How To Make Homemade Deli Meat!

Have you ever stepped back and tried to take a look at how much you spend on groceries? We do that with our finances ever so often. I noticed deli meat was a big chunk of what I spend in a month. I mean you want good quality food. So I would get our deli meat from the deli in the grocery store. I always got what was on sale but it wasn’t cheap. My husband works as a diesel mechanic so he is never around a microwave. That being said his lunch every day is a sandwich. We went through a lot of deli meat. Then it hit me, I wonder if I can make this myself? Well I could and so can you! It is crazy simple and costs us just a few dollars to make over a weeks worth of sandwiches. On top of that it is SO MUCH better for you! Homemade deli meat has no preservatives or fillers unlike the grocery store. So your feeding your family clean unaltered food. Its cheap, easy to make and good for you. You really cant go wrong with homemade deli meat. So here is How To Make Homemade Deli Meat.

The process is super simple and can be changed to fit whatever type of deli meat you are wanting to make. First item you are going to need is a ham press. This is the ham press we have and it has been working just fine for us. As for the protein today we are talking about using chicken breast. However you could use turkey.

Next you will need a food processor and a large stock pot like this one. I also use these silicone egg rings. I know that’s odd we are not making eggs but I will explain. They are useful.

First step we are going to put our chicken breast in the food processor. I use two large chicken breasts.

Next we will add our seasonings. This is were you can really play. Our favorite seasonings to use are salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning and lemon pepper. I’m sorry I can not give you an exact amount of seasonings to use because it depends on the size of your chicken breast. Also honey I don’t measure nothing. Does my food always taste the same? No. I like to keep my husband on his toes.

Anyway next we will grind our seasoned chicken breast until it is a paste consistency.

Now we will take our ham press and coat the inside will olive oil. After that I like to put some of my seasonings around the inside of the ham press. This just gives your deli meat a little more flavor. Then it looks fancy with seasonings around the rim like the store bought.

Take your seasoned ground chicken and put it into the ham press. After all the chicken is in the press. I like to take the inside of the press and press down to try and get some of the air bubbles out.

Put your ham press lid on and place in the thermometer.

Now put your large stock pot on the stove. This is were those silicone egg rings come into play. If you just place your full ham press in the pot while it is cooking it will rock back and forth. This does cook for some time and it is a loud annoying rattle. The silicone rings fit perfectly on the bottom of the ham press. I found it makes the ham press more stable so it does not rock in the pot.

So you have your full ham press in your pot with your silicone rings on the bottom. Now fill the stock pot with water until it is about 3/4 the way up on your ham press. You don’t want to cover the ham press with water but you do want it to cover the area that is filled with the chicken.

Now bring the water to a boil and boil until the thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 73.9 degrees Celsius. You may have to add more water to your pot as it evaporates. I have found it cooks faster if you keep your pot full of water.

After the chicken has reached the right temperature remove from heat and let cool. When it is cool to the touch place the whole filled ham press in the refrigerator. Do not open it! Let it cool preferably over night but 6 to 8 hours will do if you need a sandwich quick. This helps the deli meat stay together.

The next day after your deli meat has cooled remove from the ham press and slice to your liking. If you have a meat slicer that would be perfect. However I do not have a meat slicer. I just use a sharp knife and it still looks semi-professional.

Now all you have to do is enjoy that delicious deli meat! Obviously make some great sandwiches. But I have found I love to use it for quick wraps or to put on salads in a hurry. It is just cooked chicken so it is super healthy. Especially if your like me and watching your calorie intake.

I hope y’all enjoy! If you like this you should also check out how we make Homemade Bacon Mayonnaise.

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