Pressure Canning Homemade Spam Recipes

HOMEMADE SPAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C).
• Grind the pork shoulder in a meat grinder, then set aside.
• Finely mince the ham with the garlic in a food processor.
• Add the pork shoulder, ham/garlic, and Tender Quick into a large bowl and mix by hand until fully combined.
• Pack the meat mixture into a bread pan and cover with foil.
• Place the bread pan into a large baking dish filled 3/4 full with water.
• Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for three hours. Make sure that the internal temperature of the Spam is 155 F (69 C).
• Remove from the oven, uncover the bread pan, and drain the fat into a jar or can to dispose of later.
• Cover the bread pan loosely with foil and place a heavy weight on top of the foil. (I put bricks in another bread pan and put that on top of the foiled Spam. You may need to get creative, but I'm sure you can find something in your house that will work.)
• Allow to cool, then place the weighed down Spam into the refrigerator and keep it there overnight.
• In the morning, your Spam will be ready to use however you choose to use it.

SPAM, I AM... (HOME-MADE SPAM)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Grind the pork shoulder in a meat grinder (Either use a tabletop meat grinder or a KitchenAid mixer with the meat grinder attachment. Set aside.
• Finely mince the ham with the garlic in a food processor.
• Dump the ground pork shoulder, minced ham / garlic mixture and the Tender Quick into a large bowl and mix by hand until fully combined.
• Pack the meat mixture into a bread pan and cover with foil. Place the bread pan into a large baking dish filled 3/4 full with water. (Basically, a 'hot water bath').
• Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for three hours (the internal temperature of the SPAM loaf should reach 155* F).
• Remove from the oven and uncover the bread pan (there will be a lot of grease, but do not worry.). Pour off all of the fat into a jar or can to dispose of later. *Note: This is a very important step, so DO NOT skip it. If you do, your loaf will be covered in a thick coat of gelatine.
• Cover the bread pan loosely with foil and place a heavy weight on top of the foil. (You can use cold bricks wrapped in foil and put them in another bread pan and put that bread pan on the SPAM loaf).
• Place the weighed down SPAM loaf into the refrigerator and keep it there overnight. In the morning, your SPAM will be ready to use however you choose to use it.
• *Note: This homemade SPAM is not canned and does not contain preservatives, so it will not last forever. Keep it as long as you would keep ham.

JALAPENO JELLY RECIPE WATER BATH CANNING METHOD

Steps:

• Fill water bath canner and place wire rack on the bottom.
• Add jars to begin sterilizing process. Bring water to simmer and add lids.
• Meanwhile, cut off tips and ends of jalapeno peppers.
• Cut peppers lengthwise and remove seeds and fiber from inside of peppers.
• Place jalapeno peppers in food processor. Pulse until you have a puree.
• Pour puree into medium sized pot and add sugar, vinegar, lime juice, and salt.
• Mix until dissolved.
• Add in pectin and bring mixture to a boil.
• Cook at a rolling boil for 4 minutes.
• Remove jars from water bath taking care not to touch the rim or inside of jars.
• Ladle hot jelly into sterilized canning jars using your canning funnel. Wipe rim of jar clean if any jam is spilled.
• Place lids on jars of jelly, taking care not to touch the lid with your hands.
• Return to water bath and process for 5 minutes.
• Remove jars from water bath and let cool completely.
• Jelly Setting may take 24-48 hours to gel.Serve on crackers or bread, use as a glaze for meats, or a dip for cooked meats.

CANNING TOMATO SOUP BASE

Steps:

• Rinse the tomatoes and cut in half, or quarters for larger tomatoes.
• Add a strainer/colander to a large bowl.
• Wash and sanitize your jars. You'll want to keep them warm to avoid having them crack when placed in the canner. You can fill them with hot water, or place them on a tray in the oven at 170F.
• Wash your lids with hot soapy water and place them in a clean bowl for now.
• Add the tomatoes to a pot of boiling water and parboil them until you see the skins start to come off one of the tomatoes (about 1-2 minutes).
• Use a slotted spoon and remove the tomatoes and place in the strainer.
• Run the tomatoes through a food mill to remove the seeds and skins.
• Transfer the tomato puree to a pot over low heat or a crockpot set to low. Keep warm until ready to can.
• Add 3 quarts of water to your pressure canner and put it on a burner set to high. Make sure there is a canning rack in the bottom of the canner.
• Add lemon juice or citric acid to your canning jars.Quarts: 2 tbsp lemon juice OR 1/2 tsp citric acid. Salt (optional) 1 tspPints: 1 tbsp lemon juice OR 1/4 tsp citric acid. Salt (optional) 1/2 tsp
• Place a funnel on a canning jar and ladle in the warm tomato puree, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Headspace is defined as the space between the top of the food and the top of the jar.
• Using a long utensil (I prefer a plastic chopstick), remove all the air bubbles from the jar.
• Use a wet clean rag and wipe the rim of the jars to make sure they are free of any food.
• Place a clean new lid on the jar. Add a ring, and tighten to fingertip tight.
• Using canning tongs, gently place the jars in the canner. Lock the lid. Soon, steam will start coming through the vent pipe.
• Allow the steam to pass through for about 10 minutes. Then put the pressure regulator on top. (see photos in post above to see this in action)
• Pretty soon, the air vent will pop up. That is a sign that you're starting to build pressure inside the canner. Tomato soup need to be pressure canned at 11 pounds of pressure for 15 minutes for both pints and quarts. (see time chart in post for adjusted times for elevation and water bath canning).
• When the dial gauge reaches 11 pounds of pressure, reduce the burner temp to medium, and start your timer. The pressure must stay at 11 or (a little bit) above for the duration of the cooking time. You'll likely need to adjust the temp on the burner a few times depending on your stove.
• When the time is up, remove the canner from the burner and allow it to sit until you hear a distinctive "click" of the air vent dropping. Remove the pressure regulator and carefully remove the lid (Pro tip: I always use oven mitts when I take the lid off because the steam is crazy hot).
• Let the jars sit for 5 minutes in the canner and then lift them out with canning tongs. Place on a towel where they can sit undisturbed for 12 hours.
• After a few hours, to check for sealing, gently press down in the middle of the lid. If the lid has no give, it's sealed. If you can press the lid in and it pops a bit, your jars are not sealed.
• Complete steps 1-8 above.
• Fill your canner so that there will be 2 inches of water over the tallest jar that you are canning. Set it on a large burner set to high.
• Complete steps 10-14 above.
• When the water has reached a rolling boil, place the jars in the canner and place the lid on top. Process pints for 35 minutes or quarts for 40 minutes.
• When the time is up, remove the canner from the burner and let the jars sit for 5 minutes in the canner and then lift them out with canning tongs.
• Place on a towel where they can sit undisturbed for 12 hours.