APRON STRINGS

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

ITALIAN RED SAUCE canning with meatballs

Many of us have experienced the joy of going to the pantry and gloried over the rows and rows of jars on the shelf. Jars of food we had put aside ourselves. Knowing the ingredients met our personal standards and was preserved without added chemicals.





Ingredients

* 3 cans crushed tomatoes
* 1 lg. can tomato paste
* 1 C. beef stock
* 1 Tbs. oregano
* 3 tsp. parsley
* 4 cloves garlic
* 1 Tbs. basil
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 C. parmesan cheese
* 2 pkgs. fresh mushrooms
* 2 lb. sweet sausage
* 2 lb. pork
* salt/pepper to taste
* 1 cup red wine
* 4 Tbs. olive oil
* 2 T. lemon juice for preservative canning






Directions

Empty 3 cans crushed tomatoes in a lg. pot and bring to a boil. Bring temperature down to a simmer once it reaches a boil. Add parsley, oregano, basil and bay leaves. In a heated skillet, add the olive oil and brown the pork and sausage. Once browned, add the meat to the sauce. Add the tomato paste to the skillet. Next add the garlic (CRUSHED) and brown the paste until it moves away from the edge of the pan. Add to the sauce. Add the stock, mushrooms and wine. Let simmer for at least 6 hours.

Must use a pressure canner for meat so that botulism doesn't occur.mIN TEMP 240 DEGREES


 Canning Instructions



    • 1
      Prepare jars, lids and rings. Boil jars, lids and rings for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for easy handling.
    • 2
      Fill jars with meat sauce, making sure to leave one inch of room between the sauce and the top of the jar. Add lids to the canning jars and tighten rings until snug. Avoid over-tightening the rings to prevent the neck of the jar from breaking during processing.
    • 3
      Place your pressure canner on the largest heating element on your stovetop. Fill the pressure canner with three to four inches of water, or the amount recommended by the manufacturer. Add the filled jars to the canning rack and lower into the pressure canner. Add a second layer of jars, if applicable. Place the cover on the canner and lock into place.
    • 4
      Add the weighted gauge to the canner, if applicable. Turn the heat to high and process the meat sauce at the appropriate pounds of pressure and length of time, as recommended by your recipe. Listen for the weighted gauge to begin jiggling the correct amount of times per minute for the correct pressure amount. Or, watch the dial gauge to make sure it reaches the correct pressure amount. Monitor the heat to achieve and maintain the correct pressure.
    • 5
      Turn off the heat once the appropriate processing time has been reached, and allow the canner to depressurize for 40 minutes before opening. Remove canned meat sauce with a jar lifter and place on a cooling rack
      Typical processing for meat sauce with a pressure canner and dial gauge is 11 pounds of pressure, processed for 60 minutes for pint jars and 70 minutes for quart jars.
Table 1. Recommended process time for Spaghetti Sauce With Meat in a dial-gauge pressure canner.
Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of PackJar SizeProcess Time0 - 2,000 ft2,001 - 4,000 ft4,001 - 6,000 ft6,001 - 8,000 ft
HotPints60 min11 lb12 lb13 lb14 lb
Quarts7011121314
Table 2. Recommended process time for Spaghetti Sauce With Meat in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of PackJar SizeProcess Time0 - 1,000 ftAbove 1,000 ft
HotPints60 min10 lb15 lb
Quarts701015




Meatballs—8 wide-mouth pints

4 lbs. ground beef
1 stack of saltine crackers, crushed
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper

Have the canner heating while you make the meatballs. Mix ingredients by hand; make meatballs using a 1-teaspoon measuring spoon. I worked with one quarter of the beef at a time, with the rest in the refrigerator (it's easier to work with the meat chilled).

Put meatballs into the jars, leaving 1" headspace. Add hot lids, tighten rings.

Process: pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure
—pints 75 minutes
—quarts 90 minutes

You can add hot broth, water, or any sauce that you might like. If you wanted a tomato based meatball combination, like for spaghetti, you can add that. If the meatballs have herbs mixed in, then the sauce should be plain. If using plain meatballs, then the sauce can have the herbs. No mater what you add to the meatballs, the processing time is still 90 minutes for quarts. Anything to do with canning meats is 90 minutes for quarts. If you have a favorite sauce, you can add that, can it, and you will have an easy and quick, special meal later.





Meatball Canning Process




  • 1 Mix all ingredients, to combine well.





  • 2 Form into balls, packing ingredients together tightly.





  • 3 Hand-wash jars and jar lids and bands, then run them through dishwasher cycle to sterilize.





  • 4 Place meatballs in quart-sized canning jars that have been cleaned and sterilized. (Pack only to within 1" of top of jar.).





  • 5 Wipe rim of jar to remove grease or food bits.





  • 6 Place lid on jar. Screw on band.





  • 7 Place filled jars in pressure canner.





  • 8 Add water to canner, to about 2" deep.





  • 9 Place lid on canner and make sure lid is securely fastened.





  • 10 Open petcock.





  • 11 Turn on Medium-high heat.





  • 12 When steam is rapidly escaping through petcock, close petcock. Pressure will start to rise at this point.





  • 13 When pressure reaches 10 lb., start lowering heat, till the needle on the pressure gauge stabliizes at 10 lb.





  • 14 Start timing: 90 minutes for quarts; 70 minutes for pints.





  • 15 When timing is done, turn off heat, and leave the canner alone till pressure reaches zero.





  • 16 Open petcock to release any remaining steam.





  • 17 Remove lid.





  • 18 Remove jars, and set in a draft-free place to cool.





  • 19 When cool, remove bands, wipe down jars with a clean, damp-warm cloth.





  • 20 Label and place in pantry.





  • 21 TO USE: Remove lid, and Set jar in pan of hot water, to melt the grease, before removing meatballs, one at a time, with an iced-tea spoon; or place in microwave just long enough to melt the grease, then remove one at a time, using an iced tea spoon.





  • 22 NOTE: canned meatballs will always have a red center. They ARE cooked through, and you don't have to worry about the color. Now, they're ready to use in your favorite meatball recipe! ALSO, this recipe may make less or more than 7 quart jars full.