question for my canning peeps!

ok, so i just finished round 3 of my canning adventure and im on a role. ive been using borrowed equipment to see how i did, and im all in!
so far the bear meat is awesome. spicy carrots turned out perfect! red beans, black beans yet to try but i think theyll be serviceable.

so onto the queston, what size canner should i get?
id like to be able to at least stack pints in it. but i also dont want it to be to big and heavy to lift and fit on the stove.

becca? mike?
anyone else whos a seasoned canner?

I have the largest model all American makes, I believe it's the 941. It has served us well when I want to can a whole bunch in one load...I want to say I can fit something like 22 pint jars in a single load. Think batch processing canned fish, or doing a huge vat of chilli. Downsides as you mentioned above are that it's heavy to lug around (even empty...I wouldn't even try to move it once it's full, I load and unload it on the burner) and doesn't fit under the range hood on my kitchen burners. I have to do it on a propane burner either outside or in my garage. That being said, I love not having to do multiple loads since I can usually get everything canned in one shot...canning is a time consuming process, and it's nice to only have to do a single batch and get it all finished.

Luke's mom has a smaller model all American , which I have sometimes used for smaller batches of beans and soups. It works great, but isn't quite big enough. I forget which model it is, but I want to say it will only hold like 12 pints or maybe 3 quart jars.

Unless you plan to can tons of something (like the triple digits of fish I have sometimes done) you could probably be happy splitting the difference and going with a midrange sized canner. I have never been able to get quite as many jars in as the manual says I should (probably due to mixing different brands of pint jars) so that's something to keep in mind when you look at the specs.

I like the canners that fit 16 wide mouth pints (All American 921). Easy to move and store, still a good amount of product per load. Occasionally I want to do a smaller load and not having to heat the monster canner just to do 8-10 jars is nice. I want both, and someday when I'm not spending money on other things will get the big bastard for putting up my yearly sockeye, and use the smaller one for most other things.

I ended up buying 2-921 canners, and I can fit two stacks of (between 9-11 per stack) 16 ounce cans in each.

I need to get one and learn how to use them. I have yet to find a way to make duck taste better. I've cooked and marinated the meat every way possible and nothing makes it taste very good.

AK Troutbum said:

I ended up buying 2-921 canners, and I can fit two stacks of (between 9-11 per stack) 16 ounce cans in each.

Click to expand...

right there is what im thinking.

Slim Jim said:

I need to get one and learn how to use them. I have yet to find a way to make duck taste better. I've cooked and marinated the meat every way possible and nothing makes it taste very good.

Click to expand...

i was intimidated a little by the process to be honest. worried about ruining the meat if i screwed up i guess.
but really its not that complicated. alot of prep and then its pretty much like frying a turkey. alot of heat to start, then back it off and dial it in, then wait.

the bear meat we did had awesome flavor from the get go, but was it ever tough. now, pop it in the micro for 1min stir at 30 sec and you got some delish, tender (like out of a crock pot), lean, high iron meat!

Slim Jim said:

I need to get one and learn how to use them. I have yet to find a way to make duck taste better. I've cooked and marinated the meat every way possible and nothing makes it taste very good.

Click to expand...

www.Honest-food.net

Duck is one of my favorite meats out there. Every duck I shoot gets cherished.

Thanks for the website gulicemo. There looks to be some good recipes for all game meats
What ever happened on you and your buddy's hunt in the Rubys last summer?

Oooooooh. I love canned duck & goose! I've started canning more & more of it up in enchilada sauce for taco's & enchiladas and sweet curry for Vindaloo.


Scott, glad to hear your canning is going well. It really is easier than it sounds isn't it?
As far as canners go, the All American's are the very best, but SPENDY!
I went with a couple 22qt Presto & Mirro's. The Mirro I got at Goodwill for ~$25 but had to add a gauge. They work fine. But I have to admit I still drool over the pics of Becca's All Americans. No seals to fail on the AA's, not that it's been an issue for me. Maybe one day I'll upgrade.... or maybe not.

My std hot pack method canning recipe for bear, elk & deer is: 1tsp salt, 1tsp pepper, 2 garlic cloves & 1/2 an onion scallion sliced into the bottom of each jar. I cube the meat and brown in skillet. I de-glaze the skillet w/ beef broth and use that for the liquid in the jars.
Mike....Hunt'nFish

update. went with the 21.5qt all american. havent done a run yet in it, next month likely.

the canned goods we made on the last batch is going much faster than anticipated (lynzie is eating them everyday it seems) ahahaha!

I also have an All American. I have the 941. Biggest downside is that it takes about an hour to bring up to a boil on a gas burner stove top. I'm sure those large propane burners would be quite a bit faster.I haven't canned meat with it yet, but boy do I love making pickled okra! Spicy carrots are good and I've done quite a few tomatoes as well. Just got a vacume sealer too, so I'm sitting pretty good. Now if I could just convince my wife that we need a dehydrator!

DesertCJ, don't ask for permission to buy a dehydrator, just go get one and start saving money. Show her your last purchase of Mt House meals and point to the freezer full of left overs as an alternative. Before getting the smoker I used to make buckets & buckets of duck jerky using liquid smoke and a dehydrator. Search: Knifong Family Jerky Recipe.

On a side note, We just bought one of those fancy Ninja blender thingy's and have been making fruit leather by the blender full. I've been trying to get my mix thicker & chunkier and now use a pizza cutter to slice the finished leather up. BTW, adding in already dried fruit like apples & cranberries can really help thicken up the mix. Wondering if I can add almonds... or maybe that's a bad idea.

Also wondering if I can add protein powder to a wet fruit leather mix, or is that a bad idea???
Anyway just thinking out loud.
Hunt'nFish