Canned Turkey Chunks (Hot Pack)

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Understand before you begin that turkey is a low-acid food and must be processed in a pressure canner; a boiling-water bath will not make canned poultry safe.
2. 2Wash 4 quart jars in hot soapy water or a dishwasher and keep them hot; wash new lids and prepare according to the manufacturer's instructions.
3. 3Remove the skin and any excess fat from the turkey, then cut the meat into uniform 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes.
4. 4This is the hot pack method: place the turkey cubes in a pot with water or broth and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes until about two-thirds cooked, leaving the center slightly underdone since it will finish cooking during pressure processing; hot pack helps prevent excessive floating meat and shrinkage in the jar.
5. 5Remove the turkey from the cooking liquid and pack the hot pieces loosely into the hot jars, without pressing them down, so liquid can flow around each piece.
6. 6Leave 1 1/4 inches of headspace at the top of each jar.
7. 7Ladle boiling turkey or chicken broth over the meat until it is fully covered, keeping the headspace at 1 1/4 inches, and salt only for flavor if desired.
8. 8Run a bubble tool through the jar to release trapped air pockets around the meat, then recheck and adjust the headspace back to 1 1/4 inches if it has shifted.
9. 9Wipe the jar rims completely clean of broth and fat, center a prepared lid on each jar, and screw the band on fingertip tight.
10. 10Load the jars into the pressure canner, add water per the manufacturer's directions, lock the lid, and vent steam continuously for 10 minutes before pressurizing.
11. 11Process pint jars for 75 minutes and quart jars for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a weighted-gauge canner up to 1,000 feet (15 pounds above 1,000 feet), or 11 pounds in a dial-gauge canner up to 2,000 feet (12 pounds from 2,001 to 4,000 feet, 13 pounds from 4,001 to 6,000 feet, 14 pounds from 6,001 to 8,000 feet).
12. 12Turn off the heat when the time is up and let the canner depressurize naturally by itself; never quick-release a canner of poultry.
13. 13Wait for the gauge to read zero, then wait 2 more minutes, slowly vent any remaining steam, wait 10 more minutes, and unlock the lid.
14. 14Move the jars to a towel-lined counter and let them cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
15. 15Check that each lid has sealed properly, wipe the jars clean, label with the contents and date, and store in a cool, dark place for up to about 1 year.
16. 16Before serving, boil the contents of any jar hard for 10 minutes to destroy any possible botulinum toxin, and discard without tasting any jar with an off odor, spurting contents, or an unsealed or bulging lid.