canned meat, lost liquid after processing

I did up some beef in pint jars. After they cooled, I noticed the liquid level is less than what they had when I filled up the jars. I did run an spatula along the insides to release any air pockets, and made sure the level was one inch from top.
One jar the meat was discolored above the water line, so I chucked that one. Smelled strong, when I opened it.
So how do I know for sure the others are alright? The canning book sugests not to over fill them. I thought that might be the problem.

Running dog... are you used to what normal canned beef smells like? "Strong" may not have been anything unusual. One other quick note... there is no possible way for food to be "bad" straight from the canner. Any jar which appears to be "off" (like your "discolored" meat above the broth line) or which doesn't seal still is perfectly safe... for a few days at least. Refrigerate anything which doesn't appear "right" (basically, bad seals)... but don't just throw the stuff out.

As far as the loss of liquid, usually it's from uneven pressure (pressure climbing and dropping quickly) during the process; sometimes you can see jars boiling (and even expelling a bit of liquid) if you remove them from a very hot canner right away. Also, never force the canner to drop pressure quickly by ANY method... no cold water, (not even leaving it in a cool draft), and absolutely no playing with the jiggler gauge or an overpressure gauge to "get the pressure down".

I wouldn't worry about the contents of the jars... as long as the processing time/pressure was correct, the food is safe. It's *possible* you may see those seals fail over time, if any small particles of food or fat got forced through the seal with the broth. Put the "questionable" jars in a cupboard where you can check on them fairly frequently.

HTH

Summerthyme

I processed them at 11 pounds, instead of 10. It stayed that way, steady the whole 75 min. pints. When the time was up, I just turned off the burner. Let it cool naturaly, which is about 25 min. Till the pressure is 0. I wait a min. or so to be sure. Gently I tilt the pressure regulator. If it makes a hissing noise, I wait a min. longer. When it makes no noise, I remove it. I have the All American Canner. It does 10 pints, or 7 quarts. Or if I use the cheap brand jars Golden Harvest, 8 pint jars.
Do any of your jars loose liquid , than it had when you filled it?
Thank you very much.

Running Dog... occasionally some of mine will lose liquid. And I follow all the rules, too... no idea why it happens, although it's not common. They generally keep just fine, though. One batch of my tortiere de viande (a sort of pork/meat pie) mix I canned up a couple years ago had every jar lose about 1/2 the liquid. I was NOT happy (for one thing, that stuff is fairly greasy, and I had to wash- not just rinse- every jar outside with Dawn detergent before storing them!) But I used them over a period of about 18 months with no problem. Didn't even lose any seals, which was better than I expected.

Canning may be both art and science, but sometimes it's just a mystery! LOL!

Summerthyme

Love it.
I got some chicken breasts on sale today. I cooked them till they came off the bones. Then I deboned, and cooled it down. It is now in the fridge, so I can skim off the fat easier. Then tomorrow I will can up some nice chicken soup.
I used a bit of salt. Some yummy onions, and yes, garrrrlic. It made the kitchen smell real good. Ahhhhh..

You folks are making this old dog pretty hungry!

the extra liquid, broth, I save and put into ice cube trays. These are great for the doggie treats.