ones out too

[Violet]

You can safely can hamburger patties, but you need to use HOT water or broth in the jars as you fill them. This is from USDA

Ground or Chopped Meat

Bear, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Sausage, Veal, Venison

 

Please read Using Pressure Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning.

 

Procedure: Choose fresh, chilled meat. With venison, add one part high-quality pork fat to three or four parts venison before grinding. Use freshly made sausage, seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper (sage may cause a bitter off-flavor). Shape chopped meat into patties or balls or cut cased sausage into 3- to 4-inch links. Cook until lightly browned. Ground meat may be sauteed without shaping. Remove excess fat. Fill jars with pieces. Add boiling meat broth, tomato juice, or water, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add 2 teaspoons of salt per quart to the jars, if desired.

 

Packed HOT, pints 75 min. at ll lb. dial gauge canner, 10 lb. weighted gauge, (unless you have to adapt for high altitude)

Quarts 90 min.

 

Note: be sure to follow the new guideline, after the pressure drops, remove weight. Leave the lid on and let sit for 10 more min. before opening and removing the jars.

 

[Darlene]

Originally Posted By: susie

I do it like this...

I cheat and buy already-frozen patties, then thaw them and form each one into four little ones, which I fr lightly and then put into jars. I put ten into each pint-sized jar (half a pound), and then I put in a heaping teaspoon of dry onion soup mix and top the jar with water and can them (90 minutes at ten pounds).

The patties hold together very well and taste delicious. I usually use the fat from the jar to make a roux with flour and then add the liquid from the jar along with either water, canned milk, or red wine and then serve them with this gravy.

(also good on cheeseburger pizza with pickles and ketchup)

As long as they're done according to the guidelines Violet stated above, that's kewl. Also, you need to check your "onion soup mix" to make sure it doesn't have any thickeners, which is prohibited in home canning.

Also, too much fat in a jar will cause the contents to go rancid. That's not just a homecanning guideline, that's experience.

[PoGo]

How much fat is too much?

 

I've just canned some pork roast. After removing every scrap of fat from the meat that I could see, chilling the broth and removing the fat that hardened on top, I still ended up with about 1/8" of fat layered in the bottles.

 

I really, really don't want this meat to go rancid.

[Violet]

It will be fine. 1/8 of an inch is about what is on my beef, too.

I am sure you did a really good job. Enjoy your meat.

[Cricket]

I'm also worried about too much fat. I had a freezer meltdown last week and canned a bunch of chicken and broth. I normally would let the broth chill overnight and lift off the fat befor re-heating and canning, but this time I did not have room in the fridge, and no time to make it a two day process.

 

So my chicken meat and broth has a little less than half an inch of fat floating at the top of each quart.

[PoGo]

Originally Posted By: Violet

It will be fine. 1/8 of an inch is about what is on my beef, too.
I am sure you did a really good job. Enjoy your meat.

Thank you, Violet!

[Aggie]

Thanks so much for your help. Now, if I could just find ground chuck on sale!

[Cricket]

Originally Posted By: Cricket

I'm also worried about too much fat. I had a freezer meltdown last week and canned a bunch of chicken and broth. I normally would let the broth chill overnight and lift off the fat befor re-heating and canning, but this time I did not have room in the fridge, and no time to make it a two day process.

So my chicken meat and broth has a little less than half an inch of fat floating at the top of each quart.

What do you think, ladies? Violet? Darlene?

[Violet]

Cricket, it will be fine. They take that into consideration with the canning guidelines. Just as long as you did your best, don't worry. If it was a good inch or something, then I may be concerned.

 

[Cricket]

Whew!! Thanks, Violet!

[woodpecker]

Will this work? The first day I cook the patties and keep refrigerated till the next day to can. At this point can I do cold pack the burgers since everything is cold or would that make a difference in pressure canning. I have done both but the cold pack is easier. If i do "hot" pack I would need to heat burgers up in oven/have hot jars then process. Tell me your thoughts. It seems that either "cold/hot" would work for both.

[Violet]

No, it is hot pack only !!! You need to cook and can them at once. If you read the safe method, it says hot pack.

Unless you see both methods listed, it is a safety issue.

[Crazy4Canning]

I've done this - and they are fine. I seared the patties, used hot water, and processed them accordingly. I was able to fit 5 patties in a wide mouth pint jar, perfect for the two of us.

 

What I did notice, however, is that the meat will have a different texture. This is because the meat is ground, seared, then cooked again in the jar and then altered again when you heat it. The proteins in the meat that are usually set ONCE are set a few different times. If you can get around the texture (which for some is no biggie), I think it's a great thing to have on the shelves.

 

I make a gravy from mushrooms soup, add a can of mushrooms, a home canned jar of green beans, and some instant potates for a super fast supper.