Wanting to try your hand at canning beef and don’t know where to start? We’re sharing our favorite way to can beef that comes out tender and delicious every time! It’s easier than you think! And we are going to walk you through every step along the way.
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Why You Should Be Canning Beef
Canning meat is a great skill to have under your belt, and it really isn’t that much harder than canning vegetables.
It’s also:
- Canning beef is super convenient – need a quick meal, just head for the pantry.
- Canned beef TASTES AMAZING – seriously we aren’t exaggerating when we say that it is so tender and so juicy.
- Canning beef saves you freezer space – if you are anything like us you need all the space you can get when summer rolls around and you are trying to preserve your harvest from the garden.
- Canned beef is good even when the power goes out – I am a huge fan of cheese crackers when storms are rolling through, but those only go so far. Having a pantry full of canned meat is wonderful if your power goes out and you can’t cook a roast and have to get creative.
How To Can Beef
Canning meat is a wonderful way to preserve your food, so often we rely on our freezers to keep things good but what happens if we lose power or the freezer goes out? Here in Tennessee, this is something we’ve dealt with quite a few times as strong storms roll through knocking power out which leaves us scrambling to keep our meat frozen. This is why canning beef is such a great idea!
You don’t have to worry about keeping it cold when the power goes out and if you forget to pull something out for dinner- AHEM- Not that you ever would you have something you can pull right out of the cabinet and serve.
Can You Can Meat Without A Pressure Canner
Because of the fact that meat is low acid you have to absolutely have to pressure can meat no exception, a boiling water canner just isn’t going to cut it when it comes to canning beef. If pressure canning intimidates you check out this guide on how to use a pressure canner.
Do You Have To Cook The Meat When Canning Beef?
No, you don’t! There are two ways to can beef, you can cook it, or you can raw pack it into jars. We personally use the raw pack method for canning beef and love it! The meat comes out so tender and absolutely delicious.
What Do You Need To Can Beef?
Canning beef is a fairly easy process but you will need some things to get started:
- Pressure Canner
- Clean Pint Or Quart Canning Jars
- Jar Lifter
- Long-handled spoon
- Cutting board
- Large Bowl
- Sharp Knife
or electric knife
- Fresh canning lids
and rings
- Chuck Roast
- Salt (optional)
- Pepper
- Seasonings of your choice (optional)
- Hot water or broth
Canning Beef In A Pressure Canner
To begin canning beef, cut your chuck roast into one-inch size cubes (remove any pieces that are super fatty).
Pack the raw meat into your jar, but don’t pack it too tightly as you fill. Leave an inch headspace at the top of the jar.
Add salt and pepper to the top of the meat, and whatever seasonings you want.
Ladle hot water into the jar leaving a one-inch headspace. Use the end of a spoon or other tool to remove any air bubbles in your jars (gently push the meat from one side to the over to allow the air to escape). Place the lid and ring on the jar and gently tighten.
Wipe down the rim of your jars to make sure there are no particles left on top.
Heat your pressure canner, once hot turn off the heat and begin loading your canner. Make sure you have a rack at the bottom of your canner to prevent your jars from breaking. Place the lid on the canner and secure it. Every pressure canner is a little different so check the instructions for yours.
Make sure you don’t have a jiggler or weight on the top of your canner while you are starting, you want the pressure to build up and push the air out.
Turn the heat back on and check your canner about every 5 minutes for a steady stream of steam. Set the timer for 10 minutes and let it sit. Once the time is up place your weight (Check how much weight you need to use for your elevation) or jiggler on top of the canner.
Follow the directions that go with your pressure canner to bring the temperature/poundage up. Keep a close eye on your canner while you bring the pressure up. Process pint jars for 1 hour 15 minutes, or quarts 1 hour 30 minutes.
Once they have finished turn the heat off under your canner and let the canner cool down naturally. DO NOT REMOVE THE WEIGHT, just leave it be until the pressure has reached zero. Remove your weight, and wait 10 more minutes. Then open your canner and remove the jars to a draft-free location for 18-24 hours to finish cooling down.
Once they are cool label and date your jars and store in a dark pantry until use. If necessary you can also wash the outside of your jars.
Print Canning Beef Recipe
How To Can Beef
Cold pack method
- Chuck Roast
- Salt (optional)
- Pepper
- Seasonings of your choice (optional)
- Hot water or broth
- To begin canning beef, cut your chuck roast into one-inch size cubes (remove any pieces that are super fatty).
- Pack the raw meat into your jar, but don’t pack it too tightly as you fill. Leave an inch headspace at the top of the jar.
- Add salt and pepper to the top of the meat, and whatever seasonings you want.
- Ladle hot water into the jar leaving a one-inch headspace. Use the end of a spoon or other tool to remove any air bubbles in your jars (gently push the meat from one side to the over to allow the air to escape). Place the lid and ring on the jar and gently tighten.
- Wipe down the rim of your jars to make sure there are no particles left on top.
- Heat your pressure canner, once hot turn off the heat and begin loading your canner. Make sure you have a rack at the bottom of your canner to prevent your jars from breaking. Place the lid on the canner and secure it. Every pressure canner is a little different so check the instructions for yours.
- Make sure you don’t have a jiggler or weight on the top of your canner while you are starting, you want the pressure to build up and push the air out.
- Turn the heat back on and check your canner about every 5 minutes for a steady stream of steam. Set the timer for 10 minutes and let it sit. Once the time is up place your weight (Check how much weight you need to use for your elevation) or jiggler on top of the canner.
- Follow the directions that go with your pressure canner to bring the temperature/poundage up. Keep a close eye on your canner while you bring the pressure up. Process pint jars for 1 hour 15 minutes, or quarts 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Once they have finished turn the heat off under your canner and let the canner cool down naturally. DO NOT REMOVE THE WEIGHT, just leave it be until the pressure has reached zero. Remove your weight, and wait 10 more minutes. Then open your canner and remove the jars to a draft-free location for 18-24 hours to finish cooling down.
- Once they are cool label and date your jars and store in a dark pantry until use. If necessary you can also wash the outside of your jars.
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Tips For Canning Beef
- Make sure your jars are really clean before you start canning beef.
- Mix and match the seasoning you use to create really flavorful meat that you can use in anything.
- Try marinating the beef before canning for extra flavor.
- You can use canned meat in anything you would use frozen meats in soups, stews, stir-fries, casseroles, and everything in between- also just straight from the jar.
Before you go, check these out!
