gardengirlcanada (60)
in
#homesteading
•
7 years ago
If you are like me, and grow a big garden, then you have the same problem as me.....Storage space in the freezer for the winter months. Well let's just look at this very point. I do can as much of my vegetables as I can, but for beans, peas, broccoli, and cauliflower for example, I enjoy them fresh from the freezer for my meals. I am also a women who makes my pies up all summer with the fruits that I harvest. So I make ahead my pie dough and roll them out into the shells and fill them with my fruits and throw them in a ziploc and freeze them. So in mid January when I am making a big pot of bacon potato chowder it's so nice to just throw a pie into the oven and serve with our meal. So there is space for them in the freezer. Really does not leave much space left for storage of meat for the long winter months here in Canada. I have been experimenting, and researching all the many ways to preserve meat outside of the freezer.
I did take some extra lean Hamburger and put it in my food dehydrator and stored it in a vacuum sealed bag. Then I had to re-hydrate the meat when I wanted to use it. This method was OK, but did find after about 3 months it did have a rancid taste, but we survived, and the fact that it took several hours for the meat to be dried which uses a lot of electricity, so it was not that economical.
Next I tried canning. I did can some chicken and that did work great. I will continue to use this method, but for meats for salads etc. Like the chicken I will use for chicken salad snacks, but I do not find it is a great way for a main meal meat preserver.
This brings me to Salting my meats. I tried this last early Spring. I went to a garage sale and found a crock with a corked lid, so I brought it home and did my research. My first meat that I salted was pork. We ate it just the other day, so about 4 months after I had salted it. We did cook it on the BBQ, and it tasted really really good. It was not too tough, or very salty tasting. So this post will explain the major points about salting your meats for long term storage outside of the freezer.
First I shall explain exactly what Salting is. It is a very old way to preserve meat. Meat is cut into chunks and layered in a barrel or earthen crock with salt. Each chunk is completely surrounded by salt. Salting will pull the moisture out of the meat and produces an environment that will not allow for bacterial growth. Meat that has been properly salted will become very hard and must be soaked in many batches of water so to rinse the salt out of the meat before it can be prepared for a meal. Salted meat is generally used for stews and soups. Salted meat will last at least six months, although it may have to be repacked as the salt absorbs moisture from the meat and becomes brine. However; the longer the meat is in the salt, the more work it takes to make it edible.
Now on to how it is Salted Properly. First you need to go through out your homestead and find the most appropriate place to place the Barrels or crocks. So grab a thermometer and place it in the areas that you would like to store them and monitor the temperatures for a couple of days, especially in the dead heat of summer when humidity is at it's highest. For this post I will use pork as this is what I did first as my experiment. The net is full of recipes for pork, fish and beef.
Cut your meat into 4-inch to 6-inch slabs. Generally, for every 12 pounds, use ½ pound of pickling salt and ¼ cup brown sugar. Coat all the pieces with the salt mixture.
Sterilize a 2-gallon or two 1-gallon crocks. To sterilize, wash and rinse it well with boiling water.
Pack the meat tightly in the crocks (or jars if you don't have a lot of meat to store), and cover tightly with cheesecloth.
Keep the meat at 36°F (no more than 38°F; no lower than freezing) for at least a month. Wrap the meat in moisture-proof paper or plastic wrap.
Over the month you should check on your crocks to make sure you do not require to re-salt them.
I Hope that you have been given some confidence to give it a try or at least research this technique further and have it as an option for your future storage options for your meats. If any of my fellow STEEMIT friends have salted meats in the past or currently still do, I would love to have your recipes and your challenges you may have encountered. We all win when we share in our experiences.
Happy Trails
Sources:
https://eattomorrow.com/blog/2015/09/salting-pork-the-old-way/
http://www.westsidenewsny.com/columns/2015-02-02/putting-food-by-the-old-fashioned-way/
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-salt-pork.htm
FAQs
Pack the meat tightly in the crocks (or jars if you don't have a lot of meat to store), and cover tightly with cheesecloth. Keep the meat at 36°F (no more than 38°F; no lower than freezing) for at least a month.
What is the best way to store meat long term? ›
Freezing. Freezing is an excellent way to store meat and poultry. Freezing prevents the growth of microorganisms and other chemical changes that cause deterioration.
How do you can meat for long term storage? ›
Pack hot meat loosely into hot jars leaving 1-inch headspace. Fill jars with boiling broth, meat drippings, water, or tomato juice (especially for wild game) to 1 inch from top of jar. Remove bubbles, wipe jar rims, adjust lids and process in pressure canner.
What is the longest way to preserve meat? ›
Meat stored at sub-zero temperatures in a freezer will remain safe to eat indefinitely, though some types of meat will keep their taste and quality longer than others. A steak will keep its delicious taste for up to eight months after freezing, and an entire chicken can last for nearly a full year.
How to make meat last years without refrigeration? ›
Practical Ways of Preserving Meat
- Curing. Curing is a classic method of preserving food. ...
- Smoking. Smoking is the oldest form of food preservation which many commonly used in areas where the weather is too humid for drying the meat. ...
- Dehydration. ...
- Confit. ...
- Brining. ...
- Pressure Canning. ...
- Freeze Drying.
How long does vacuum sealed meat last? ›
Raw Meats – Raw meats can be kept up to 10 day when vacuum packed before needing to be cooked or frozen. In comparison, raw meat that is not vacuum packed will only last 3-5 days in the refrigerator before turning.
How do you store raw meat for a long time? ›
Vacuum packaging can prolong the storage life of meat considerably, so there's no reason to open it. For meat that isn't vacuum-packed, the rules are a bit different. When storing meat in the refrigerator outside of its packaging, you should put it on a dish and cover it loosely with plastic wrap.
How long will pressure canned meat last? ›
As long as the can is in good shape, the contents should be safe to eat, although the taste, texture and nutritional value of the food can diminish over time. Home canned foods should be used within 1 year.
How to store meat without electricity? ›
Salt curing, drying and smoking were humanities first methods of preserving meats, while pressure or hot water-bath canning has provided durable sources of both meat and vegetables for centuries… And without refrigeration, the use of a root cellar becomes a necessity…
What canned meats are good for long term storage? ›
What Kinds of Meat Are Best for Food Storage?
- CANNED BEEF. Canned beef is a good option for your food storage. ...
- CANNED CHICKEN. Canned chicken breast is a great option for food storage because it is so versatile. ...
- TUNA FISH. ...
- CANNED CLAMS, SHRIMP, AND OYSTERS. ...
- SPAM AND CORNED BEEF. ...
- RETORT POUCHES.
Cold storage
Temperature is the most important factor influencing bacterial growth. Pathogenic bacteria do not grow well in temperatures under 3 °C (38 °F). Therefore, meat should be stored at temperatures that are as cold as possible. Refrigerated storage is the most common method of meat preservation.
How did they preserve meat in the 1800's? ›
The techniques for preserving meat included salting, drying, and of course smoking. The smokehouse made smoking large quantities of meat much easier, which was imperative when whole animals from the Wylie's farm would be butchered.
How do you freeze meat for years? ›
The most important thing is to avoid exposing frozen meat to outside air. While a vacuum-sealer is ideal for ensuring that meats are packaged correctly, you can get by just fine with double wrapping cuts of meat with freezer paper, aluminum foil or airtight zip-loc bags.
How did people store meat before electricity? ›
Meat & Dairy
Another process used to preserve meet was known as salting. The meat was rubbed with salt, placed it in wooden barrels and topped off with water, making a brine. The brine kept the meat moister and more palatable than drying, and it prohibited the growth of harmful organisms.
How did settlers keep food from spoiling without refrigeration? ›
Colonists preserved food using eight basic methods: fermentation, burial, drying, curing, cooling, freezing, pickling, and canning. Fermentation happens when starches and sugars react with microorganisms and produce alcohol.
How to preserve meat the old fashioned way? ›
Salting. Salting or salt-curing is another method for removing the water from food so that it is resistant to molds, bacteria, and yeasts. Salt has the ability to draw moisture from just about anything and so becomes an effective preservative.
What is the longest you can keep meat in the fridge? ›
For raw ground meats, poultry, seafood and variety meats (liver, tongue, chitterlings, etc.), refrigerate them only 1 to 2 days before either cooking or freezing. Beef, veal, lamb and pork roasts, steaks and chops may be kept 3 to 5 days.
How long can you keep meat in a freezer? ›
Cold Food Storage Chart
Food | Type | Freezer [0°F (-18°C) or below] |
---|
Hamburger, ground meats and ground poultry | Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, chicken, other poultry, veal, pork, lamb, and mixtures of them | 3 to 4 months |
Fresh beef, veal, lamb, and pork | Steaks | 4 to 12 months |
Chops | 4 to 12 months |
Roasts | 4 to 12 months |
49 more rowsSep 19, 2023
What is the best way to freeze meat? ›
Wrap Your Meat When Freezing
The most important thing is to avoid exposing frozen meat to outside air. While a vacuum-sealer is ideal for ensuring that meats are packaged correctly, you can get by just fine with double wrapping cuts of meat with freezer paper, aluminum foil or airtight zip-loc bags.