More wise folks than I will no doubt chime in here, but this is my two cents.

The weighted gauge is a primary standard, which means it is accurate when used correctly no matter what the dial gauge reads. Dial gauges need to be calibrated, even when brand new, and even then can be off by up to several pounds in either direction.

So, you should do your canning by using the weighted gauge, not the dial. The dial is just a " rough approximation" of your pressure.

If you let the weight jiggle more than the 1-4 times per minute, your pressure is actually somewhat higher than the nominal pressure on the weight. Your food will be "overcooked" slightly in that it will have been canned at a slightly higher pressure than is needed. This is perfectly safe, AS LONG AS you don't run out of water in the canner. Food can always be canned at a higher pressure and/or for a longer time than the recipe states with no safety concerns, if ALL OTHER FACTORS ARE STILL EQUAL ( proper packing of jars, venting of canner, proper canner cool-down, etc). The food may have quality issues, but not safety ones. Increasing pressure and/or time is never a substitute for proper safe procedures.

On the other hand, if your canner did boil dry, the food is underprocessed, and you risk damage (warping) the canner. Once the canner boils dry, there is no longer the correct amount of steam inside the canner, and therefore the temperature is no longer correct, either.

The safe thing to do, especially considering that we are talking about meat, is to either reprocess within 24 hours (but preferably sooner) those jars that were in the canner when it boiled dry, OR to freeze the meat as soon as it cooled down. But first, check your canner carefully to make sure the canner and lid are not warped.

To prevent boiling the canner dry, remember that you can add more water to the canner initially, especially if you are doing a long processing time. The water level can come halfway up the jars when you first load the canner. After the canner vents and starts building pressure, start turning your heat level down on the stove so that you "coast" up to the correct pressure instead of "blasting" up to pressure. When the canner is running at pressure, you may only need your stove to be a medium, or even lower to manintain the correct pressure.

Fiddling too much with the heat (to get up to pressure as fast as possible, then turning it way down because you are overpressure) causes siphoning, which is when the liquid in the jar is drawn out during canning. So, it is best to find the "sweet spot" on your stove heat dial where your canner will hold the right pressure, and not fiddle with the temperature much if at all during the actual canning. You may want to try canning a few jars of colored water to find that sweet spot on your stove.

Sharon

Sharon, Dave, thanks so much for your help. I'll be adding lots more water from here on out. I didn't know I could add as much as 4" of water. Every example I saw or read said 1.5 - 2". Sharon, I had to read your post twice to really absorb all the information. I'm clipping this post because there is so much there. Thanks for taking the time. I was VERY careful to do everything just-so, so I feel pretty good about the results.

Dave, I searched the manual again and again until I found the information about the weight. It does say 3-4 jiggles per minute, but it says so in the Pressure Cooker directions, NOT the pressure canning directions!! Funny that they didn't bother to repeat that information.

Now for the results. After prying the lid off the canner, I discovered a trace of water in the bottom - whew! No warping thank God. I must have turned it off just in time. As I said before, this was my 2nd batch because only 7 jars would fit. The remaining 4 jars are in the freezer! I read somewhere that wide mouth Ball jars are freezer safe and they are. My chicken is frozen solid. Can't wait to eat 'em with some fresh maters from the garden. LOL

Thanks again you two.

I think it's easy to misunderstand instructions, which is why Dave's suggestion to do a practice round is such a good idea.

The All-American manual says to use at least 1 1/2" of water. It's unfortunate that these manuals aren't better written because that minimum is often not sufficient for extended processing times and/or higher pressures.

One thing about this sort of canning is it's often done intermittently and it's really easy to forget all the tips, so I make notes in the manual and if it's been a long time since I used the canner, I re-read all the instructions.

I also wrote in my manual a reminder of the 10-minute wait time at the end of processing, as that isn't included in the instructions.

Carol

Yeah I thought the 3-4 jiggles was right. Glad you found it. It is one reason why I like my Presto over my AA as the Presto weights are supposed to rock slowly but continuously. Easier to monitor.

I didn't know I could add as much as 4" of water.

For future reference there really is no limit to the amount of water you can put in the canner to begin with. Obviously you don't want it overflowing but as Sharon said above you can have the water 1/2 way up the sides of the jars with no problems. Other manuals say things like 2 quarts or 6". But those are MINIMUM requirements and for long time processed things like meats and such, water half way up the jars is a good thing.

Oh and when using canning jars for freezing be sure to leave enough headspace for expansion. Sometimes that means you have to remove a couple of T of the food.

Dave

Practice run today! After everything was done, I realized I forgot to wipe the tops of the jars before adding the rings. Soooo I removed all the tops, returned them to the pot of boiling water. Wiped the jars then replaced the tops and rings. What I learned. It absolutely takes practice to get this down. There's a bit of rhythm required to get through all the steps without forgetting anything. I really wasn't planning to do a trial but when Sharon, then Dave, then Carol suggested it I figured I had to. I'm glad I did.

Carol, I'm a note taker too. Today I started a little canning notebook. I'll keep it in the box with the canner so every year I can remember what I learned and have a place to add new information like the knowledge I've gained here. Thanks for the suggestion. Here is what I have so far:

- Adjust water level for longer processing times. 3" is a minimum.
- Add a dash of vinegar to water before canning.
- Weight should jiggle 3 -4x per minute on the AA canner.
- Never attempt to remove the top or the weight until the dial reads 0.
- Leave plenty of headroom when freezing or jars may burst.
- If in doubt, throw it out! (or freeze it)
- In addition to this, I've written the steps from selection and cleaning of jars, to removing rings after processing.

Love this stuff. Thanks so much everyone.

Never attempt to remove the top or the weight until the dial reads 0.

That needs to be modified. When the dial reads zero, remove the weight. Then wait 10 mins before removing the lid.

If you read the Using a Pressure Canner guide at NCHFP, the recognized authority, it takes you through it all step by step.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Using Pressure Canners

Remember, the processing time is time to develop a steamy plume + 10 minutes vent time + processing time per product + cool down to zero + 10 minutes wait time before removing lid.

So the total processing time is considerably longer than just the minutes indicated.

Also, if no one mentioned it, when the gauge shows zero, gently shift the weight but don't lift it off. That's a check to make sure there's no remaining pressure. If you get a little whoosh, leave the weight on a minute or two longer. This will help prevent siphoning from the jars.

Do NOT use the processing times provided in the manual. Manuals are not updated and processing times seldom follow current times or protocols.

Carol

digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35) answered my question. My canner did boil dry and I didn't know how to check it to insure it was safe to use. It is an All American and I have only used it 6 times and was having a hard time with the fact that I should just toss it. It doesn't look warped anywhere so I will do the test with water today to see if it holds pressure. Thanks for all of the great questions and answers.

This is an old post, but I just wanted to clarify that my salsa does not need to be pressure canned, it can be safely canned in a boiling water bath.

Annie