Canning Stock

As most people know, Labor Day marks the unofficial start of fall. With the days getting shorter and the temperature getting cooler (in Wyoming at least) it’s almost time for soup and chili. Homemade chicken stock is rich with immune boosting vitamins and can be incorporated into lots of soups. We like to can a big batch of stock at the beginning of the season. The canning process preserves the stock for months without the use of harsh preservatives that basically IS store-bought stock. Here we have provided you with a simple tutorial on how to can chicken stock:

First, go ahead and gather all the necessary materials: a pressure canner, mason jars, jar lids*, bands, a ladle, and a clean cloth or paper towel. If you have a funnel and/or jar puller, bring those out too.

*I always use new lids, some people reuse lids several times but I have run the risk of my food not sealing yet.

With this tutorial, the chicken stock should already be made and refrigerated overnight. After the stock sits overnight, the fat will rise to the top and create a rather gross solid top layer. Go ahead and scrape most of that off. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just get most of it. 

I like to wash my pressure canner and jars before I get started just to make sure they’re clean. At this time, I also grease the seal of the canner with vegetable oil to make sure it doesn’t stick during the canning process

Reheat the trimmed stock in a saucepan on the stove. It doesn’t need to boil but it needs to be hot. We don’t want the glass jars to undergo extreme temperature changes instantly. At this time, heat the jar lids in a small pot of water until hot.

Place the mason jar lids into a small pot of water and begin to heat it as well. You want the water warm enough to soften the seal on the lid, but you need it to be cool enough to comfortably put your hand in to remove the lids when it’s time to use them. Start off with a low to medium low heat so you don’t scald yourself.

Place heated water in the pressure canner according to your canner’s instructions. My canner, for example, calls for just a couple inches of water in the base for pint jars. The water doesn’t need to boil, but should be hot enough for steam to rise off the top.

Once everything has reached the proper temperature, begin ladling stock into the jars. A funnel really helps out in this step but isn’t required. Fill each jar until the stock is one inch from the top of the jar.

Wipe the top of each jar with a clean damp cloth or paper towel to ensure the lid can get a good seal. Place a heated lid (from step 5) on each jar and tighten the band fingertip tight. To make sure I don’t over tighten, I hold the jar with the fingertips of my other hand as well. Be careful when doing this though, the stock gets the jars very hot.

Arrange the jars so they are not touching while in the canner. Place the lid on the canner and turn the heat up to high.

Once there is a steady flow of steam flowing from the valve of the canner, place the weight on the valve according to your manufacturer’s recommendation based on your elevation.

Once the weight has started shaking and dancing around, start the timer. For pints, you want the jars in the canner for about 20 minutes and quarts will need about 25 minutes.

Adjust the stove heat as necessary to ensure the weight continually shakes at a nice steady rhythm. Most of the time the heat used to boil water is fine.

When the timer dings, turn the stove off and allow the canner to lose pressure naturally. Important: Removing the weight or trying to open the canner while it is still under pressure can seriously hurt you. Most pressure canners have an indicator that pops up when the pressure has been built up on the inside. After that indicator depresses and goes back down, you can remove the weight. I like to wait until the valve stops hissing before I try to open the lid. Removing the lid before all the pressure has been released will result in a rather startling “pop” once the seal is broken. Ask me how I know. Using a jar puller or an oven mitt, carefully remove the jars from the canner and place them on a cloth on the countertop. Remember to use a cloth so you don’t break any jars on the counter. You made it this far, don’t let your work go to waste!

Allow the jars to cool. Hopefully, as they cool down, you will hear the tale tell “pop” of the lids sealing. If none of your jars seal then you will have to repeat the process, use the stock, or freeze it. If your cans seal, then congratulations! You now have chicken stock that can safely be stored on a shelf for a long time.

Materials:

1. A pressure canner
2. Mason jars- I like to use pint size
3. Jar lids*
4. Jar bands to hold the lids on
5. A ladle.
6. A clean cloth
7. A funnel (optional)
8. A jar puller (optional)

The Canning Process:

1. After making the stock, let it sit in the fridge overnight. This will cause the fat to rise to the surface so it can be easily skimmed off with a spoon. A little bit of fat in the stock is fine but you want to get most of it out of there.
2. I like to wash my pressure canner and jars before I get started just to make sure they’re nice and clean. It’s advised to use a pressure canner on meat products because it’s the only way to get the temperature high enough to kill botulism (240 degrees Fahrenheit). Since the temperature inside the canner gets hot enough to kill all bacteria, you don’t need to be super sterile, although it’s always a good practice.
3. Once the canner is clean, I like to grease the seal of the canner with vegetable oil to make sure it doesn’t stick during the canning process.
4. Reheat the trimmed stock. It doesn’t have to be boiling, but make sure it’s nice and hot.
5. Place the mason jar lids into a small pot of water and begin to heat it as well. You want the water warm enough to soften the seal on the lid, but you need it to be cool enough to comfortably put your hand in to remove the lids when it’s time to use them. Start off with a low to medium low heat so you don’t scald yourself.
6. Place heated water in the pressure canner according to your canner’s instructions. My canner, for example, calls for just a couple inches of water in the base for pint jars. The water doesn’t need to boil, but should be hot enough for steam to rise off the top.
7. Once everything has reached the proper temperature, begin ladling stock into the jars. A funnel really helps out in this step but isn’t required. Fill each jar until the stock is one inch from the top of the jar.
8. Wipe the top of each jar with a clean damp cloth or paper towel to ensure the lid can get a good seal. Place a heated lid (from step 5) on each jar and tighten the band fingertip tight. To make sure I don’t over tighten, I hold the jar with the fingertips of my other hand as well. Be careful when doing this though, the stock gets the jars very hot.
9. Arrange the jars so they are not touching while in the canner. Place the lid on the canner and turn the heat up to high.
10. Once there is a steady flow of steam flowing from the valve of the canner, place the weight on the valve according to your manufacturer’s recommendation based on your elevation.
11. Once the weight has started shaking and dancing around, start the timer. For pints, you want the jars in the canner for about 20 minutes and quarts will need about 25 minutes.
12. Adjust the stove heat as necessary to ensure the weight continually shakes at a nice steady rhythm. Most of the time the heat used to boil water is fine.
13.  When the timer dings, turn the stove off and allow the canner to lose pressure naturally. Important: Removing the weight or trying to open the canner while it is still under pressure can seriously hurt you. Most pressure canners have an indicator that pops up when pressure has been built up on the inside. After that indicator depresses and goes back down, you can remove the weight. I like to wait until the valve stops hissing before I try to open the lid. Removing the lid before all the pressure has been released will result in a rather startling “pop” once the seal is broken. Ask me how I know.
14. Using a jar puller or an oven mitt, carefully remove the jars from the canner and place them on cloth on the countertop. Remember to use a cloth so you don’t break any jars on the counter. You made it this far, don’t let your work go to waste!
15. Allow the jars to cool. Hopefully, as they cool down, you will hear the tale tell “pop” of the lids sealing. If none of your jars seal then you will have to repeat the process, use the stock, or freeze it. If your cans seal, then congratulations! You now have chicken stock that can safely be stored on a shelf for a long time.