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Carnitas pressure canning question

10 years ago

Hello!

I've been reading up on DigDirt's carnitas (http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg051438097651.html) and other pork canning recipes (pulled pork with sauce etc)...

and I've come to the conclusion that I want to can some carnitas.

My "problem" is that my favorite carnitas are these by Melissa Joulwan

Stovetop Pork Carnitas Ingredients

3-4 lbs. pork shoulder, boneless or bone-in
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 heaping (!) tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

You basically combine everything and add water to cover.. and cook until they fall apart, the liquid boils away and they fry in their own fat.

I'm wondering if I could cook the carnitas and then pressure can like any other pork recipe . I'd obviously have to add some broth to jars.

The other option would be to cook only partially and use the pan juices to can with.. I'm only concerned about the amount of fat.. I could let it refridgerate overnight and lift the fat off.. reheat and pressure can...

I guess, I'm just wondering if this is even do-able. Maybe I should just start there.

I would love the opinions of all of you pressure canners. So far I've only done stock and beans (and now I'm hooked)

Thank you!

Here is a link that might be useful: Stovetop Citrus Pork Carnitas

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Comments (6)

digdirt2
10 years ago
You would only partially cook and then can in the pan juices. Instructions read: Precook meat until rare by roasting, stewing, or browning....

Then after opening the jars you can either complete the cooking, liquid and all, in a skillet - keep in mind they will have finished cooking in the PC so only browning is needed - or you can drain off the liquid and brown them well in a small amount of fat for eating.

See instructions linked below. Follow only the Hot Pack instructions.

I would skim off as much fat as possible before canning. Overnight in the fridge works well and then reheat it all after skimming for canning. Pork canning of any kind tends to produce more fat in the jars and may have some sealing problems as a result so remove as much of the fat as possible.

If it was me I would freeze the skimmed fat to use it for browning them after opening the jars.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Canning chunks of pork NCHFP
PirateJeni
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks Dave,

So, the seasoning/cooking liquid isn't really an issue then?

And freezing the fat sounds like a fantastic idea.

Thanks!
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Could you tell us the source of the recipe? That is often a good indication of the safety. Given the very small proportions then I'd have to guess that it isn't intended to be canned but is only for fresh use and/or refrigerator storage only. Plus doing it in such small amounts wouldn't be either time or energy efficient. That said, given the approved instructions for pressure canning peppers (linked below) it would probably be safe given it is predominately just water. If some sort of hot pepper sauce is what you are after then there are much better instructions available. Just put 'hot pepper sauce' into the search bar for several previous discussions on recipes. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Canning peppers
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readinglady
10 years ago
The seasoning/cooking liquid isn't an issue. The dry spices are irrelevant and the citrus juices lower pH so they aren't a problem either.

This sounds delicious. Let us know how the end result compares to the original.

Carol
digdirt2
10 years ago
No they aren't. You can basically pre-cook the meat anyway you wish as long as you keep the fats to a minimum and keep in mind that it will cook during the pressure canning as well. So you don't want it to go into the jars already fully cooked. The goal is for it to come out of the jars ready for warming/browning whatever.

Dave

PS: I think this particular recipe would also freeze well.
PirateJeni
Original Author
10 years ago
It does freeze very well, actually. My problem is that I forget to take things out of the freezer in time to be thawed for dinner!

The recipe itself is amazing.. the citrus really makes the meat really tasty.

Thanks for all your help!!
2ajsmama
9 years ago
Is the shredding an issue? I notice that NCHFP says chunks or strips. As long as it's "soupy" as Dave described 3/4 meat and 1/4 liquid this isn't going to pack too densely to cause a problem?

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