Canning Albacore

I'm going out on a DB tuna charter with my grandson Sunday. Any advice on canning Albacore? Will have to buy a pressure cooker and jars. Plan to can out on the balcony at the Worldmark Monday.

Recipes?


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Yes, to avoid food poisoning, you must pressure can. Search the web to find out the process. Stubby wide mouthed canning jars (pint) are best. This process will stink your house to high heaven. Remove all dark meat/skin for best flavor. A very light smoke with apple or cherry wood can make for some happnin chow...
Enjoy

figure 1lb of fresh fish for every HALF PINT of canned Tuna when purchasing the half pint jars, pints are not reccomended for most fish. Pack tightly, leaving 1/4" headspace at top of jar. DO NOT ADD LIQUID. Process at 10lb pressure for 90 minutes, (follow directions on your canner). We put it up every year, some smoked, some with hot peppers, some plain, some.....well, put whatever you want in with them.
 happy canning! 

mouth watering for home canned tuna.  the stuff dreams are made of- yumm- i wish you luck

I've done it many times.  I prefer the small wide mouth jars as they are perfect for making a couple of sandwiches or just chunking on top of a green salad. It takes 90 minutes of processing--read the instructions on your pressure cooker on how to do that part. I urge you to use a propane stove OUTSIDE to cook on, as not only will it stink up your house but if one of your jars doesn't seal or breaks, you will get tuna juice coming out on the steam and running down your kitchen walls. (Don't ask me how I know this.    It is well worth the trouble--the difference between home canned tuna and what you can buy in the store is night and day.
T2   

I've seen anywhere from 10 pounds for 90 minutes up to 11 pounds for 100 minutes.  I always err to the higher side.  I have a hard time regulating to 10-11 pounds and often times am a few pounds higher.

Water?  No Water?  Oil?  Spices?  Raw?  Precooked?  The possibilities are endless.  A simple can to me is raw, with water (bottled), and a pinch of non-iodized salt.  I usually make 1/2 the batch like that and experiment with the rest.  I may add one or more of the following: clove of garlic, jalapeno, liquid smoke, curry powder, onions, hot sauce, or whatever my mind thinks of.  If you like extra fishy, drop a sardine or 2 in the jar.  EXPERIMENT!!!  It's fun.

-Allen

Have you ever canned tuna before?  You're going to do it on the balcony of a hotel room??  Its a fairly time, space and labor intensive process (to do it safely and have a decent end product).  Step one is get the Ball canning book and read how to safely can food, tuna or otherwise.  DON't Skip this step unless you have previous food canning experience.  I'd vac pac the loins put them on ice and can them when you get home.

Will have to buy a pressure cooker and jars. Plan to can out on the balcony at the Worldmark Monday.

I'd go with Pelagic's advice and put them on ice till you get home.

Warning: Not all Pressure cookers are canners (even the ones that say Pressure Cooker/Canner).  A lot of the integrated puressure cookers that have built in heat sources are for low pressure canning only.  They don't have the control you need to ensure a safe end product when canning non-acidic veggies or meats.

-Spot-

BTW:  I just smoked up a bunch of Tuna Bellies last night.  This wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't carked the Tuna myslef.  It's messy but really simple and allows you to determine the quality of cut.  I was generous on the belly cut 'cause I love those oily smoked slabs.

I just smoked up a bunch of Tuna Bellies last night.

Mmmmm ... smoked tuna bellies.  Mouth watering goodness right there!!!

Our weather window is shutting down right now otherwise I'd be out there this weekend stocking up on the tuna.  Patiently waiting for the next window.

-Allen

I'm going out on a DB tuna charter with my grandson Sunday. Any advice on canning Albacore? Will have to buy a pressure cooker and jars. Plan to can out on the balcony at the Worldmark Monday.

Recipes?


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Canning on the back deck of the Worldmark might get you banned from there.   
We usually can tuna each summer as well, but we have chosen to do it at a State Park where nature can reclaim the lingering odor.
Actually doing it in the open air in a campground hasn't been an issue for overall smell.  If you have a propane burner that you can easily control, and a pressure cooker handy, I would suggest canning in the shade at the park down at Depoe Bay launch area, or other day use park that has access to running water, garbage can, and a picnic table (Fogarty?).

Sterilize your jars, cutting board, and utensils. Thoroughly wash your hands and keep washing your hands if you touch anything in between. 

Here is our method:
-Add small piece of belly fat to each jar.
-Drop tuna chunks and into pint jars, fill small gaps with smaller pieces of fish all while leaving 1/2" space at  top. 
-Heat the flat lids in hot (not boiling) water to tack the rubber seal slightly.
-Wipe rim off with clean sterile wet towel.
-Screw on the lid rings snug.
-Place in pressure cooker with 2" of water on the bottom of the cooker.
-Place the lid on the pressure cooker and make sure the seal is properly seated.
-Turn on the burner and get it up to 13-15 lbs. 
-When you get to 13-15 lbs, turn down the burner so you can maintain 10-15 for the duration of cooking.
-At this point set your timer for 90 mins.
-You will want to sit and stare at the gauge to tweak the heat up/down to maintain your desired pressure.

I just got through canning a bunch. I use the wide mouth pint jars. It takes about a pound of fish per jar. I cut the fillets to the right length, about one inch shy of the height of the jars. Usually one large chunk and a slice of another will fill the jar just right. Using my knuckles, and a plastic knife, I pack down the tuna and get all the air bubbles out. I cook at 11-12 pounds pressure for 100 minutes. Be very careful not to over tighten the lids. I thought I was being very careful on this last batch but still had one jar break. Very messy, and lost a pound of fish!

I've canned tons of salmon and halibut over the years -- never caused food poisoning yet.  Half pint jars with the wide mouth -- definitely the way to go.  Half a teaspoon of salt before you add the fish -- and then the flavorings you like.  I do:  lemon (just the zest) with capers, lemon with crushed black peppercorns, lemon with a stalk of fresh dill, jalapeno slices, jalapeno with liquid smoke, jalapeno with crumbled bacon bits...  It's all good.

And I always fill within a half and inch of the top with purified water. And I always use a chopstick to poke around and let the air bubbles surface.  Then... 100 minutes at ten pounds pressure.  Keep the rims wiped clean, and there's always a good seal that results. 

No waste, that's my goal. 

Thanks for all the great responses. I'm bringing a vacuum sealer and will can when we get back next weekend. The catches yesterday were amazing, over 50 tuna per boat. If Sunday is the same I could wind up with 10 tuna to process, over 100 lbs, not to mention a weeks worth of lingcod and rockfish fillets.

Suggestions on storing the sealed packets for a week? Would an ice chest be safe?

Anyone want to have a canning party on the 25th or 26th? My fish, your talent, share the wealth?

Here's a site I've read with very detailed canning instructions:

http://culinariaeugenius.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/albacore-tuna-canning/

Thanks for all the great responses. I'm bringing a vacuum sealer and will can when we get back next weekend. The catches yesterday were amazing, over 50 tuna per boat. If Sunday is the same I could wind up with 10 tuna to process, over 100 lbs, not to mention a weeks worth of lingcod and rockfish fillets.

Suggestions on storing the sealed packets for a week? Would an ice chest be safe?

Anyone want to have a canning party on the 25th or 26th? My fish, your talent, share the wealth?

Here's a site I've read with very detailed canning instructions:

http://culinariaeugenius.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/albacore-tuna-canning/

I'm not sure you even need to vacuum seal.

Some tips on keeping tuna at a high quality level.

1) Trim off anything dark.  The dark lateral line.  The remnants of skin.  Some people pull the skin off an albacore.  This leaves a layer of grey "stuff".  Trim this off too.  You should just see good clean meat.
2) Don't rinse in fresh water, or rinse very minimally.  Or if you're really anal, rinse with a salted brine solution.  The meat immediately starts to degrade when exposed to fresh water.  Proper handling while cleaning will keep the fish from getting contaminated.
3) Let your loins drain.  I liberally wrap in paper towel and put on a rack in the fridge for at least 24 hours before processing, changing the paper towels at least once depending on how the loins are sweating.  Don't let the ones on the bottom soak in the drained off juices.  Now this is why I don't think you should vacuum seal.  The loins will continue to sweat even after 24 hours.  You really don't want them vacuumed packed in those juices.   If you're freezing, the whole thing will start to freeze before it sweats more, but you're not freezing so it will just keep oozing out.   I'd wrap in fresh paper towels and put them in ziplocks.  Check the paper towels every day if they need to be replaced.

The loins should be good for the week packed in ice.

-Allen

Thanks, Allen, that really simplified my trip. Ice in a cooler, paper towels in a ziplock. I appreciate the advice.


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