How to Can Beef Meat With a Pressure Canner

Cookware on a stovetop

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Home canned beef is superior is taste and texture to commercially processed beef. With basic pressure canning supplies and safe handling procedures you can preserve beef that will maintain its nutrition. It can then be eaten from the can or used in recipes.

Prepare the chilled beef by trimming excess fat. Remove any large bones and then cut the beef into 1-inch wide strips or chunks. You may can beef that is either raw or cooked.

Stew, roast or brown the beef until it is rare (the internal temperature should reach 120 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit) if you choose to can precooked beef. Add one teaspoon of salt to each quart jar for extra flavor (this step is optional). Pack the jars with beef and then add boiling broth or water. Leave an inch of headspace.

To can raw beef, add one teaspoon of salt to each quart-sized jar if desired. Then pack the jar with pieces of raw beef. Leave an inch of headspace. Do not add any liquid.

Wipe the mouth of each jar with a clean cloth. Adjust the lids on all the jars and process in your pressure canner, following the instructions for your specific model. A general guideline for a dial-gauge pressure canner is to process quart jars for 90 minutes at 11 PSI (pounds per square inch). If you have a weighted-gauge pressure canner, process quart jars for 90 minutes at 15 PSI.

Cool the jars on a rack or folded towel for 12 to 24 hours once they have finished processing. Then remove the screw band and check the seal. If the lid did not seal, you may choose to refrigerate the meat and use it within a day or two or freeze it. If the lid did seal, the jar is ready for storage.