I must apologize that it has been several weeks since I've written a post... between Christmas, the flu (Ugghhh!!!), and some projects around the homestead, I've been a slacker here on the blog and I beg your pardon!
I recently found boneless beef roast on sale at an excellent price, and decided I'd buy some and can it up... in chunks for stews and soups later.
First thing I did was cut it up in chunks... maybe 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces...
I filled hot, sterilized wide mouth quart jars (and a couple of pint and a half jars) loosely with the chunks of beef (raw packed), leaving a generous one inch headspace.
Next I ladled hot beef broth in each jar (I used storebought broth this time, you could use homemade, or even bouillon and water, or just water) leaving a one inch headspace. I ran a plastic chopstick (plastic knife or a tool made especially for removing air bubbles will work as well) between the inside of the jar and the meat to get rid of any air pockets, and added more broth as necessary to adjust headspace.
I heated my lids in a pot of water, simmering for 10 minutes or so... I used a damp cloth to wipe the jar rims, then tightened the hot lids on the jars to fingertip tightness.
I processed the jars of beef in my pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes (pints would be 75 minutes). After processing, I let the pressure in my canner drop to ZERO on its own with no help, don't rush it. Then removed the jars using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool, and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar! Love the PING!
This method can also be used for canning venison, moose, elk, antelope, etc.
One of my favorite ways to use beef in broth is to open the jar, pour it into a saucepan, thicken the broth with a little corn starch or flour to make a nice gravy, and serve over homemade egg noodles... a quick, delicious meal that makes you wanna slap yo' Granny!!!!
