I first started canning with a pressure cooker last summer and experienced
my share of problems/mistakes. I have asked this newsgroup for help and as
usual several people have responded to help. I tried all their ideas, and
although my results improved, I still lost too much water from my jars
during the process.

I just found a publication put out by the University of Alaska that I had
picked up while stationed there, dealing with canning moose and Caribou.
After reading it, I learned that an additional step was recommended, that my
canning instructions hadn't mentioned.

After putting the required salt in the jars, you fill them and leave the
required headspace. Then came the missing step:

"Exhaust for 15 minutes. This is done by placing the open, filled jars in
the cooker. The cooker should have about 2 inches of boiling water in it,
on the fire. Cover and let steam for 15 minutes. Remove and fill jars with
boiling water or meat from another jar. Leave headspace."

Then the instructions continue:

"With clean cloth, wipe lip of jar very carefully."

"Seal. Any bit of grease, salt or meat left on the lip will keep the jar
from sealing and the meat will spoil."

"Fill cooker by placing sealed jars on rack in cooker in about 2 inches of
boiling water, put lid on tight with valve open, place on fire and let steam
escape from the valve for 5 to 7 minutes."

Then it proceeded with the instructions I found in my canner.

Last night I canned 4 quarts and 7 pints of beef. Every jar came out with
the right amount of water left in the jars.

Most of you probably already knew this, but I didn't, and if it will help
even one of the visitors to this newsgroup, it was worth it.

Dwayne

"Dwayne" > wrote in message
...
> I first started canning with a pressure cooker last summer and experienced
> my share of problems/mistakes. I have asked this newsgroup for help and as
> usual several people have responded to help. I tried all their ideas, and
> although my results improved, I still lost too much water from my jars
> during the process.
>
> I just found a publication put out by the University of Alaska that I had
> picked up while stationed there, dealing with canning moose and Caribou.
> After reading it, I learned that an additional step was recommended, that my
> canning instructions hadn't mentioned.
>
> After putting the required salt in the jars, you fill them and leave the
> required headspace. Then came the missing step:
>
> "Exhaust for 15 minutes. This is done by placing the open, filled jars in
> the cooker. The cooker should have about 2 inches of boiling water in it,
> on the fire. Cover and let steam for 15 minutes. Remove and fill jars with
> boiling water or meat from another jar. Leave headspace."
>
> Then the instructions continue:
>
> "With clean cloth, wipe lip of jar very carefully."
>
> "Seal. Any bit of grease, salt or meat left on the lip will keep the jar
> from sealing and the meat will spoil."
>
> "Fill cooker by placing sealed jars on rack in cooker in about 2 inches of
> boiling water, put lid on tight with valve open, place on fire and let steam
> escape from the valve for 5 to 7 minutes."
>
> Then it proceeded with the instructions I found in my canner.
>
> Last night I canned 4 quarts and 7 pints of beef. Every jar came out with
> the right amount of water left in the jars.
>
> Most of you probably already knew this, but I didn't, and if it will help
> even one of the visitors to this newsgroup, it was worth it.
>
> Dwayne
>
>
There's a basis there that I always thought made sense:
1) Contents are heated to around 200F.
2) Jars are then sealed so nothing gets out or in.
3) Pressure cooked.
4) Cooled.
The big thing is that the jars were sealed at 200F. Once cooled to room
temperature, you have a nice vacuum seal. Am I missing something in the
process?

"Ken Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> "Dwayne" > wrote in message
> ...

> There's a basis there that I always thought made sense:
> 1) Contents are heated to around 200F.
> 2) Jars are then sealed so nothing gets out or in.
> 3) Pressure cooked.
> 4) Cooled.
> The big thing is that the jars were sealed at 200F. Once cooled to room
> temperature, you have a nice vacuum seal. Am I missing something in the
> process?
>
Apparently so. The problem wasnt whether they sealed or not, but how much
water boiled out of the jars before they sealed, leaving the meat above the
water line dry.

Dwayne

"Dwayne" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Ken Anderson" > wrote in message
> ...
> > "Dwayne" > wrote in message
> > ...
>
> > There's a basis there that I always thought made sense:
> > 1) Contents are heated to around 200F.
> > 2) Jars are then sealed so nothing gets out or in.
> > 3) Pressure cooked.
> > 4) Cooled.
> > The big thing is that the jars were sealed at 200F. Once cooled to room
> > temperature, you have a nice vacuum seal. Am I missing something in the
> > process?
> >
> Apparently so. The problem wasnt whether they sealed or not, but how much
> water boiled out of the jars before they sealed, leaving the meat above the
> water line dry.
>
> Dwayne
>
>
I've had that happen also, with Hungarian peppers. Loss of brine in the jar,
as well as the obvious brine smell in the pressure cooker water tells me
something's amiss.