Preparing and Canning: Chicken or Rabbit
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Preparing and Canning: Chicken or Rabbit

   

Preparing and Canning: Chicken or Rabbit 1

United States Department of Agriculture, Extension Service2

Procedure: Choose freshly killed and dressed, healthy animals. Large chickens are more flavorful than fryers. Dressed chicken should be chilled for 6 to 12 hours before canning. Dressed rabbits should be soaked 1 hour in water containing 1 tablespoon of salt per quart, and then rinsed. Remove excess fat. Cut the chicken or rabbit into suitable sizes for canning. Can with or without bones.

Hot pack --Boil, steam or bake meat until about two-thirds done. Add 1 teaspoon salt per quart to the jar, if desired. Fill jars with pieces and hot broth, leaving 1-1/4 inch headspace.

Raw pack --Add 1 teaspoon salt per quart, if desired. Fill jars loosely with raw meat pieces, leaving 1-1/4 inch headspace. Do not add liquid.

Adjust lids and process following the recommendations in Table 1 or Table 2 according to the canning method used.

Tables

Table 1.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Chicken or Rabbit in a dial-gauge pressure canner.

Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack
Jar Size
Process

Time


 0-2,000 ft


 2,001-4,000 ft


 4,001-6,000 ft


 6,001-8,000 ft
Without Bones:
Hot and

Raw


 Pints
75 min
11 lb
12 lb
13 lb
14 lb
Quarts
90
11
12
13
14
With Bones:
Hot and

Raw


 Pints
65 min
11 lb
12 lb
13 lb
14 lb
Quarts
75
11
12
13
14
*After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face.

Table 2.

Table 2. Recommended process time for Chicken or Rabbit in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.

Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack
Jar Size
ProcessTime


 0-1,000 ft


 Above1,000 ft
Without Bones:
Hot and

Raw


 Pints
75 min
10 lb
15 lb
Quarts
90
10
15
With Bones:
Hot and

Raw


 Pints
65 min
10 lb
15 lb
Quarts
75
10
15
*After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face.

Footnotes

1. This document is Fact Sheet FCS 8208, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: May 2003. Reviewed: August 2008. This document was extracted from the Complete Guide to Home Canning, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA. It was originally published on CD-ROM as part of HE 8151, Guide 5: Preparing and Canning Poultry, Red Meats, and Seafoods. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

2. Reviewed for use in Florida by Amy Simonne, assistant professor, Food Safety and Quality, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.


Copyright Information

This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication.