Thursday, June 27, 2013

Canning Lamb




 Just after the Easter/Passover season I bought a nice-sized leg of lamb... regular price $60 plus... for $18! I brought it home and put in the freezer... it was probably 8-10 lbs. and there are only the two of us... thought I'd save it for company... or can it.

Now with this shower for my daughter coming up and berries coming in and needing the freezer space... I pulled it out the other day and thawed it...

I decided to cook it in our smoker... I salted and peppered it... added a variety of herbs (rosemary, mint, thyme, oregano, basil) to my smoker's water pan... set the temp to 250 and the time to 8 hours and let 'er smoke... adding chips (I used Jack Daniels whiskey barrel chips) every hour or two.

Due to our schedules and such, we weren't gonna get all that lamb eaten any time soon so I canned it...

First, I removed all the meat from the bone and cut it into stew sized chunks, taking care to remove any excess fat and gristly pieces.

Then I boiled my wide-mouth pint jars and put my lids on to simmer.


 I packed the jars pretty loosely with the chunks of lamb, leaving a good inch or more headspace.


I added a half teaspoon of canning salt to each pint jar (optional of course!)


Then I filled the jars with boiling water, leaving an inch headspace.


 I removed any air bubbles using a plastic chopstick and adjusted the liquid if necessary.


I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth and tightened my lids on to fingertip tightness (no tighter or you can end up with buckling lids!)

I then processed the jars in my pressure canner at 10 lbs. pressure for 75 minutes (quarts would process for 90 minutes).

After the processing time, (I gotta be honest here!) it was time to leave for work so I turned the stove off and left the canner to cool naturally while I was gone for the day.

When I got back home, I removed the jars from the canner and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter... they'd already cooled AND PINGED!!! while I was gone so I missed the music! But they all sealed!

I ended up with 7 pints of lamb chunks... lamb stew this winter??? I think so!

And now I have this lovely meaty lamb bone left... I'm thinking I'll try making a little lamb broth outta that.


Posted by Pamela at 2:32 PM
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11 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 27, 2013 at 3:51 PM

    My name is Sylvia Holst I was wondering if you or anyone you know has a good recipe for watermelon rind perserves please and thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MichelleJune 28, 2013 at 12:43 AM

    Can you use this method for Moose meat?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PamelaJune 28, 2013 at 7:27 AM

      You certainly can Michelle... or for deer, elk, antelope, etc. ~~Granny

      Delete
  3. CharleneJuly 1, 2013 at 5:11 PM

    Is the smoking part necessary--can it just be cubed, topped w/broth and 1/2 tsp salt?? Did you smoke it for taste or texture or both??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PamelaJuly 2, 2013 at 7:14 AM

      The smoking part is not necessary... I smoked mine for added flavor. ~~ Granny

      Delete
  4. UnknownOctober 4, 2013 at 7:12 PM

    how did your canned lamb taste when opened? Have about 9 lambs to go into freezer or canner.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PamelaOctober 5, 2013 at 8:00 AM

      It's yummy... much like stew beef. ~~Granny

      Delete
    2. UnknownMay 5, 2015 at 9:55 PM

      Can't wait to try this, will make a great Irish Stew, or make pasties (Scandinavian meat pies in Michigan), or grind some up and mix a little ground lamb with rice to use it for stuffed peppers, cabbage, potatoes, onions, grape leaves, zucchini

      Delete
  5. UnknownSeptember 1, 2014 at 7:09 PM

    Can you add some things you might put in the lamb stew like potato pieces and carrots and a slice of onion? It would make it easier to make lamb stew or other dishes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownMay 5, 2015 at 10:01 PM

    1. Can you roast the meat and use drippings brought to a boil and add the liquid to jars in stead of water?
    2. Also, how long will meat keep in my pantry after roasted and after pressure cooked?

    ReplyDelete

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