Salt pork

[Dungeon Master]

I have a question. I have heard about preserving meat over extended periods of time with the use of salt. I have started purchasing a whole pig in bulk from a local butcher about two years ago. It is MUCH better than the stuff I can get from the grocery store!!! And LESS than half the price!!! I vacuum seal it and freeze it. It can last over a year this way without freezer burn or loss of taste. My question is, when it hits the fan, I may have a freezer full of meat that will spoil should my backup generator break down or run out of gas. Does anyone out there know how to preserve any kind of meat for the long haul without refrigeration?

[special-k]

I know the Amish "can" meat in Mason jars for shelf storage of 2-3 years.  Never done it myself.

Other than that, you got freeze drying...but the equipment is expensive.

EDIT:  I almost forgot... There is a method of preserving raw beef at room temperature that simply involves submerging thick cuts of raw beef into a non-metal container filled with kefir (cultured/fermented RAW, UNpasteurized milk), then put a breathable lid on the container (just enough to keep the bugs out), then put it in the corner of the basement and forget about it.  Supposedly, THIS METHOD CAN PRESERVE RAW MEAT FOR MANY YEARS...EVEN A DECADE OR MORE.  I'm sure you can find more precise instructions somewhere on the interwebs.  Search "preserve meat kefir."

[Nemo]

University of Georgia.  It might not be best, but ain't nothing better.   State where I am, so you know it has to be good.

This article talks about making the drink.  I have not looked in detail for its use in food preservation.

Nemo

http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/nchfp/factsheets/kefir.html

     National Center for Home Food Preservation
 
Fermented Foods: Kefir

Brian A. Nummer, Ph.D.
National Center for Home Food Preservation
November 2004

Kefir is a cultured-milk beverage believed to have originated many centuries ago in the Northern Caucasus Mountains. Kefir has a uniform creamy consistency, a slightly sour taste somewhere between buttermilk and sour cream, and a mild yeasty aroma. Kefir may have small amounts of carbonation and alcohol. It can be enjoyed plain or sweetened to taste. Traditional kefir is prepared by combining fresh milk with the Kefir culture made up of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. Kefir's live culture has been claimed to have health benefits similar to that of yogurt.

The kefir culture is more commonly referred to as "grains" since it forms grain-like casein-polysaccharide-microorganism particles during fermentation. The exact combination of bacteria and yeasts vary between kefir cultures, and might include: Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Diacetylactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. Cremoris, Lactobacillus kefyr, Klyveromyces marxianus var. Marxianus, and Saccaromyces unisporus. To ensure consistency and sterility, commercial producers now generally use a powdered starter culture rather than grains. However, such cultures may not form grains or continue to culture indefinitely; making kefir grains the preferred choice for individuals.

Commercial production starts with whole, low-fat or skim milk, adjusted for body with nonfat milk solids. The milk is pasteurized, and then heat-treated at 203°F for 10 to 15 minutes denaturing whey proteins. This product is then cooled to 64.4 to 71.6°F, 2% to 5% kefir grains or culture are added, and the mixture is incubated at 64.4 to 71.6°F for 24 hours. After that time the kefir grains are sieved out and the product is pasteurized, chilled and packaged. The final kefir product can be flavored in a manner similar to yogurt.

Home fermentation of kefir was traditionally a mechanism to preserve milk before the advent of refrigeration. Fermented foods are generally considered to be less likely to cause foodborne illness due to the fermentation process. The competitive activity and metabolites of the culture help to - partially or completely -- kill or inhibit the growth of illness-causing microorganisms. Today however, the preservation of milk is easily accomplished using pasteurization and refrigeration, leaving kefir to be enjoyed for its flavor.

Kefir is generally considered to be safe due to the lack of evidence of foodborne illness events related to it. Properly fermented kefir (pH less than 4.5) inhibits many pathogens, but not for Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Yersinia enterocolitica. Care therefore must be taken in the home fermentation of kefir to prevent the access or growth of these microorganisms.

    Use only pasteurized milk.
    Use quality kefir grains from a reputable source.
    Because of the small risk of pathogen growth in home fermented kefir, it is NOT recommended for those with weakened immune systems, e.g. pregnant women, the elderly, the very young and the chronically ill.
    Pasteurization of kefir before consumption will kill the microorganisms listed above.

Pasteurizing home-made kefir can be accomplished by heating the kefir, after the grains have been filtered off, to 161°F for 15 seconds. Place the open jars of kefir in a hot water bath. Stir the kefir while heating until a temperature of 161°F is reached, using a quality food thermometer. Hold at this temperature, making sure the temperature does not drop below 161°F for at least 15 seconds, and then remove the jars from the bath. Cool them quickly in a cool water bath. Promptly refrigerate the kefir at or below 40°F; it may be stored for 7-10 days. Pasteurized kefir will not have the probiotic effects of a live culture, but will be safer, especially for those with weakened immune systems.

References

Heller, KJ. 2001. Probiotic bacteria in fermented foods: product characteristics and starter organisms. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (73)2:374S-379s.

Gulmez, M and A Guven. 2003. Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes 4b and Yersinia enterocolitica O3 in different yogurt and kefir combinations as prefermentation contaminants. Journal of Applied Microbiology 95:631-636.

Dom's Kefir-making in-site Website: http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html (Accessed 15 Nov 2004).

Brian A. Nummer is Project Coordinator with the National Center for Home Food Preservation, Department of Foods and Nutrition, College of Family and Consumer Sciences and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, The University of Georgia, Athens.

This material is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 00-51110-9762.

Document Use:

Permission is granted to reproduce these materials in whole or in part for educational purposes only (not for profit beyond the cost of reproduction) provided the authors and the University of Georgia receive acknowledgment and this notice is included:

Reprinted with permission of the University of Georgia. B.A. Nummer. 2004. Home Preservation of Pecans. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia, Cooperative Extension Service.

References to commercials products, services, and information is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the University of Georgia, U.S.

Department of Agriculture and supporting organizations is implied. This information is provided for the educational information and convenience of the reader.

The University of Georgia and Ft. Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and counties of the state cooperating. The Cooperative Extension Service, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences offers educational programs, assistance and materials to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability. An Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Organization Committed to a Diverse Work Force.

Contact:

National Center for Home Food Preservation
208 Hoke Smith Annex
The University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-4356

Tel: (706) 542-3773
Fax: (706) 542-1979
Email: nchfp@uga.edu
Web: http://www.homefoodpreservation.com

[special-k]

FYI: For meat preservation, any pasteurization would entirely defeat the purpose...the meat must be submerged in active, live kefir.

BTW, I have made and consumed raw milk kefir (made with traditional grains, not the commercial bullshit) almost everyday for years... never gotten sick from it.

[Kbop]

Good question 
just to consolidate.

curing; salting (sodium or potassium nitrite or nitrate), brining, sugaring (think ham)
canning; pressure canning
smoking, jerking, drying
pickling; kefir, lacto fermenting, vinegar - I love pickled herring
freeze drying - if done in advance.
vacuum packing with irradiation - like MRE's - if done in advance.

BTW, I have made and consumed raw milk kefir (made with traditional grains, not the commercial bullshit) almost everyday for years... never gotten sick from it.

I used to drink it all the time in Turkey - the stuff in the States just isn't the same.

[JohnyMac]

All good suggestions folks 

IMO, the best way to store pork is to brine it then smoke it. My neighbor across from the cabin has been threatening to build a smoker. I can't wait till he does.

Now canning meat as has been already mentioned, is a great way to go too. There was a guy on Straightprep I befriended who would buy chuck and chicken when on sale and can it in qt jars. He lived between Watertown, NY and Lake Champlain. He would get snowed in often and would love to open up a qt mason jar of his canned meat for a stew.

Now if you have a freezer full of meat and the power goes out and it is winter and you live north of the Mason Dixon line, move the freezer outside. If it is the summer jerk, can or smoke the meat.

[Dungeon Master]

Thanks everyone for the AWESOME advice!!!! 

[Dungeon Master]

I am a long distance truck driver. As I am writing this, I am in Yukon, Oklahoma (OK City) on my way to Commiefornia. I have been away from home already for a week and a half. The earliest I can get home is three days from now. If it hits the fan tomorrow or whenever, What can I telephone to my family to do in an emergency to save what I have until I can get home to deal with it. I.E. can they put the meat in a CLEAN garbage can with a 50 lb bag of salt or sugar in order to preserve it from spoiling until I can come home to do more for long term storage? I have read about sailors in the 18th century curing with salt for long voyages. I.E. salt pork.

[Nemo]

Short story reply to your question.  Tell them to cook whatever is there and hope it stays edible long enough to keep them fed a while.  I would not really count on you getting home in the normal time frame.  Multiply that by a factor of 10 minimum and pray you can find enough fuel to do it.  You are not going to be able to tell them how to cure up the pork chops or ham or such over the phone.  And you should figure on making the distance you are, on foot, with what you have and can find on the way.

More specific, you should have stuff stored for a while for them, and GHB in the truck with you.  I realize that this whole idea and my telling can be scary and you should start with stores for a hurricane hitting you and no power for a long weekend.  What would you need?  What do you have?  A nickel says your wife probably could make do with whats in the cabinet for that weekend.  Keep in mind toilet paper and feminine supplies would be like gold.

After you are comfortable with that, look to a direct hit from a Cat 3-4.  No power for a week, damage to streets and road and no going out anywhere for that time either.  Keep in mind your age.  Toilet paper and feminine supplies would be like gold.

I anticipate and look at the future from an EMP status.  That is the Electro-Magnetic Pulse that basically will shut off whatever runs on or needs electricity to operate.  A diesel truck likely will also because of the pollution control stuff on it.  Most any vehicle, or about anything else, made after the mid 80s will also be non-operational.  Hope you got good boots.

Basically what you have is what you got or what the govt decides to share with you if you follow their orders.

Nemo

[Kbop]

What Nemo said 

if you keep that much meat around all the time and are worried what will happen if/when you are away - get the preservation method lined up (store the salt, as an example).  Have a written 'how to' ready to be used if the power goes out.  test a small batch to work out any kinks in the plan. - now you don't have to worry about it and can focus on other things.  Who ever is at home can just follow the 'recipe' if the power goes out.
- I know hunters that make jerky & farmers who put up sausage.  this way the meat doesn't need to be kept refrigerated and can be eaten when needed.
if you preserve part of your meat, in advance and are eating it as part of your regular diet, then you will cut way down on the amount of meat you need to preserve if the power does fail.

[brat]

The simplest, in my opinion, is just buy you a pressure canner. Everyone in the family learn to use it, can the meat, plus veggies from your garden. Store in your root cellar or basement, rotate thru it. Also consider a dehydrator and make jerky and dried veggies.

https://www.gopresto.com/recipes/canning/meat.php

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can5_meat.html

I've eaten properly canned meats that were years old.

[JohnyMac]

Two great sites brat!

Here is another one.

[Nemo]

Two great sites brat!

Here is another one.

I subscribe to that magazine.  Keep them organized and filed.  Hard to read a website with no power or internet.

Nemo