Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens (105 page)

Off-colors or off-odors

Foaming while the food is boiling

If a jar shows any sign of spoilage, dispose of it as you would any toxic substance. Don’t use it. Don’t even taste it. At a home-canning seminar I attended, another attendee claimed she had canned something that later developed botulism. When asked how she knew, she said it looked funny, so she dipped the tip of her finger into the jar and tasted it, whereupon she was told, “If that had been botulism, you would be dead.”

Chicken may be hot-packed with or without the bones, but deboned canned chicken is easier to use, and you can get more meat into each jar. Deboning lets you use meat from bony parts to make salads and sandwiches. A regular meal at our house is taco shells filled with canned chicken heated together with a little chopped onion and spiced with chili powder and cumin.

To hot-pack boned chicken, simmer the bony pieces, covered in water, for 30 to 45 minutes or just until the meat starts to fall off the bone. Remove all the bones and skin, and pack the meat loosely into clean glass jars. Keep the broth simmering.

If you wish, add salt: ¼ teaspoon per half-pint (0.25 L), ½ teaspoon per pint (0.5 L), 1 teaspoon per quart (1 L). Cover the meat with simmering broth, leaving
1¼ inch (3.5 cm) of headspace. Wipe the jar rims to rid them of fat and meat particles. Seal jars with clean lids, and process.

PROCESSING TIMES FOR CANNING CHICKEN

When I have broth left over, I can it for use in making soups later on. Cool the broth, and remove the fat that accumulates at the top. Reheat the broth to boiling, fill jars, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) of headspace, seal and process.

If you wish to can chicken pieces bones and all, raw packing is easier than hot packing. For a raw pack, canning the meaty pieces (thighs, breasts, and drumsticks) makes more sense. Since the breastbone and drumstick take up lots of room, at least bone the breasts and saw drumsticks short. Trim off any fat, and pack pieces loosely into quart (1 L) jars.

Place thighs and drumsticks with their skin next to the glass. Fit breasts into the center. Use smaller pieces to fill up the remaining space. Leave 1¼ inch (3.5 cm) of headspace at the top of the jar. If you wish, add 1 teaspoon of salt. Do not add liquid — raw meat generates its own juice while it cooks.

Wipe the jar rims to rid them of fat and meat particles. Seal the jars with clean lids, and process.

One of the big advantages to growing your own chicken is the safety factor. You are bound to take care in raising, butchering, and storing your meat, knowing you and your family will eat it. A
Consumer Reports
survey found that 83 percent
of fresh, whole broilers bought in stores nationwide harbor
Campylobacter
or
Salmonella
, the leading bacterial causes of foodborne disease. Other bacteria found in chicken include
Staphylococcus
and
Listeria
.

Even though these bacteria may be present in your chickens, you have the advantage of using better sanitation. Much of the widely publicized precautions for handling and cooking chicken are designed to ensure that the excrement absorbed into the meat and skin of commercially processed chicken is thoroughly cooked before you eat it.

It stands to reason that any time an intestine or other organ is broken and spills its contents during butchering, you should immediately rinse away the spillage. After butchering is complete, thoroughly rinse the chickens in running water. Minimize bacterial growth by cooling and refrigerating the meat as quickly as possible.

Cleaning chickens is a messy affair and is best done somewhere other than in the kitchen. No matter where you do it, after handling raw meat, thoroughly clean countertops, sinks, knives, and any other utensils used.

Begin by scraping bits of meat and blood from counters and cutting boards. Then wash your hands, knife, counter, cutting board, and other utensils with hot soapy water, and rinse well in running water. Finish up by sanitizing all the cleaned surfaces by wiping them with a clean cloth soaked in white vinegar.

Any bacteria present on raw or undercooked chicken will multiply at temperatures between 40 and 140°F (5 and 60°C), which is most likely to occur if chicken is taken out of the refrigerator too long before it is cooked. To ensure safe eating, follow these tips:

Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer; the refrigerator should be 40°F (5°C) or lower and the freezer 0°F (-18°C) or lower.

Store chicken at 40° F or below. If you won’t use it for a couple of days, can it or freeze it; freezing does not destroy bacteria, but it does significantly slow its growth.

Before cooking frozen meat, thaw it in the refrigerator or in a plastic bag under cold running water, never on the countertop at room temperature.

If you’re going to stuff a whole chicken, do so just before you pop the bird into the oven.

Cook chicken to a safe internal temperature, as indicated in the “Checking for Doneness” table below.

Never ever return cooked chicken to the container in which it was carried while raw.

Separate the chicken meat from stuffing or gravy before storing leftovers.