How to Can Bacon at Home

Disclaimer: Home canning bacon is not recommended by the USDA.Understand that if you decide to do this, IT IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.
For you guys out there that think that canning is for a bunch of old grannies let me tell you…
…canning can be manly.
It’s funny, whenever I try to get some of my guys friends who are into prepping to take up canning I typically get a response along the lines of “canning is for grannies”. It’s not until I mention that you can home-can bacon that their ears perk up and they’re all for it. I’d have to agree, when it comes to canning, it doesn’t get much more manlier than canning good ol’ bacon.
In the following video, I demonstrate how easy it is to can bacon at home (and hopefully for you guys, you’ll want to pick up a great skill to have):
- Posted in Food Storage, Self-Reliance, Video
That’s cool I’ve been trying to learn how to can and hopefully will start soon would never have thaught to do bacon though
Might want to mention that its a sterilized jar.
Hey Nora,
If you’re pressure canning, the beauty is, your cans will sterilize during the canning process. 90 minutes at 240F will certainly kill off anything you may be worried about. Just be sure there’s no dirt, dead bugs or other things in there that you don’t want to eat.
I can a lot.
I can veggies, meats and bullets.
Nothing unmanly about feeding your family and being self-sufficient.
Anyone who thinks so can and shall starve whilst they bask in the glow of their “Manliness”. I shall eat well surrounded by the people I have prepared for and with.
PS: My wife can shoot. Probably far better than most of the men who will not can.
Thank you for this video.
Amen brother.
Love this…Thank you so, for these videos… great tips! My dh & been canning for 25 years (he makes the very best ever jellies and jams!), and I have successfully canned bacon grease, just for fun, saved from making the bacon and a decade or so later, its still good. You can pack and can about anything, and pre-cooking takes guess work out of it, esp. if you are putting together a jar meal ~ chili, potato soup, or say,a mixed meal of venison, bacon, potatoes, carrots, onion, and spices of your choice~I must have garlic. 🙂 BTW, my dh is an expert canner, breadmaker, hunter, and hubby… 🙂
An even easier and cheaper way to can bacon is to purchase the “ends”. Look for the really meaty ones. Just chuck them in the jar and process them. When ready to prepare them, just throw them in the frying pan.
I have done them both ways. Some stores have the ends meatier than others and at a fraction of the price of sliced bacon.
Enjoy
Great tip Dawn. Where do you get them, at the butcher’s section of the grocery store?
My Man Loves to Can! Nothing beats his home grown greens canned with fat pork, his fresh caught mullet canned with jalopenos, and southern pickled veggies and eggs! Canning is just as manly as smoking or making jerky, one more way to preserve your trophies from hunting and fishing.
That sounds delicious D.
Also you want your lids to be sterilized also nothing like ruining a good canning job with un-steril equipment
Hey David,
If you’re pressure canning, the beauty is, your cans will sterilize during the canning process. 90 minutes at 240F will certainly kill off anything you may be worried about. Just be sure there’s no dirt, dead bugs or other things in there that you don’t want to eat.
What is a DH?
I believe it’s “Dear Husband”
We are just getting into canning, but I grew up with canned veggies and jellies as a kid. That’s why I really wanted to get into it – I missed home canned green beans!
We are really moving into the canned meals, though. We have struggled with eating out when in a pinch, but canning meals can save us from resorting to that and save us money at the same time!
So far we’ve done split pea soup, chili, beef stew, tomatoes, and marinara. This weekend we’ll be doing chicken stock, which I’m excited for so that it doesn’t take up all the space in my freezer!
Nice Ginny. I still haven’t canned any soups yet (we’re not big soup makers here in our household).
Maybe I missed it in the video, but how long is the canning under pressure? 1 hour, 1 1/2 hour ? Dave
Hey David,
Any meat (without the bones) should be 90 minutes @ 10 lbs pressure
I am not ashamed in the least to admit I am a “Canning Grumpaw”. If I make soup or chili, I make a double batch and pressure can 7 quart jars. Always have some for later and don’t have to wait for it.
My Mom got us kids going on canning back in the 70’s when the first recession hit…we had a huge garden plot and before we could go play, we were given a brown paper grocery bag and told to go fill it up with green beans, tomatoes, corn, or whatever was on her canning list for that day. We were a family of 9 with our two cousins living with us at the time, so putting away food was a necessity.
My brothers are both canners. I have several shelves stocked full of beef tips, sausage, hamburger, chicken, turkey, ham, beans, tomatoes, green beans, etc. Just got my shipment of heirloom seeds in the mail and will be starting the seedlings soon for this year’s crop. I also have a bunch of frozen venison chunks that I’m going to process soon.
Never thought about canning bacon, but thanks for the tip. I can buy in bulk from my local butcher so I guess I need to get busy!
Thanks Larry. I’m hoping when I’m older I’ll be a “Canning Grumpaw” as well. 😉
I have only done one batch but I canned it raw. I have to say that yours just looks better having been precooked. Next time I will certainly do it your way! Great video!
You pressure can bullets..are you serious? How and why?
I have a stove exactly like that, but was told you should not can on smooth surface stoves. Obviously they are wrong since you have done it. I will use my stove next time I pressure can rather than my Coleman camp stove.
I’d like to know what the shelf life is. Anyone know?
Loved your info on canning bacon. Do you need to put any water in the pressure cooker around the sealed cans? If so, how much?
Oops. I missed the last frame of the video showing it lasts two years.
Few things worth mentioning. You can use the rendered fat to make jar candles. Use NEW lids but is possible to use old rings if necessary. And if you overcook them in the oven… you get to eat those!!!
Great video. Thanks for posting it.
I really had no idea anyone actually LIKED canning. I’ve done it, and never again will I spend my whole summer canning. I’ll just buy my cans and store those. I know my dear Mum and grandmothers are probably spinning in their graves, but get over it my darlings. … and no offense to those hardy souls who do can.
I can things all the time…prefer it to other options, like MREs.
And save that rendered fat, it is the best cooking oil! MY grandparents lived into their 90’s eating fried food at every meal…fried in lard and bacon grease!
And for what its worth, Yoders offers canned bacon that is approved by the USDA…but again I prefer my own 🙂
And I want to know who could possibly know the stuff lasts 2 years…we eat ours up in months 🙁
Thanks for the excellent vid!
db
I canned several pounds from raw and was disappointed with the result. Didn’t taste “bacon-y” and fell apart. Only usable for seasoning purposes. Will try your method and see if we like it any better. Going to try canning in wide mouth pints next time too. With just two of us, we need smaller quantities. Thanks for the video.
Great video! my question is, how much water did you put in your pressure cooker in order not to boil it all out in an hour and a half?
Most pressure canners come with a line etched in the side that indicates the water level (roughly 2-3 inches of water). Most pressure canning uses that water level with the exception of water bath canning for high-acid foods.
I am with db – Save that bacon fat. It can be used in so many ways. I buy a 10lb box of bacon, cook it up, can/frig the fat, and freeze the bacon for later use. Next time I drag out the canner. Thanks for the video refresher ..
Good tips, the pre-cooking probably addresses the concerns of the govt. And as you point out, without it swimming in bacon grease this canning process completes the required temperature range.
I grew up with canning and my wife like when I help her, but only recently wanted to learn all the in’s and out’s myself.
Question for everyone: I have seen comments on “canned meals”? I understand souos and such but it seems like there is much more?
Can someone point me to some resources / websites with Recipes and info?
I really like the idea of having full meals in a can.
Thanks.
Canning is like any other skill.Learn abour your tools and how to care for them.This will ensure the best level of success.The canning jar is the best place to start,only use canning grade glass jars.In the old days you could use mayonnaise,pickle or other quart and pint jars.However the newer jars are not thick enough and the lid sizes have changed.Always use a clean jar without crackes,nicks or broken spots. Next make sure the lids don’t have any nicks or bare spots on the rubberized ring(the red strip).The last thing to check is the ring,make sure that it scews on to the jar evenly and is true to round to ensure a good seal.
I don’t take my rings off after the jar seals because I want to protect the lid and my jar edges. After I empty my jars I wash them turn the used lid upside downand put a red x on the lid and replace my ring.The red x means the lid has been used and is not reusable for canning.This keeps my jars cleaner,provides a lid for those non-canning needs like refrigerating left overs.Plus keeps my rings from getting lost or bent. Happy perserving the harvest.
That 10 lbs pressure is for your altitude. It is high at higher altitudes. Here in Idaho we can everything at 13lbs of pressure. To be safe check the pressure for your altitude
OK, this might be a dumb question, but does it matter how much water is in your pressure cooker? I’ve never canned before, but I’m feeling inspired 🙂 As my husband always says, “Name one dish that cannot be improved by adding bacon…” Thanks for the tip!
“We” can bacon, and chili, and chicken, and pork, and, well you see the picture. Not manly? Neither is begging for food. Nuff said.
Looking at this process, I was also thinking since you are baking the bacon and rendering the fat on the bottom of the pan, why not confit it? Even though the shelf life won’t be as long (months vs. years), it is a simple way of canning as well.
To confit (pronounced: cohn-fee {French} ) is to cook something (in this case meat) in oil and then preserve it in the rendered fat so it creates an anaerobic environment.
In a jar, you put down a layer of bacon and then cover it completely with the rendered fat and then allow to cool before putting on the next layer of bacon and repeat the process until the jar is full.
Nicole, you should put at least 2-3 inches of water in your canner. If you boil the canner dry you will ruin your canner. Before canning anything you should read material on canning and watch you tube videos on canning to make sure you can everything at the right times and pounds for your altitude.
I never sterilize my jars first. I’ve canned chicken, cheese, beans, and chili, to name a few. You are correct. The food is already not sterilized when you’re putting it in the jars. So why sterilize the jars first?
確かに気まぐれなエマニュエル・ブーシェの合併症についての1つの時計のように膨大な量があります。今でも、エマニュエル・ブーシェの合併症の2つの作品であるので、私は我々がブーシェ氏の心から期待したいことがたくさんあると思います。 http://www.bagkakaku.com/vuitton_bag/2/N41119.html
発表会で述べ张奇開「大気圏に再突入するNo . 1」を伝えし人類と時間と空間の哲学を分かち合うこと、梅表と共演した理念。ルイヴィトン スーパーコピーまた、招待国立台湾師範大学環境教育研究所所長、環境保育界の権威のある専門家――叶欣诚教授は、みんなをもっと知って地球温暖化による気候環境の変遷の影響。 http://www.fujisanbrand.com/watch/chanel/index_6.html
Actually the latest instructions for lids is to wash, and keep in hot (not boiling) water. Do not boil the lids, it will soften the rubberized coating along the edge, and cause seal to fail. Check the Ball website.
I would love to get instructions for canning bacon grease. So I don’t heat up the house too much I will wait to start my first time pressure canning but I am ready to can bacon, bacon grease, meats, soups, veggies, etc.
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In Cheyenne, we are at 15lbs. I didn’t cook mine first, as I was following a different recipe. I did put the open end of the folded paper to the bottom of the jar for drainage. Fingers crossed!
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I am eating some bacon right now (2020) that I canned in 2012! Seal was still good, bacon is fine! FYI, I have made coffee from ground beans in a plastic container (from the store, unopened) that was 8 years past the “best by” date. A little on the weak side but still tasted like coffee! I try to buy and store coffee in REAL cans but, in this case, I did not.