Not gonna lie…
I was a bit leery of the whole canned meat thing when I first started homesteading.
I suspect it stems from my irrational fear of potted meat food product. Ever since I was a little kid, I have thought that sounded like the worst possible thing you could put into your mouth… (My apologies to any meat product fans out there)
Thankfully, canning meat at home is a whole different ballgame, and a skill you’ll definitely want to add to your homestead repertoire. Plus it’s really not any more difficult than canning veggies. Honest!
Why Canning Meat is a Skill You Need to Have:
1. It’s totally convenient. Grab a jar from your pantry, pop it open, and you have wonderfully tender meat all ready to add to your recipes
2. It saves on freezer space. We have two freezers out in our barn, but they are ALWAYS too full, no matter what I do. Anytime I can store food at room temperature, it’s a huge plus for me.
3. It’s a smart preparedness measure. Lest you be stuck eating dry cereal and crackers if your power goes out…
4. It tastes darn good. Really! Home canned meat is tender, juicy, and can be seasoned however you like.
A Super-Duper Very Important Warning
You must, must, must use a pressure canner if you plan on canning meat– no exceptions. Since meat is a low-acid food, a regular boiling-water canner will not be able to heat it at a high enough temp to make it safe for storage. I know pressure canners may seem intimidating at first, but they are actually simpler than you think. I have a full pressure canning tutorial here. It’ll walk you through the process, and teach you how to pressure can without blowing up your house (always a good thing).
OK, enough chit-chat. Let’s start canning meat!
How to Can Meat
(Hot Pack Method for Canning Meat)
- Beef, venison, elk, or pork
- Salt (optional)
- Water
- Canning jars, lids, and rings (quarts or pints are fine)
- A pressure canner
Trim the meat to remove excess fat and gristle. (I usually try to do this when the meat is half-frozen. It makes the trimming much easier)
Slice into strips against the grain, and then cut into roughly 1″ cubes (just eyeball it– no need to be exact).
Place the cubes into a large stockpot and brown thoroughly on all sides. If your meat is especially lean, you may need to add a bit of fat (such as bacon grease, lard, or coconut oil) to the pan to prevent stickage. (Yes, that’s a word)
The goal here is to simply brown the cubes— you don’t need to cook them all the way through.
Place the browned meat cubes into clean glass jars, leaving 1″ headspace. If using quart jars, add 1 teaspoon of salt. If using pint jars, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Pour water (how much you need will depend on how many jars you are canning) into the pot you used to brown the meat, and bring it to a boil. This will capture all the lovely bits from the bottom of the pot and create extra flavor in your finished product.
Ladle the boiling water over the meat in the jars, leaving 1″ headspace.
Wipe the rims, adjust the lids/rings, and process in a steam pressure canner as follows:
- Pints: 75 minutes
- Quarts: 90 minutes
Use 10 pounds of pressure, UNLESS you are 1,000 feet or more above sea level. If that is the case, increase to 15 pounds of pressure.
**Try my favorite lids for canning, learn more about FOR JARS lids here: http://theprairiehomestead.com/forjars (use code PURPOSE10 for 10% off)
Kitchen Notes:
- I don’t have exact amounts for this recipe, because it just depends on what you have available. You can either start canning meat immediately after butchering, or save back several of the tougher cuts to can later.
- The salt is entirely optional and only added for flavor, not for any preservation benefits.
- Add your melt-in-your-mouth canned meat to soups, stews, casseroles, skillets suppers, or just warm it up and eat it out of the jar.
- It’s also possible to can ground meat, soups, and stews. Those tutorials will be coming soon!
How to Can Meat
Ingredients
- Beef, venison, elk, or pork
- Salt (optional)
- Water
- Canning jars, lids, and rings (quarts or pints are fine)
- A pressure canner
Instructions
- Trim the meat to remove excess fat and gristle. (I usually try to do this when the meat is half-frozen. It makes the trimming much easier)
- Slice into strips against the grain, and then cut into roughly 1″ cubes (just eyeball it– no need to be exact).
- how to can beef, venison, or elk with a pressure canner for fork-tender meat!
- Place the cubes into a large stockpot and brown thoroughly on all sides. If your meat is especially lean, you may need to add a bit of fat (such as bacon grease, lard, or coconut oil) to the pan to prevent stickage. (Yes, that’s a word)
- The goal here is to simply brown the cubes— you don’t need to cook them all the way through.
- how to can beef, venison, or elk with a pressure canner for fork-tender meat!
- Place the browned meat cubes into clean glass jars, leaving 1″ headspace. If using quart jars, add 1 teaspoon of salt. If using pint jars, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- how to can beef, venison, or elk with a pressure canner for fork-tender meat!
- Pour water (how much you need will depend on how many jars you are canning) into the pot you used to brown the meat, and bring it to a boil. This will capture all the lovely bits from the bottom of the pot and create extra flavor in your finished product.
- Ladle the boiling water over the meat in the jars, leaving 1″ headspace.
- Wipe the rims, adjust the lids/rings, and process in a steam pressure canner as follows:
- Pints: 75 minutes
- Quarts: 90 minutes
- Use 10 pounds of pressure, UNLESS you are 1,000 feet or more above sea level. If that is the case, increase to 15 pounds of pressure.
More Pressure Canner Recipes:
Try my favorite lids for canning, learn more about FOR JARS lids here: http://theprairiehomestead.com/forjars (use code PURPOSE10 for 10% off)
In Romania’s countryside people who are raising pigs are using almost the same process as described here. The exception is that instead of water they are using the pig’s melted lard. Thus no need for a pressure canner. The jars are placed on a metal plate to absorb the heat of the lard and prevent them from breaking. Afterwards, the jars are left to cool down, then placed in storage. Because of the lard the meat becomes very tasty. And it can last for a year, without becoming rancid.
Is that pork confit then? I love to hear about the traditional methods used to preserve food (esp meats) but that sounds a bit scary if they make a vaccuum in the jar without the pressure canning to ensure it gets hot enough. But then again, if that’s how it was always done….
when we lived on the farm my dad raised some pigs , when they butchered them they smoked the hams and then my mother fried the ham slices and packed them in empty coffee cans and dumped the grease on top so they were covered and after they were cool she put the cover on and stored it until into the winter and we ate it and it was very good. guess what we are still here and nobody got sick
My mother made sausage balls about 1.5-2” and fried them till done. Then put them in clean hot quart jars and covered them with the hot grease that they were fried in. She left 1/2”-1” air space at top.
Put new lid with rubber gasket and tighten down. As the jars cooled down you could hear them popping (vacuum packing)
Store them in pantry.
When ready to eat she would open them up spoon out what she needed into skillet to reheat them.
My grandmother did the same thing, but made the sausage into patties. When they slaughtered their hog, she made all her sausage this way.
I do agree. People were never sick like they are now. Back to basics!!
I can meat often but i use raw pack and dont add any liquid. It turns out great, saves time. The meat makes its own liquid.
What is “raw pack”? Uncooked meat? Can I thaw frozen hamburger (friend butchered a grass-fed cow) and can it raw? under pressure? Or should I cook the hamburger first and then pressure can it? Thanks
Hello everytime I pressure can raw meat it gets very dry. How do you keep that from happening? Thanks Ellen in Pa
How long does the canned meat store for?
Raw packed meat is easy. Cut it up, fill the jars.. not super packed in but not with big air pockets. I do add a pinch of sea salt. I do pints at 75mins. Mind you, I’m talking about brisket. With the flat (leaner) side I’m going to add a bit of broth, maybe an inch. The other half will not get water. Other leaner roasts I can, I add a couple inches of water or broth.
As for the hamburger, yes you can defrost it and can it. In my canning experiences, it’s easier to brown the beef slightly (even if it’s still a little pink).. then jar it and process it. I just found it easier. (The hot pack method)
As for canning raw meat turning out dry… depending on the meat, I’d add a little bit of liquid (broth or water)
my pressure cooker on the frizt,s I already browned my meat, will it be ok to put my browned meat in the fridge, then when my new cooker comes in two day, put the meat in jars then pressure cook, or does the meat have to be warm.
I would let meat get room temp hot jars hot broth to pour over should not be a problem. I can fish beef chicken pork and even taco meat
I would just like to add that an electric pressure cooker can NOT be used to can low acid food. I just found that out and was very disappointed. So I ordered a true Pressure Canner. My old one was destroyed when a house burned.
Why is that? I use a Presto electric pressure canner and can low acid foods all the time. Their book has instructions and they assured me (phone call) that using their canner the product will get to 240 degrees for whatever time you dial in.
cooker/canner, 2 different things.
Ah, Romania, lovely traditions.Unfortunately in North America the pork doesn’t contain same thickness in fat so the lard production is diminished.I am going to try pressure cooked and I am sure some lard will gather on top.Lard also had the role to create to insulate so the air won’t get thru.
It’s great to see this post, a lot of my friends think its absolutely crazy to can meats. We have been doing it for a long time though.
Curious why they would find in CRAZY.. They eat canned soup with meat, they have I am sure heard of SPAM, Corned beef in a can. The medium for holding may be different, but still the same process. The thing to remember is you have to practice REALLY GOOD safe protocols, so nothing goes bad. You MUST wash your jars & equipment well, food must be HOT, and must cook to the correct Temp, and then cool property, and store correctly. As a reminder, the stuff you buy is LOADED with preservatives to make it more stable, and able to stay in storage without having to pay closer attention to the dates. But for anything you make that is NOT loaded with Chemicals, you have to handle everything properly.
I love how you de-mystify skills and empower folks with your posts! I have so far pressure canned turkey, duck (from older layers) and pork stock, but not any red meat yet. I think the energy/freezer space issue is what really draws me to this method of putting up meats, plus the tenderizing effect on older poultry muscle is quite amazing.The ONLY downside I have about pressure canning is how log it takes per batch, I need 2 so I can tandem pressure can, hahaha! I also pressure can dry beans, a great thing to do in winter when you don’t mind the stove heating all day. So much cheaper than store bought canned!
Thanks again!
I agree! Having a second canner would be awesome!
If you haven’t, maybe you could do a blog on canning dried beans? I love that idea!
Here ya go! https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/04/how-to-can-dry-beans.html
I love Jill’s method for canning dry beans. They are so much better than store bought. Thank you so, so much Jill for everything you’re doing, you’re helping a lot of people become more self sustaining and that’s powerful!
How long will they last in the pantry?
I have 4 pressure canners and 1 water bath canner you can use your pressure canner as a water bath canner just don’t seal it
I love pressure canning. I haven’t done beef yet. I have canned a lot of chicken. My MIL canned venison and she used it in sandwiches.
Yes, anything that can be stored in anything other than one of my freezers is a huge plus.
Got a recipe for canning chicken? I would love to try canning some. Ate some before and it was real good
I used to can chicken years ago. This year I canned chicken, turkey and beef. Bought a whole brisket from the met department and brined it for 10 days to make corned beef. Just awesome. Will do more as sales happen.
Is the salt canning salt, or regular table salt?
I use regular sea salt.
I was always told to use non iodized salt.
I’m a huge fan of canning….but have stayed clear of canning meat…or even using a pressure cooker. I know it would be an adventure worth taking up, but I guess you could say…I’m also a bit “leary.” –thanks for the post!!
I have to admit, the thought of canned meat has always sounded incredibly unappealing to me! You have MAYBE POSSIBLY convinced me to try it 🙂 thanks for a great tutorial!
I put venison in a large pot of boiling tomato juice. When it comes back up to a boil I put it in quart jars and pressure cook at ten pounds pressure for 90 minutes. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic.
Regularly have used it up to as long as 5 years later. Mother-in-law shoved some I did behind some tomatoes and I discovered them last year. Canned in 2011. Figuring on dumping them and processing the jars for new use I found the meat looked and smelled good. Decided that while I didn’t think it wise to eat it after that long. I would boil it for a hour with the idea to mix in in home made dog food for my hound. Changed my mind deciding I wasn’t sure it would not harm her. It smelled delicious and my dog was getting excited from the smell but I figured it wasn’t worth the chance.
Point is that done properly done I find my canned meat far exceeds the time I can keep it, compared to freezing it. Tenderness and flavor is tremendous!
I have also been a little leery of canning meats and it is for the exact reason you mentioned. I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks for the post!!
You got this Debbie!
Thank you for the recipe, Jill.
I usually don’t precook the meat. I cut the toughest parts of the deer into 1″ cubes and pack them raw into pint jars. I add just a pinch of canning salt (iodine free) and top with water leaving 1″ below the rim.
Then I can at 15 psi of pressure for 90 minutes. It really softens the otherwise tough deer cuts.
When I use my meet in stews and such, I season it then. But it’s very good without additional seasoning. Beats Dinty Moore any time 🙂
I bet your method will be very good with milder meet like pork. Hm!
Kimberly
This is how we do it too! Actually I have the cooker, pressuring venison as I type! (I came on the internet to look at other things to can) I may be addicted
My grandpa said his mother used to can sausage. We actually just talked about this topic this past summer. He said that she would cook up the sausage, place the sausage in the jars, pour the grease into the jars, seal them, then flip them upside down. As they cooled it would seal the jars. Anyone else ever heard of this? Would it be safe? It was good enough for them but would their be risks associated with it?
Yes where I live its still very popular. They also can liverwurst right after butchering hmm.from pork.
I know this was a method that was used a lot in the past. However, many of the more modern canning agencies don’t recommend it.
The reason they don’t recommend that method anymore is purely CYA to prevent someone who doesn’t do it right and gets sick from suing them.
It is the same reason manufacturers today recommend Refrigerate After Opening for things like Ketchup, Mustard, Pickles, Olives, and a whole host of other things that are fully preserved by their nature. There are three ways to preserve food products without canning. They are pickling (the use of vinegar), candying (the use of sugar), and curing (the use of salt). Just don’t store these items in high heat, such as outside in the sun, and they can last for years. Eventually, taste will suffer, but that usually takes many months, well into multiple years.
Don’t forget drying. I have made jerky and dried ground beef.
I would like to can homemade cat food of cooked chicken, sweet potato and strained peas. Must I cook the food after I have canned it and opened the jar?
My father use to can wild game, homemade sausage, meatballs, sauce and meatballs, lard,…. darn near anything. For the meats, he diligently cleaned and then boiled the jars, added the cooked contents (or partly cooked) then into the boil bath. It always worked and I remember being amazed as a kid eating fresh rabbit we jared 8 months prior. That’s the way they did it in the old country.
I have just canned lots of chicken, but no other meats. Hope to soon.
Thank you for your considerations.
Enjoy Michael!
I love canning meat…..chicken beef cubes, pork cubes, bacon, ground beef…..I do cook my ground beef first…..but everything else goes in raw. The most tender, flavorful meat ever! I buy a lot in bulk, from Zaycon. So convenient for dinner in a hurry…beef or chicken for any dish really..casseroles, tacos, burritos, chilis, quick meat and potato dinner, hash….love having it on hand, and that pressure canning/cooking really does something special to the meat! I also love how you make it sound un intimidating to anyone wanting to try for the first time. It is actually easy and so rewarding to see all that shelf stable meat! 😀
I’ve heard really good things about Zaycon– their meats are definitely perfect for this!
i have been using this method for years for canning fish (salmon and trout). of course, i don’t cook it first, just cut it up into large chunks and pack it tightly into the jars. i do put non-iodized salt in the jar. i leave the skin on to get more flavor into the meat. but then i have to scrape the skin off when i use it, or else when i mix it up it looks gray and ugly. but if i remove the skin before canning it, it just doesn’t have all that good flavor from the fat. then i process it as you described. so much better than store bought tuna.
Very cool! I hadn’t even thought about canning fish!
I was thinking about asking if canning like this would be good for fish. So now I know. But why does it have to be non-iodized salt?
Iodized salt can cause discoloring in the finished product: http://extension.psu.edu/food/preservation/news/2012/types-of-salt-and-salt-substitutes-in-canning
Thank you!! This answered my question.
I have canned a lot of broths, soups, beans and vegetables with my Presto pressure canner. Salmon in the past too. I like to smoke it first then can it, Salmon is great this way. Haven’t tried canning red meats yet, soon though. Thanks for all the info and blogs, I love reading what everyone else is doing.
I too can salmon with skin. Keeps fish moist and preserves the Omega 3’s. Thought I was completely out of canned salmon but found a jar that was 5 years old in my pantry, just as good as the day it was canned. Always follow safe canning procedures.
Can anyone suggest a good pressure canner? I have a pressure cooker but it does not have a guage on it. I am new to canning and I am hoping to start this summer becoming more self sufficient. We have had our chickens for almost a year and I am eager to start relying more on what I grow than what I get at the grocery store.
2 kinds of pressure cookers – with and without gasket; I’ve use ‘Mirror” pressure cooker (with gasket, replaced x1) for years. But if I upgrade/replace, I’ll try the gasket-less model. Either way, just follow the instructions with the canner.
We lost our dairy cow and now have a freezer full of flavorful but not tender beef. Would pressure canning according to your directions make it more tender?
I LOVE the All-American! http://amzn.to/1z7jqG1 (aff link) SO happy I invested in it.
I just got an AA for my birthday and simply love it. I have just canned spaghetti sauce with ground beef and sausage and it came out just great. Its on now… I have canning fever!
My opinion only, but All American Canner is the only one I would ever consider. Bottom line: They aren’t cheap, but it literally can’t get any better. Metal to metal seal means no replacement parts ever.
Brand doesn’t matter. Should buy medal to medal seal. One of my pressure cookers is 52yrs old and is still kicking a—.if needed you can still by parts for it. Also it does have pressure gage . You need to keep it clean. It is called all American. Also have 14 qt./18pint same brand.
I, too, was leery and afraid of food poisoning, but my dh convinced me to try canning meat. We canned chicken breasts, cut them in half and put them in pint-jars. Our BH&G canning cookbook stressed that you must boil the meat for ten minutes before tasting (to avoid any food poisoning), so I always do. It’s wonderful to go to the garage, pick-up my canned chicken, and use it for soups, taco/burrito casseroles, anything is made so muck quicker!
I have been canning beef, pork, chicken ,venison, hamberger for many years. I cut red meats enough to fit in the jar, raw packed, no water added, it makes it’s own juice in the jar…. For venison, I add beef bullion, powdered onion soup mix, it takes away the wild taste. You can throw in real onions too. 10 lbs pressure for 90 minutes.
We have eaten canned beef that was 17 years in the jar, it was wonderful… One thing I would like to add,,, canned meat does not look appealing in the jar..
I agree Deb– it’s not super appetizing in the jar, but sure tastes good! I love your onion idea!
lol! I can imagine it doesn’t look so great!
We are in the process right now of canning beef. I use beef bullion instead of salt and I brown my meat before I put it in the bottles. We also save the juice and tasty bits from the pan we use to brown it and add that to the bottles. It comes out of the pressure canner with a deep brown color we find very pleasing and appetizing.
The appearance is the whole reason my adult son will not eat it. I try to tell him he is missing some good tasty meals.
Hi there,
I am new to your website and I love it! Thank you for putting your time into it, I have learned so much. I am new to canning and my question is, how long can canned meat, veggies, jams etc., be stored for? I have heard anywhere from 1 – 3 years, but wanted to see if that was more or less the time line you or your readers used? Or if normally it would be up to one year?
Thank you. 🙂
The “experts” say canned food kept in a cool, dry place will last a year or so. But I’ve had items I’ve personally canned last MUCH longer! 🙂 http://nchfp.uga.edu/questions/FAQ_canning.html#5
What scares me about long-time storage is the quality of the canning lids; I’ve often opened a jar of various canned products from soups to fish and the lids have corosion on them, just to be clear the corosion is on the inside. Was something done improperly regarding the method of canning? What in your opinion is the best brand of lids?
Thanks for any and all info
I always but ball canning lids. I talked with a certified master canned and she said after the canning process remove the bands. This way if the seal was not good you will know. If you have the band on the lid can actually reseal if it came loose. It will grow harmful bacteria.
Is there anything different I need to do with canning chicken than other meats? I have a lot of chicken in the freezer, as we butchered recently. I would like to make some room in the freezer. Besides, it’s now winter, and good time to can what I have available.
Here are some tips for you! http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/chicken_rabbit.html
My mom gave me a pressure canner for Christmas a couple years ago and it sat in my basement because I was terrified to use it…I just knew that I was going to blow up my house. My sister in law and I decided to get together and be courageous and we can a hundred pounds of chicken. It was amazneing and life changing!
we called the butcher and asked where the price breaks were to get a great deal and we ended up getting chicken tenders for a 1.75 a pound. we took the fresh chicken tenders and put the raw chicken right into the pint jars no salt needed no water needed and pressure can them for 75 minutes at 13 pounds of pressure for our elevation.
we get one pound of meat per pint and it gives us about a half cup of broth makes about a half cup of broth.
we use it for everything from sweet and sour chicken two enchiladas and chicken salad sandwiches and Hawaiian haystacks. It shreds like a dream!
We have also tried boneless spare ribs and they are processed the exact same way and come out tasting just like they came out of the slow cooker. The fat cools on top but I think it adds more flavor.
we use these for sweet pork burritos and barbecue pork sandwiches they are delicious!
I am so glad that you posted this tutorial it will hopefully let people realize that it’s not so scary and it’s worth the effort.
Debi
Love this Debi!! It’s kind of addicting, huh? 😉
Very addicting….. then I’m thinking what did I get myself into. ?. I just took my quarts of elk out and and I have my chile con elk (carne) in now. I’m only a few years into canning but I have my husbands grandmother to help which is always very supurb!
Just wanted to say Thank You for sharing your wisdom. You are such an inspiration, I love checking all your post, I never miss reading a one of them, I admire your wonderful efforts and it is a blessing you take the time to share with others. You have my vote, Blessings
Awwww… thank you so much Debbie! I love having you as a reader!!
My husband cans a lot of meat…venison is his favorite. He uses it for so many different meals, including stews and soups.
reply to couch: regarding salt. i use non-iodized salt because that is how i was taught. not sure why. i know when we smoke fish, all the recipes say to use non-iodized salt. maybe some sort of reaction between the fish and iodine???
table salt, aka iodized salt, contains ingredients to keep the salt from caking. during canning, at least with pickles, it makes for a cloudy brine. the table salt may contain some form of thickener, like corn starch, and that is another reason we aren’t supposed to use it. hope this helps.
Oh! Thank you so much for this blog about canning meat. My husband grew up ranching and his mom canned meat. He’s been saying for years he wants to can some but we didn’t know how. Unfortunately, I didn’t get his mom to teach me before she passed away a few years ago. My husband and his brothers all want to get together and can. So this year at the holidays we will be canning meat together. Of course, I’ll try it out before then.
I’ve been meaning to write and tell you I’ve actually been to Chugwater. I thought it was so cool! I lived in Oklahoma back then but now live in the mountains West of Denver. So we are relatively close neighbors. We live at 8,100 feet. Your info for high altitude is so appreciated! It’s hard to find good info. I’ve really been exploring more natural ways of living. I’m so happy I found you! I’m a fan!
We are practically neighbors! 🙂 I’m glad you found me, too!
So, some of you are canning meats cold & raw packed in the jar……and with NO WATER or ANY LIQUID ADDED? I would have thought this was not possible. Do you use quart size jars and add salt?
I pack raw venison which is typically very lean so little to no fat. I add 1 tspn creole seasoning (salt would work just fine, just prefer this flavor that seems to not be overwhelming in any recipe after canned) and 1 tlbs beef broth or stock. That’s it. Can at 10 lbs pressure for 99 minutes. Every single Har is filled to the top with its own juices when done. Very good. Super easy and most important so quick to get in the jars!
And I am using quarts.
Great tips Maureen–thank you!
Ok so now I’m a bit confused..if using this method by not adding any liquid and it makes enough of its own liquid to come out perfect then it doesn’t make sense to add liquid to measure at 1″ below the rim because isn’t that then going to be too much liquid and explode inside the cooker during cooking?
I have been cannon meat for about 2 yrs now. My absolute favorite is venison, we pack raw and can and it makes its own broth. Someone mentioned it’s better then Dinty Moore, and they are right!! Brown an onion and some garlic then add you can of venison, a can of carrots and cut up left over baked potatoes. Warm together. Salt and pepper to suite. Serve with noodles or rice!! Such a fast and filling meal!! Thanks for the tutorial!!! Well thank for your awesome posts!
I’ve wanted to do this, because our freezer gets so unbelievably full. Plus how amazing would it be to have jars of meat ready to go–no thawing required!
Can’t wait to read your posts about canning soups and stews!
They’re comin’! 🙂
How long does the meat last after being canned?
Years! 🙂
A woman gave me two jars of canned venison years ago, and I’ve been telling everyone ever since….it was THE BEST meat I’ve ever had in my entire life! No joke! I already love venison, but what was cool is that canning it gave it an entirely new flavor. It was like discovering a new meat! And she told me all she did is add 1 tsp of salt and water…nothing else. I can’t wait to start canning beef, and venison (hubby has to get a deer first, lol)…but I’m kind of stuck right now. I have a wonderful T-Fal pressure cooker that I got about 15 years ago, and it works wonderfully…but I have no idea how much pressure it cooks at? Even if I could find manufacturer specs, I’ve been told that with age pressure cookers can lose their pressure, so how do I know for sure it’s got 15 lbs? I’m over 1100 feet above sea level, so have to do 15… Any suggestions how to test pressure?
You will probably need a pressure canner, versus a pressure cooker. 🙂 Sometimes local extension offices can help you test pressure, though.
Thank you…I will start shopping, I guess, lol!
If its lifting your 15 pound pressure waite to let off steam it has 15 pounds of pressure.
Hi,
I have canned pinto beans before using your tutorial and have had great results.
However, to save time, I was wondering if it is possible to fill all of my jars with food at the beginning of the canning session and keep them hot in the dishwasher, adding them to the canner during the day as it is ready for them.
Would this affect anything?
Thank you.
Hmmm… I’ve never tried that, although I suppose it might work, as long as it kept the food/jars sufficiently hot.
I would love some recipes for the meal. I canned pork this summer.
Wondering what cuts of beef you use for canning??? I would love to try beef but don’t know the differences. Thank you!
You can use pretty much anything, but so far I’ve just used tougher cuts of roast or stew meat. 🙂
Freezer space is expensive and there’s never enough of it. Why does canned meat make me feel like I’m on Fear Factor? Progresso’s been doing it for years!
Open minds – I’m coming around!
LOL! It does take a bit of a mindset shift, huh?
Hi Jill, love your posts! I get so excited when I read them and can’t wait to try something you’ve already done. Last year I did beef stew and Bolognese sauce. We bought the next to the largest size pressure canner from Amazon. It was great to just open up a jar when hubby and my son came in for lunch in the middle of winter and I’d have homemade bread ready. I was very popular. My Bolognese sauce was good but could have been better. I cooked it all the way so when I put it in the pressure canner for the amount of time to can it it had lost some flavor. I have since spoken to an expert at an extension center and she didn’t go along with me canning my recipe because it had wine and milk in it. She strongly recommended I leave out the milk. I will make and can it again but will leave out the milk or cream and add it when I heat it up and cook it out a little more. I didn’t can my beef stew yet because I was very busy in the fall so I’ll be doing it soon. I just put the stew meat in a container in the freezer which is taken up room. Well, ciao for now and thanks so much for sharing .
Great tips Rosz! Thanks for sharing your experience. And yes, it is not recommended to can dairy, but you can always add it later. 🙂
I’ve canned chicken for many years. Partly because my Mom did when I was growing up. It is so convenient! Definitely a fast food when you’re in a hurry! Whe I can chicken I’m left with all the backs which I use to make stock (which I also can). We buy a years worth of chicken at a time from a local farmer so canning some saves a bit of room in the freezer for other things. This year we had some beef roasts and steaks from our yearly purchase that were quite tough so we canned them. It’s been so great! Nice and tender, and a quick meal when we’re in a hurry.
So smart Miranda– way to go!
Our electric was off one winter for 17 days and the freezer was full! We canned hamburger cooked in tomato juice, everything else was canned raw: chicken tenders, chicken legs and thighs (we feed the soft bones to the dog when we open a jar), brisket, a roast and salmon. It saved our food from having to be thrown out. Its a great idea to can meat!
Oh dear… that is my worst nightmare! But sounds like you did a great job of salvaging everything!
I have been canning for quite some time and have an extensive inventory of meat, veggies and fruit. I love to can and bake but don’t have recipes for cooking with canned meat. (And I am not very creative in that area). Any suggestions for cookbooks or recipes to help with making good meals with what I have already canned? It gets kinda boring just warming stuff up.
Thanks!!
I used my canned venison just like I would if raw. It’s just quicker! I made barley soup with it yesterday. Just added my canned venison without draining as the broth is delicious. I’ve also used in my crockpot for a stroganoff. Hash. Anything you would use it for it works perfectly with less cooking time!
I’m sure someone has already shared this, but just in case, I pack my venison raw. Cut up chunks, doesn’t matter what size as long as they fit in jar. Pack it in. I add tspn of creole seasonings and 1 tlbs beef broth. That’s it. No more water. Cook at 10 lbs pressure for 90 minutes. When finished the jar is filled with its own juices. Meat is fork tender. So quick and easy my husband enjoys doing it!
I use chicken or vegetable broth instead of water, it adds flavor and lots of spices. When you use your canned meat it is delicious over pasta, make a white sauce and then add the meat for stroganoff (sp?) or make soup out of it 🙂
My mouth is watering….. 😉
I just killed a nice young cow moose this past w/e. Am excited to try it in different ways and my mother-in-law has agreed to help me can some, as she has all the equipment. My question is should it be canned plain, various spices, if so, what are some good combos?
I’ve never canned moose (does it have a strong flavor?), but I would think at least some garlic power and salt/pepper would be a nice addition.
I am brand new to this. I have some experience, as I helped a friend a few years ago, who has been canning venison from a recipe over several generations old. So after witnessing this & reaping the benefits of this deliciousness I want to give it a try. My first task will be chicken & beef. Can anyone recommend canning jars? I know they’ve become popular for decoration so not sure where to get the “canning” jars. Any help is very much appreciated!!!
Your local grocery store (or a Target or Walmart) will have them.
My wife don’t want me to get a pressure canner,I think she’s afraid it will blow up. She watches to much news I guess.
How long after you can meat do you wait to try it? Someone told me 1-2 months.
I’ve eaten it right away. Although I imagine letting it sit might slightly improve flavor?
This is awesome. I’ve gotta try this next time I get a deer which hopefully should be soon. Thanks for the good write up!
Oddly enough, I have been pressure canning for some time, but I don’t water-bath can. I have cases of canned beef, canned pork, canned chicken, chili, stews, etc. All neatly labeled, cased up, and stacked in the pantry. Days when I’m out of town and my wife wants one of my signature meals, or when we’re late, or busy, or just lazy ;-), we dip into the jars for either a complete meal or pre-cooked meats to put something together quickly.
I also shop on sale and store when I can buy super cheap for supper!
I want to make homemade pickled pork hocks. How long should they be pressure canned and is the process different from the recipe above?
Here’s my tip aka secret to amazing canned venison. I add 2 beef bouillon cubes per quart jar. Wow! I use the canned venison in every dish I use beef in. It is so tasty I take venison dishes to church dinners and such, no one can even taste anything “gamey”. As a matter of fact, I have fooled people who swear they can always tells when it’s venison and refuse to eat deer meat. We won’t eat it any other way at our house! Try it, you’ll be amazed!
How long is the meat good canned?I still have some from 2011 and they seem fine
As long as the seal is still good, I’d still eat it!
We just canned our first elk meat last weekend & it turned out great! I know vegetables process for a much shorter time, but have you ever done meat, potatoes & carrots in a jar together? A complete meal ready anytime! Or would the vegetables just be mush?
This post will help answer some of your questions 🙂 https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2017/03/can-beef-stew.html
I can the inexpensive beef roasts all the time. I watch for the sales and buy 4-6 large roasts. Then I cold pack it with table salt. I do NOT add liquid. Pressure can it for 75 minutes under 15 lbs. Love it!
Jill when u show Browning the meat why is that…My canning books say raw so I’ve always done chicken beef and pork raw… Everything else is the same… Nothing beats a full pantry in January blizzards..thanks
HI Jill, thanks so much for such great information on your website. I canned some elk meat following your directions & it went great but the meat has a tinny taste. Do you know why that would be? Thanks again … Cheryl
Your experience interest me. I have had Elk meat a couple of time. The first time it was really amazing, the second didn’t taste good at all. A friend that was an outfitter out in Colorado told me two things, one Elk has to be aged carefully, the second it matters where the Elk is harvested from. He says the meat harvested from the high mountains is better because of what there is for the Elk to eat. In the lowlands he says the Elk will actually eat on sage brush which can effect the taste of the meat.
I have canned Deer many times. If it is an older deer that usually will be strong tasting I soak the meat for 2-4 hours in a salt water solution. After that I rinse it well then cook it in water. When filling the jars I use that water to fill the jars. Thus far the meat always comes out tasting very good.
I would like to try canning beef liver and also beef heart. Any suggestions?
Can you can meat in an instant pot?
No– it’s not recommended to can anything with an Instant pot.
I have been canning for over 30 years, wow I got old. Even before that I discovered cooking meat in a pressure cooker, has the same effect on meat, simply wonderful.
Wife and I (mostly wife) canned for a long time with a standard canner. About eight years ago we purchased a second canner. The new one is tall, you can stack pint jars on top of one another to make 16 jars per load, highly recommend the tall one, expensive but worth the money. Time is something there never seems to be enough of when you need it the most.
Proving this information for folks says you have a good heart Jill.
I’m new to pressure canning. I recently canned chicken from the directions you gave. It came out awesome! I eat it right out of the jar or make chicken salad sandwiches.? Today I canned a couple of roasts that I had in the freezer but I combined two recipes,by accident. I browned the beef, put about a Tbls of broth in each jar and processed for 75 minutes. There isn’t a lot of liquid in each jar. Is the meat still okay to eat later? I should have added liquid to the top or raw packed but I mixed them up. They are sealed so will they be ok?
My husband said the meat can not be proscessed first? Is this true? We just got our deer back after taking it to the local meat place that processed and packages dear meat. So does it have to be fresh kill or can I still can using what was packaged? Thanks!
When we are getting ready to process cows, I take all my old roasts out of the freezer and chunk them up, put in jars and pressure can to make sure there’s room in the freezer for the new side of beef. The previously frozen beef that I can up still turns out delicious.. I too add the beef boullion cube, a tsp salt, a tsp of pepper and 1 1/2 tsp of minced garlic per Qt. jar. Pressure can for recommended time.. in my area that 10 lbs for 90 minutes. It still turns out pretty yummy. Hope this helps you…
Jill,
Just a couple of quick questions. First, instead of browning the meat in a pot, could I quick sear over a very hot flame? And would canning preserve that “fresh grilled” flavor and smokiness, or would it just become a gummy bitter mess? Okay… three questions… could I can pulled pork with a slightly acidic barbeque sauce without destroying the texture of the meat?
Thanks,
Chris Moore
Lake Worth, FL
Oh, my goodness, I remember when I was first learning how to pressure can meat! 🙂 I was certain that canner was going to explode. Literally, I would open the fridge door and hide behind it, cautiously peeking out. I figured it was built solidly enough it would save my life if it exploded.
Whenever I tell people they don’t need to be scared of the pressure canner, I stop and remember myself hiding behind the fridge door. LOL
I can get beef liver for free and would like to can it in chunks and not packed tightly for my dogs. Have you done anything like this? I can understand not canning pate, but wonder if you have tried to can liver yet. I noticed that you wanted to can beef heart. How has this worked?
I want to raw pack boneless chicken breasts. If I don’t have any chicken bones (or am too lazy) to make broth to add to the jars, can I add a few small pieces of carrot, celery & onion to the jars prior to placing in canner? I have to be careful eating sodium so I’d rather skip bullion, even the low-salt variety.
Has anyone tried using a small amount of veg in the jar to season the chicken & basically end up with some flavorful broth?
I also wanted to know if I can marinade raw beef cubes prior to raw pack canning. I would not be adding the marinade to the jars. Just wondering if the flavor would intensify after processing & then sitting in pantry.
Any comments? Any brave soul “played” around with flavoring raw pack chicken or beef?
Thank & like your blog!!
I know this is a older post but maybe someone can help me! I’ve canned for years but I’m new to canning meat. I just used a pressure canner to can pulled pork and the pressure canner boiled dry- I was busy and wasn’t watching as close as I should have and the heat was too high. The processing time was only 1 hour instead of 90 minutes. Can I still use the meat, if I really heat it through for 20-30 minutes,or do I need to throw it out? I was going to throw it out, but after reading other comments here about pouring lard over the pork and canning it that way, I’m not sure! Thanks!
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Does canning pork eliminate pork from turning porky like it does when you freeze it for over 6 months?
Love your book! Fyi. If you put a splash of white vinegar in your canned it prevents the black . I read your how to can meat. I use stock instead of water. I was surprised not seeing canning bacon! I lay STRIPS on parchment food and roll I put in jar! Done . Looks UGLY! But, when you open the jar your fry up to brown YUM! YOU WILL ALSO HAVE A JAR OF BACON FAT TO COOK WITH! YUM THIRD YOU CAN USE THE PARCHMENT TO GREASE YOU TRY PAN FOR EGGS. YUM. I usually make in pints but a few more for company, quarts I just use pork times to be safe under raw pack! I low raw pack chicken. I put 40 quarts up in one day! I buy boneless, skinless tenders or STRIPS or cut slices of breast. No liquid. Pack your jar and when done you have a jar, almost full with broth! If you like chicken fat, just use boneless but with skin thighs! I am going to be canning a turkey breast quarts. Oh I add 1 t salt per jar.
One quick question! I want to can corned beef and cabbage, potatoes & carrots separate. Would you put your cabbage in same jar? Quart. I don’t seem to be able to find an answer, and if course I already bought several beef etc! Didn’t really think this through!? thank you blessings linda pruss
I have a regular pressure cooker, I can’t afford a pressure canner right now, can i use that?
I was lloking for to learn about canning meat, thank you very much for sharing this topic and letting us know the exact canning meat process step by step.. I am really thankful to come across your blog, you have done a great job to this content…I never thought will get to visit this Biltongplus.co.nz oh, has some nice content for everyone.
How long can you safely store meat this way? My Aunt has some from 2009 and we are wondering if it it needs to be thrown out?
Brenda, canned meat will last for years so don’t be afraid to use it! If you don’t see any corrosion around seal or the lid not popped, that jar is as good as a new jar made! Eat with confidence!
In the past I have canned beef and in the fall venison.
I would like to try pressure canning venison with pork butt together, I am considering a mix of about 60% venison and 40% pork in the jar with the raw pack method.
Has anyone tried canning two types of meat together?. any suggestions?
What is “raw pack”? Uncooked meat? Can I thaw frozen hamburger (friend butchered a grass-fed cow) and can it raw? under pressure? Or should I cook the hamburger first and then pressure can it? Thanks
New to pressure canning meat. I’ve been pressure canning meat. I mistakenly did my last batch of cooked ham and cooked chicken (seperate jars) at 3 lbs pressure instead of 10. Can I redo them? Should I redo them, or should we just try to make soup or of it? Made the mistake, because I couldn’t find my book and just realized 2 weeks later, what I did wrong.