There is nothing like a bowl of piping hot beef stew on a chilly day, which is why this recipe for how to can beef stew is so wonderful. No longer do you have to labor over a pot of stew, just pull a can of home-canned beef stew from the pantry and heat it in a pan. This is delicious comfort food that is convenient and ready to go.
We pull out a can of homemade beef stew when we’ve been out all day and just need something quick and easy for dinner.
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Canning Beef Stew
Beef stew is one of those yummy comfort foods that are so cozy, but you don’t always feel like making it from scratch when you are craving those homemade flavors. Enter a can of delicious beef stew ready to go, here’s how to make it!
What You Need To Can Beef Stew
Before you start canning beef stew there is a couple of things you are going to need:
- Canning jars
- Canning lids and rings
- Pressure canner
- Jar lifter
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Canning funnel
- Bubble remover
- Towels
- Labels
How To Can Beef Stew
Now that you know what you need to can beef stew, let’s jump into the recipe so you can make your own! NOTE you have to use a pressure canner for this recipe, a water bath canner will not work. Here is a great tutorial on how to use a pressure canner.
Raw Pack Or Hot Pack?
When we were researching how to can beef stew we came across two ways to make it, raw pack and hot packed. Lots of recipes across the web say that it is completely safe to use the raw pack (adding raw ingredients to your jar instead of precooking it and covering with hot water- the end result being your veggies aren’t as mushy and your meat is a little more tender) method when it comes to how to can beef stew.
However, there is no “official” stance from the canning authorities that be on if raw packing is safe, we can’t “officially” recommend the raw pack method of canning beef stew (although we may or may not can our beef stew recipe this way), so proceed at your own risk if you choose to go with the cold pack method of how to can beef stew.
Canned Beef Stew Recipe
This canned beef stew recipe makes 1 quart, you can adjust this recipe as much as you want to make however many jars you want.
Ingredients:
1 cup beef stew meat cut into 1″ cubes
1 cup potatoes peeled and cubed
1/2 cup carrots cut into chunks
1/2 cup onions diced
1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Optional:
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Directions:
Add some oil or butter to a pan and add the roast, lightly brown the meat.
Toss the other ingredients into the pan and cover with water.
Bring the stew to a boil.
Ladle the hot stew into clean jars leaving a 1-inch headspace.
Use a debubbler to remove any air in the jars.
Clean the rim of your jar and add the lid and ring.
Tighten the ring to finger tight.
Place them in the pressure canner, and proccess for 90 minutes for quarts at 10 lbs of pressure (remember to check what pressure you should can things at for your altitude).
*If you do decide to go with the raw pack canned beef stew method, I would chop your vegetables and layer all of your ingredients into your jar, top 1 tsp sea salt per quart, and boiling water leaving 1″ headspace. Use debubbler to remove air bubbles. Place clean flat lids and rings on jars and place them in your boiling water canner. Process as recommended for your elevation for 90 minutes. Remove to several layers of dry towels and let sit for 24 hours. Remove rings and put them in a cool, dry, and dark place to store. Do not stack your jars.
Tips For How To Can Beef Stew
Here are some of our best tips for how to can beef stew:
- It is NOT recommended that you add thickeners before you can beef stew. If you like a thicker stew you can add flour or cornstarch to this beef stew after you open a can and reheat it.
- If you are using very fatty meat it’s best that you drain off the fat before canning it.
- If you do not have stew meat available, you can use any kind of roast you may have in your freezer.
- Adjust the seasonings in this canned beef recipe to make it how you like.
- This canned beef stew tastes the best if eaten within a year of canning. But, it does have a much longer shelf life.
- You can also make this canned beef stew recipe using pint jars, just remember to reduce the processing time.
Before you go, check these out!
- Food Preservation | 10 Best Ways Of Preserving Food At Home
- How To Pressure Can Beef
- The Best Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce
- 11 Must-Have Canning Supplies
