How to Preserve Chili

Chili is easy to make and preserve by refrigerating, freezing or home canning.

Whether it's authentic chili con carne or vegetarian Tex-Mex, chili is a versatile, healthy one-dish meal that just gets better with age. Combining beans, meat, fresh chopped vegetables and Latin spices in a savory tomato-based sauce, chili tastes best when the flavors have time to mingle together, making it a perfect food for preserving by canning or in the fridge or freezer.

Things You'll Need

• Pre-made chili
• Ladle
• Rigid plastic food container with lid
• Heavy duty plastic zip top freezer bags
• Canning instruction book
• Canning jars
• Rubber spatula
• Paper towels
• Rubber jar stoppers
• Metal jar rings
• Pressure canner

Instructions

Refrigerating

1. Remove the pot of chili from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.

2. Ladle the chili into a clean, hard-sided food storage container.

3. Place the plastic lid securely on the container, and "burp" the lid to create an airtight seal.

4. Store the container in the refrigerator, and consume the contents within 5 days.

Freezing

1. Allow the cooked chili to cool to room temperature in its cooking pot.

2. Open the zipper seal on a heavy-duty plastic, gallon-size freezer bag.

3. Spoon or pour the chili from the pot into the bag, carefully keeping the bag upright to avoid spills.

4. Leave at least 2 inches of space between the surface of the chili and the zipper seal to allow the food to expand as it freezes.

5. Squeeze excess air out of the bag and seal tightly. Place upright in the freezer. The chili will remain edible for up to one year.

Canning

1. Prepare the chili recipe according to the instructions in your canning manual. Don't alter the recipe; the canning instruction booklet will have properly-proportioned ingredients for successful food preservation.

2. Funnel hot chili into freshly sterilized jars. Leave a one-inch headspace between the surface of the chili and the rim of the jar.

3. Slide the spatula down the sides of the filled jars to eliminate any air bubbles.

4. Wipe the jars' rims with a damp paper towel, and place sterilized rubberized lids and metal rings on the jars.

5. Process the jars in the pressure canner according to the canning instructions. An airtight vacuum seal will form as the jars cool to room temperature. For the tastiest results, eat the chili within six months.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider doubling your recipe if you plan to freeze or can your chili. You'll have twice as much preserved food with the same amount of time spent in the kitchen.

• If you can the chili and one or more of the jars don't form an airtight vacuum seal, discard the contents. Bacteria will form inside a leaky jar and contaminate the chili.

References

• USDA: Complete Guide to Home Canning: Preparing and Canning Poultry, Red Meats and Seafoods
• National Center for Food Preservation: General Freezing Information
• Better Homes and Gardens; "Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 15th Edition;" 2010.