Chill home-produced meat immediately after slaughter to prevent spoiling and to permit tenderizing. Meat is easier to handle when it is cold. For thorough chilling, keep meat at a temperature below 40° F. until time to prepare it for canning; can it within a few days after slaughter.
If refrigeration is not available and if the maximum daily temperature is above 40° F., process the meat as soon as body heat is gone.
If meat must be held for longer than a few days, freeze it. Store frozen meat at temperatures of 0° F. or lower until canning time. Then cut or saw frozen meat into pieces of desired size.
If frozen meat is thawed before canning, thaw it in a refrigerator at a temperature of 40° F. or lower until most of the ice crystals have disappeared.
Keep all meat clean and sanitary. Rinse poultry thoroughly in cold water, then drain.
Keep all meat as cool as possible during preparation for canning. Handle it rapidly; process it as soon as containers are packed.
Equipment
To control the bacteria that cause spoilage, keep everything that touches meat as clean as possible.
Scrub metal, enamelware, and porcelain pans in hot soapy water. Rinse pans well in boiling water before putting meat in them. Wash knives and kitchen tools to be used in canning; rinse well with boiling water.
Cutting boards, wood utensils, and wooden work surfaces need special treatment to keep spoilage bacteria under control. Scrape surfaces if necessary; scrub with hot soapy water and rinse well with boiling water. Then disinfect clean surfaces.