Hi Tom,

The problem with non-pressurized canning of meats it fails to actually sterilize the meat. Heating/cooking the meat work is okay for non-canning mechanisms of food preservation, but if you are canning the contents, it must be sterile. While most bacterial/fungal organisms are readily killed at cooking temperatures, organisms such as many Bacillus species and Clostridium species (spore-forming organisms) are not, unless you use both high temperatures and pressure, these bacteria will not be killed. As a number of them are either facilitative-anaerobes (can grow with or without O2) or obligate anaerobes (no O2) and a sealed can is lacking O2, these organisms can thrive. Clostridium botulium the cause of botulism is just once such organism. Other Bacillus sp. can also cause food poisoning.

Pete