Canning Beef
Canning beef in a pressure canner keeps it shelf stable without taking up freezer space. Browned cubes or ground beef in broth are ready for quick weeknight meals.
Servings: 56 servings, makes 7 quarts
Equipment
- Canning Jars, Lids, and Rings
Ingredients
- 10 1/2 to 12 1/4 lbs beef cubes, strips or ground, weighed raw, see notes
- beef broth, water or tomato juice boiling, to fill the jars
Instructions
- Prepare a pressure canner: add 2 to 3 inches of water and the trivet, and bring it to a gentle simmer, about 180 degrees F.
- Brown the beef in batches, whether it's cubes, strips or ground beef. Lift it out with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat behind as you can.
- While the meat browns, bring the canning liquid to a boil and keep it hot. I usually use homemade beef broth.
- Pack the hot beef into pint or quart jars, leaving 1 inch headspace.
- Cover with the boiling liquid, keeping 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rims, and cap with 2 part lids to finger tight.
- Load the jars into the canner, lock the lid, and vent steam for 10 minutes before adding the weight.
- Process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes at 10 lbs in a weighted gauge canner or 11 lbs in a dial gauge canner, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
- Turn off the heat and let the canner return to zero pressure on its own. Wait 5 minutes, take off the lid, and leave the jars in the canner 10 minutes before lifting them out.
- Cool the jars on a towel, not touching, for 12 to 24 hours, then check the seals. Refrigerate any jar that didn't seal. Take off the rings and wash the sealed jars; they keep 12 to 18 months on the pantry shelf.
Notes
Pressure canner only: Beef has to be pressure canned. It can't go in a water bath canner.
Method: This card is the hot pack, with browned beef in liquid, and it works the same for cubes, strips or ground beef. Cubes and strips can also be raw packed with no added liquid, and the post covers that, but I don't recommend it, since it trades quality for convenience. Ground beef is hot pack only.
Yield: Plan on about 3/4 lb of raw beef per pint and 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 lbs per quart.
Fat: A layer of fat on top of the jars is normal, especially with ground beef. Skim off as much as you can while browning, since too much fat can bubble up into the seal.
Beef broth: To can broth on its own, strain it, skim off the fat, bring it back to a boil, and fill the jars with 1 inch headspace. Process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes, at the same pressures as the beef.
Altitude adjustments: The canning time is always 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts, at any altitude. Only the pressure changes as you go up.
Dial Gauge Canners
- 0 to 2,000 feet: 11 lbs
- 2,001 to 4,000 feet: 12 lbs
- 4,001 to 6,000 feet: 13 lbs
- 6,001 to 8,000 feet: 14 lbs
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 10 lbs
- Above 1,000 feet: 15 lbs
Nutrition
Calories: 221kcal | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 235mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 2mg
