The Christian Homekeeper™

Including the Method of Preparing the Birds for Slaughter and Preparing the Carcass.

1.Can only healthy chickens. (Can the giblets separately)Try to secure older birds. The texture and flavor of young birds, when canned, is not so good as that of mature ones.

2. Starve birds for 18 hours before killing. Be sure they bleed freely; otherwise the meat will have a reddish color.

3. Remove feathers, chill chickens under running water or in pans of ice water. When chilled, remove from water, dry and singe. Wash thoroughly and dry with a clean, damp cloth. Dress as usual for table use, dividing into 3 groups - meaty pieces, bony pieces, and giblets.

4. Make broth with the bony pieces. (You will need it or some boiling water to add to chicken in jars) Cover them with water and simmer until the meat is tender. Strip meat from bones. You may can the little pieces separately. Skim fat from broth.

5. Use either HOT PACK or RAW PACK to can chicken.

HOT PACK WITH BONE:

Bone the breast and, if desired, saw the drumsticks off short. Leave the bones in other meaty pieces, like second joints. Trim off large pieces of fat. Heat broth (made in step 4) and pour over raw chicken pieces to cover and cook til meat is medium done, or until almost no pink color shows at center of pieces. Stir occasionally during cooking to heat meat evenly.

If desired, put 1 tsp. salt in each clean quart jar for seasoning. Then pack hot second joints and drumsticks into hot jars; place with skin next to the glass. Fit breasts in the center and add smaller pieces where needed. Leave 1? head space.

Cover meat with hot broth, using from 1/2 to 3/4 cup per quart jar. Leave 1? head space.

Process in pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure (240 degrees F)
Pint jars 65 minutes
Quart jars 75 minutes

Remove jars from canner.

HOT PACK WITHOUT BONE:
Follow preseding directions for hot pack, with bone, but remove bone, not skin, from meaty pieces, before of after precooking.
Process at once in pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure (240 degrees F)
Pint jars 75 minutes
Quart jars 90 minutes

Remove jars from canner.

RAW PACK WITH BONE:
I use this method when I am in a hurry or have little time to devote to canning. This is especially a good method when you run upon a sale on chicken thighs and legs. I bought 40# at .19 per pound and canned it all, staggering it over 4 days. I kept the chicken in the freezer, defrosting it as I was able to work it.

Prepare chicken as for hot pack, with bone, but do not precook. Pack raw meaty pieces into the clean jars the same way.
Set open jars in a large kettle with warm water extending to about 2? below the rims of jars. Cover container and heat at a slow boil until meat is steaming hot, about 75 minutes. You can test the temperature with a thermometer. The meat is ready to process when the center of the jar registers 175 degrees F.

Remove jars, adjust hot lids and rings.
Process at once in pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure (240 degrees F)
Pint jars 65 minutes
Quart jars 75 minutes
Remove jars from canner.

RAW PACK WITHOUT BONE:
Follow directions for raw pack, with bone, only remove bones from meaty pieces before packing into jars.
Process at once in pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure (240 degrees)
Remove jars from canner.

SAFETY PRECAUTION!!!

When using any home-canned meat or chicken, turn it out of jar, add a little water if needed, cover and boil 20 minutes before tasting or adding other ingredients. If it has an off-odor during or AFTER heating, DISCARD it. Burn or bury it so the spoiled food will not be eaten by animals.