The Canning, Freezing, Curing and Smoking of Meat, Fish and Game

by Wilbur F. Eastman Jr.

This no-nonsense guide to canning, freezing, curing, and smoking meat, fish, and game is written in down-to-earth, informative, everyday language. The third edition of this perennial bestseller is completely revised and updated to comply with the latest USDA health and safety guidelines. Includes dozens of delicious recipes for homemade Beef Jerky, Pemmican, Venison Mincemeat, Corned Beef, Gepockelete (German-style cured pork), Bacon, Canadian Bacon, Smoked Sausage, Liverwurst, Bologna, Pepperoni, Fish Chowder, Cured Turkey, and a variety of hams. Learn tasty pickling methods for tripe, fish, beef, pork, and oysters. An excellent resource for anyone who loves meat but hates the steroids and chemicals in commercially available products.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Reference, Cooking, Survival, Nonfiction, Collections

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 1975

Reviews

[Meghan Fidler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun future-possibilities read: I've been witnessing the meat drying process in Hangzhou and Suzhou (though hanging fish carcasses next to busy car exhausted streets seems to me a different version of the English style tobacco-pipe steeped pubmeat) and wanted to learn more about meat smoking. The text has fantastic diagrams for smokehouses (both cold and hot) as well as excellent tips on the now-outlawed process of aged meats. The brines were excellent, and the review of butcher wrapping invaluable (Stop with the plastic baggies! The oceans are clogged with plastic as it is and they don't work as well for the retaining power of waxed paper and careful folds!) The only part of this text I couldn't enjoy was the canning: maybe I am prejudice, but canning meats is just weird. I'd rather dry, smoke, or cold store any day!

[Edward Petrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, no-nonsense handbook for anyone who wants to preserve their own food safely and properly. It covers all the major methods — canning, freezing, curing, and smoking — with clear steps and enough detail to give you confidence without drowning you in jargon.

What I appreciate most is how practical and old-school it feels. You get the “why” as well as the “how,” which is invaluable if you’re serious about food security, reducing waste, or making the most of home-raised meat.

Some sections feel dated, but the core information is still reliable and highly useful. A great reference book to keep on the shelf for anyone who likes doing things the traditional way.

[Indy Quillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book because I wanted some guidance on how to preserve meats beyond canning and freezing (which I've done) and wanted some recipes to try. Excited to try my hand at making the pemmican recipe in this book and learning better techniques for smoking meats. Handy, smaller reference book.

[Dan]

I want to make sausage!