This canned luncheon meat is a variation of my canned pork. I adapted the seasonings for this luncheon meat from the kabanos sausage recipe. The slightly sweet and savory flavor profile of the kabanos sausage works exceptionally well for luncheon meat. I experimented with many seasonings but none came even close to this one. This one is a huge hit and most of the pork meat that we preserve comes in the form of this canned luncheon meat.
Unlike the canned pork, in this recipe, I grind fattier meat and mix it with chunks of lean meat. This way you get an almost perfect cylinder of meat that you can then slice and use on sandwiches.
Some people add a couple of teaspoons of gelatin per jar to make the juices gelatinize. I normally don't as my family, especially the kids, isn't big on gelatinous texture.
Before canning, I cure the meat for 48 hours. It's not necessary but the curing salt adds the desirable pink color to the meat and enhances its flavor. Cure #1 also serves as a barrier against potential harmful bacteria. I find that cured meat keeps its taste qualities for longer. Canned meat will store well for up to 3 years, but its taste will begin to deteriorate after about 1 year depending on how you store it. Cured meat will keep its freshness longer.
Food safety when canning meat
Canning meat is fairly straightforward but you must follow some basic rules to ensure that your canned meat will be safe to eat. Those include using a pressure canner, keeping the meat cold, using clean utensils, processing at the right pressure/temperature and for sufficient time, among other things.
If you are new to meat canning, please read my guide on how to can meat before attempting this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs pork 1000 g; pork butt, or pork butt and ham mix
- 1/2 tsp cure #1 level; 2.5 g
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt one level, one heaping; 9 g
- 3/4 tsp black pepper 1.5 g; ground;
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg 0.5 g; ground
- 1/2 tsp sugar 2 g
- 1/4 tsp caraway 0.5 g; ground
- 1/4 cup ice water
Instructions
- Cut the meat into 1-inch pieces. Mix the salt with Cure #1. Place the meat in a bowl, sprinkle with the kosher salt and cure #1 mix, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
- Take the meat out of the fridge, sprinkle with the pepper, nutmeg, sugar and caraway, and mix well. (See note 1)
- Separate lean meat pieces from fattier pieces. Grind the fatty pieces through a 3/8" (10 mm) plate, add the lean pieces back, add the ice water, and mix well.
- Before proceeding, review the detailed guide on how to can meat.
- Pack the meat (not very tightly) into 16-oz mason jars, leaving 1/2" headspace.
- Wipe the rims, place the lids on top and screw on the bands finger-tight.
- Process at 250F (15 PSI) in a pressure canner for 70 minutes (see note 2).
- Remove the canner from heat and let it depressurize naturally.
- Using a jar lifter, carefully remove the jars and place them on a towel or a cooling rack to cool down to room temperature for about 12 hours.
- Remove the bands. Wipe the jars with a damp towel or paper towels. Test the seals.
- Store in a cool, dark, and dry place for up to 2-3 years. The most optimal storage temperature is about 35F-59F (2C-15C).
Special Equipment
- Pressure canner
- 3 wide-mouth pint (16 oz) jars
- Wide-mouth funnel
TIm Sladek says
Victor, I did this with Venison and it turned out awesome. I was wondering if I could add diced potatoes to the jar on top of say 1/2 jar of meat to make canned hash? Would it be better to mix the meat and potatoes together in the jar for the pressure canning process? Thank you
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Tim, I've never canned potatoes, but Marianski has several recipes with potatoes in his Home Canning Meat, Poultry, Fish and Vegetables book. I think mixing would be better as you'd want to keep the potatoes submerged in juices/liquid to preserve color. Also, I believe Marianski recommended to soak potatoes in ascorbic acid solution to preserve color.
Gary S. says
Victor do you have a recipe for Hog's Head Cheese? Looked on your site but did not see one. I'm getting two heads today. I made it before but liked you canning recipe so much and seeing you background I gotta think you know how to make some good Head Cheese aka Brawn.
Thanks.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Gary, this one thing that my family is a partial to so I have not experimented with head cheese for a long time. But Marianski has a few excellent ones in his Polish Sausage book, I can share those with you if you want.
Gary S says
Please do and in the meantime I'll look for his book. Thanks
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Gary, I will email them to you. The book is here - Polish Sausages, Authentic Recipes And Instructions.
Gary S. says
I've been canning for the last 8 years mostly meats, moose, pork, beef and chicken. Never thought of a recipe like this although I use cure in brines and sausage making. I just made 12 lb. of your recipe and it's now in the fridge getting happy. Looking forward to processing it.
Thank you for sharing such a great idea!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome, Gary. This type of canned meat is very popular in Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Poland). My kids kind of balked at the idea of canned meat when I first decided to make it but now it's one of their favorite things to eat. One way is to fry up some onions (also add mushrooms, peppers, etc), then add the meat and let it warm up. Serve mixed with pasta. They love it. Another way I came up with that my family loves is I put a can of meat in my stand mixer, add some chopped red onions, scallions and some mayo. Mix with a paddle attachment for a minute or so. Then serve as you would tuna or egg salad sandwiches. Insanely good! Oh, drop it in any soup, too. I love soup with canned meat. It adds so much flavor. Enjoy!
Gary S. says
Victor I did my canning last night after 24 hours of refrigeration simply due to a time constraint. Just opened a jar this morning. Absolutely excellent in every respect! I did the 70 minutes at 15 lb. pressure adding a tsp of Knox gelatine powder. Probably should have used 2 tsp. I may have packed the meat more tightly than you suggested as the 12 lb. filled 9 jars. I will definitely make this again, soon! I'm thinking I'd like to try a Kielbasa flavouring with garlic and marjoram substituting the nutmeg and caraway. Any suggestions?
Regards
Gary S
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Glad you liked it, Gary. It's recommended not to pack too tightly so maybe try a bit less next time. The seasoinings you have in mind sound great. You should add whatever you personally like. This recipe that I posed is my all-time favorite and my family loves it. I experiment and do other flavors, but they tell me that they like this one best so I stick with it for the most part. But, like I said, I do try new flavors all the time, just in smaller quantities. I have another canned pork recipe on my blog with a slighly differnet flavor profile, that one is excellent too.
Jerilea says
I'd like to make this. It looks like super easy to have on the shelf for quick lunches. Just a couple of questions - can I begin with home processed ground pork? Is that texture too coarse and should I give it a whirl in the food processor? Also, I've never had luncheon meat - is this like a pate or more like a spam texture? Pretty sure I'll still give it a go, just curious. Thanks for posting this recipe and procedures.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
There is no right or wrong here. This particular recipe has ground meat and and whole chunks, so the texture is different from pate or Spam. I wouldn't grin the meat too finely, a coarser grind will give you a better texture. If by home-processed you mean home-ground raw pork, then yes, you can use it. I always grind myself. Good luck! I am sure yuo will enjoy it. A few days ago I harvested a whole buch of spinach and leeks, they've been plentiful this year, and make a leek and spinach soup with a jar of luncheon meat. It was so delicous that I will be making it again soon as everyone is asking for more.
Garna says
Hi Victor,
I made your luncheon loaf today. The liquid doesn't cover the.meat fully at the top. Is it still safe?
Thank you,
Garna
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Yes, that's not a problem at all. Enjoy!
Rafael Groce says
Happy to have found your luncheon meat recipe. I learned something totally today and I am up for the challenge of making my own. Wish my good luck.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Good luck. I am sure it will turn out great, this is fairly simple recipe.
Troy Colton says
I took out enough pork to do 16 jars of your canned pork but now I see your lunch meat recipe I will make 8 jars of each. I made a couple cases of spam last week but they didn't turn out as good as last year's. I used a couple hind legs I never got around to making ham out of and it's much leaner than the shoulder I used last year. I'm guessing that was the issue.
It will be nice to have a little bit of something different and your lunch meat looks really good.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I think you will like it. There is something about a mix of whole meat pieces and ground meat, the texture is very good. Kind of like spam but better, of course.
Elena says
Hi Victor, enjoy your website and recipes. I lived in Germany for a year in the late 80's and the farm where I worked made something like this. I have kicked myself for 30 years for not having learned their technique. Was too busy chasing cows to spend time in the kitchen. How are you "packing" this in a jar? Normally with a raw pack canned meat you put it in loosely. Do you form a cylinder of sorts and put in jar? I am assuming the cure makes it a safe process? Thanks, Elena
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Elena, I mix the meat chunks with ground meat and just spoon the mix into jars. I lightly press the mix down with the spoon as I go. You don't want the meat to be too loose as you will end up with too many cavities and the meat will sink down after canning, leaving a big headspace.
In this recipe, pressure canning makes the meat safe, not the cure. I only add the cure for the color and the flavor. Sure, there is the benefit of added safety but if you can properly and the seal stays intact you are not required to add curing salt.
Rebecca Woosley says
The recipe says chunks of meat, but could you grind it? Recipe says 15# pressure - is that because of your altitude or just for the temp, my altitude is 10#.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Rebecca, I use a mix of ground and chunks in this recipe because I like the contrast of different textures, but you can grind all of the meat. Somewhere in my post, I mentioned that I use 15lbs of pressure because I like the texture better when cooked at 15lbs. It's a personal preference. If at your altitude 10lbs is sufficient, you can go with that.
Annie says
Thank you so much Victor for this recipe! My husband is absolutely crazy about this pork luncheon meat! I do a lot of homemade goodies, smoking, curing and preserves but never did canned meat before and it is absolutely delicious! Now, I will have to buy Stanley Marianski book on canned meat and keep it next to my Rytek Kutas cured meat and sausages book! Your site is now saved in my favorite!
Annie
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Annie, thank you for the kind words and I am happy that I could help you discover something new.
My grandpa used to make canned meat all the time but I only started a few years ago and love it. The meat is ridiculously good and you can store it for years. Without refrigeration!!! 🙂 How cool is that? This is a great way to take advantage of bulk pork prices and not worry about freezer space too. We have a farmer nearby selling excellent pork at really good wholesale prices but only if you buy a whole or half a hog. They call it freezer pork. For me it's canned and cured pork;)
And the convenience of it is unmatched. Just cook some rice, buckwheat, quinoa, spaghetti and mix the meat in. My daughter likes to make it more interesting by sauteing some onions, garlic and mushrooms then adding the meat to heat it up, and only then mixing it with the carbs. We also add it to soups when pressed for time, or make sandwiches with it when you need to whip up a meal in minutes.
They say that canned goods start to lose their taste qualities after a year but I am not noticing it with my canned meat. I opened the last jar from an older batch that I had made about 2 years prior and the meat tasted just like it was canned a month before.
Good luck!
jeffytbone says
Hello Victor. I just wonder about Note 1. Is that 1 teaspoon per jar or to the whole thing. Thank You.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi jeffytbone, yes, it's per jar. I updated the note. Good luck!
Tracy says
I have been canning forever. But I’m new to meats! Thanks for this, as soon as I find pork butt on sale I’ll be making a batch!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Tracy, sorry for the late response. You are very welcome. I will be adding more of my favorite canned meat recipes soon.
Beau says
I'm canning meat for a long road trip punctuated by camping trips I'm taking with my kids. How do you serve the luncheon meat? It looks pretty wet.... Is it the kind of thing you want to heat up, or can you just drain it and bust chunks up with a fork on a piece of bread or something? Is it good at room temp?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Beau, depending on how much skin you will have in a jar the liquid may turn into thick jello, my kids like it. Otherwise, yes, it will be wet. We serve it cold by spreading on bread and making sandwiches. Yes, you can drain the liquid. You can also make pasta, boiled potatoes, quinoa, rice, noodles, buckwheat or any other grains you like and mix with the meat. No need to drain the liquids here as that will make the dish juicier. My wife fries some onions, shredded carrots, chopped celery and greens, then adds canned meat (drained), heats it up then mixes with pasta. Delicious. Lot's of ways to get creative here.
ELIAS says
SALT CONTENT 9 GR IS TOO LOW CONCONTROL CLOSTRIDIUM, LUNCHEON MEAT
WPS > 4%
SALUDOS
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Wrong! Even if you write in all capital letters.
I will quote Stanley Marianski and I highly recommend reading his book Home Canning Meat, Poultry, Fish and Vegetables.
"Salt does not preserve meat in canning and is added for flavoring. It can even be left out altogether. If used, place salt in the container before putting in the meat."
Marianski, a well-known expert on meats and sausage production, states that you can control Cl.botulinum two ways - by killing spores and by preventing spores from germinating and growing.
Cl.botulinum spores can only be killed at 240° F, 116° C or higher. This is why we can meat in a pressure canner, which allows to reach that temperature.
Salt can be used to prevent or slow down the growth of Cl.botulinum but you need to reach a 10% salt concentration which is equivalent to a water activity of around 0.93. I can imagine very few people would want to eat meat that is that salty.
High acidity (pH < 4.6) is another way to control Cl.botulinum. This acidity level prevents botulinum bacteria from leaving the spores, which in turn prevents them from germinating and growing, therefore no toxin is produced. Hence there reason why high-acid foods such as fruits or juices can be processed at 212F (100C) as this temperature will kill all bacteria in vegetative form and bacterial spores are prevented from germinating by high acidity.
Rebecca Woosley says
The recipe says chunks of meat, but could you grind it? Recipe says 15# pressure - is that because of your altitude or just for the temp, my altitude is 10#.
Sharlene Kaiser says
Is it possible to use thinned tomato basil soup when canning different meats instead of just tomato juice or water?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I don't see why not. I like that idea.