Monday, January 21, 2013

Canning Beef in Broth


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!!!!

56 comments:

  1. No need to cook the meat? What is the shelf life?

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    1. The meat cooks during the processing... Shelf life is 2-5 years. ~~Granny

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  2. Sounds yummy. I'll have to try this if I happen on a good price for the beef.

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  3. I have never used a pressure cooker before. They have always scared me. Any other way to do this?

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    1. I was terrified of a pressure cooker!! but there are so many things can not be done in a water bath that I took the leap. I absolutely LOVE it!!! it's easy!! Please please don't be afraid!! If I can do it, in an 800 sq. ft. apartment with a 5x8 kitchen, you can too!! :-D

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    2. Sorry, no way to can meat without a pressure canner. ~~Granny

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    3. If you need someone local to teach you how to use a pressure canner for your own peace of mind, contact your local county's Cooperative Extension office. In our phone book, we look under our county name, and then find Cooperative Extension. There are Extension Homemakers Clubs that have ladies who enjoy canning and someone may be overjoyed to share what she knows. Don't be afraid to ask. Enjoy!

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    4. Yes, you can us a water canner.. all you need to do is follow the process up to where the pressure canner is used..Place jars in a water canner fill canner with water to cover tops of jars. Bring the water to a boil. l keep it at a rolling boil for four hours. allow the water to cool down slightly before removing the jars from the canner. Place jars on a wooden board to cool completely for 12 to 24 hours to make sure all jars have sealed.

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    5. No. Do not do any meats in just a water bath canning method. no matter how long you cook them, they will never get above the boiling temperature. In order to kill the bacteria that cause health issues, you must get above the boiling temperature. This can only be done by pressure canning. oh sure, the jars will seal, but the bacteria will not have been killed.

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    6. You MUST use a pressure canner for anything that is not acidic. I notice some saying use a water bath but it's the high temperature that can be attained in a pressure canner. A water bath can only go to 212'.
      People have done the water bath for years but it is not recommended for safety sake.

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    7. Safe cooking temp for most meats in an oven or otherwise is an internal temp of 165 degrees per Food Safe Serving Certification guidelines so yes you can water bath them to can them. What did people ever do before pressure cookers??? I want the recipe where you make the gravy in the process to pour out with the meat

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    8. Safe cooking meat for eating right away is a different guideline than safe canning meat for long storage.. You must reach Higher temperatures to kill all bacteria in the meat for long storage..

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    9. You MUST use a pressure canneer/cooker to obtain the 240 degrees needed to kill all bacteria.

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  4. how long in a old fashioned water bath canner?

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    1. Sorry, no way to can meat without a pressure canner. ~~Granny

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    2. I canned venison chunks this week and made carrot cake jam. And I to love the ping! Love the post, keep it down to earth.

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    3. Yes, you can us a water canner.. all you need to do is follow the process up to where the pressure canner is used..Place jars in a water canner fill canner with water to cover tops of jars. Bring the water to a boil. l keep it at a rolling boil for four hours. allow the water to cool down slightly before removing the jars from the canner. Place jars on a wooden board to cool completely for 12 to 24 hours to make sure all jars have sealed.

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    4. The reason this is not safe is that in order to can meat the temperature must get higher than boiling water. That cannot be done in a water-bath canner. It can be done in a pressure canner. Now, there are people who have said they've done that for years and they are still alive. That is obviously true, but the ones who did it and can't tell us because they've died are the ones who concern me. Why would I take such a chance with the lives of my family? Save your change and save up around $60 then get a pressure canner at Walmart. You might even find a good one on craig's list or freecycle.org. Don't take a chance on making someone very sick or worse. You cannot see, smell or taste botulism poisoning!

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    5. Botulism has to be present in the jar at the time of canning to be a concern, it does not get into sealed jars. But yes we bought a used 21 quart Presto pressure canner for $25 at a second hand store with good seal and everything. (it had sat there for months) This can accelerate cooking times for everyday meals.

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  5. I do this with venison all the time. Love to open and dump it with my soup starter to have stew ready to go in minutes.

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  6. I am glad to have you back. I pressure can all sorts of meats to include bacon and sausage......LOL. Trying to get away from my freezer use since I lost a 15 cuft freezer a few months ago and lost half the meat in it. Found it in time to salvage by canning half of it. Lost all the chicken, lard, and hams. But I sure have a lot of chunks of pork and beef and 21 pints of taco meat......LOL. Love my double decker pressure canner. DeeKnitter fm KS

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  7. Welcome back Granny!! I can't wait to buy a pressure canner. I water-bath fruit, jams and chutneys but am looking forward to doing vegies and meat soon. You're the inspiration here!

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  8. I've been canning venison like this for years. I add onions, garlic and spices but do not add any liquid. It makes its own wonderful juice.
    thanks for your site and gladd you're back.
    Crazy Woman from Louisiana

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    1. I make it like this too. No need for the broth. Sometimes I brown the meat first so it needs the broth to make enough juice. Just made stroganoff last night with venison from 2004, it was excellent.

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  9. I love, love, love your blog. I haven't taken the plunge to canning meat but expect I will as soon as I find a good sale on meat. Willie

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  10. Would love to preseason this and also add some onion. Is there anything special I have to do if I add the onion?

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    1. No, you'd use the same method... have fun! ~~Granny

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  11. Love your blog! Have finally gone back and read all the posts! Can't wait for the cookbook to come out - please keep us posted on its progress! You have finally given me the courage to tackle meats, soups etc. Keep up the fine work!!!!! Cheryl

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  12. Love your Blog! Thanks much!! Now, to go get a pressure canner!!

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  13. I am so glad you are back!!!!! Sure missed you. :)

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  14. Ditto what Donna said. Sure have missed you. Since you were away I used your muscadine recipe for making cranberry juice (thinking it will be ready Valentine's Day) and your lemon squash recipe for lemonade concentrate (its lemon season in CA). Going to make the beef as soon as we empty a few more jars. I think I'll cut some of the meat into strips for making fajitas & such.
    GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK!

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  15. Glad you are back and feeling better. Sure have missed your posts. Your blog helped me to get back into canning after a number of years being "dormant".

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  16. Who knew there were pint-and-a-half sized jars? SO perfect...so often a pint is too little, a quart is too much. I'll be picking up some of these beauties! Do you process this size for the same time as you would a quart?

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  17. Your tutorials are great. Just finished a bunch of beef cubes, also did a few jars of ground beef (earlier post). Before I even got the canner off the stove my DH brought in about 50 lbs of oranges--a gift from our neighbors trees! The last 3 days I have made a double batch of orange squash and 3 batches of marmalade. I like to experiment with flavors so I made Pineapple Orange, Triberry Orange (blue, cran & straw) and Cranberry Orange. And I have about 1/3 of the oranges left. Whilst surfin for other orange recipes, I found a recipe for Corn Cob Jelly--have you done it before? Anyway the rest of the oranges might go on the back burner (literally) because I have to make this. I found the recipe at http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/how-to-make-corn-cob-jelly/

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  18. Granny,

    All raw pack instructions for meat I have seen say NO liquid, yet I've seen two of yours use liquid, can you please comment on this to alleviate any confusion?

    Leo

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    1. Raw packed meat will indeed make its own broth, however, if you want to add liquid for flavor or to make the product more stew-like, you can certainly add liquid. It's not a safety issue at all, just a personal preference. ~~Granny

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  19. I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This piece of writing posted at this website
    is truly nice.

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  20. Hey Granny,

    I Love your site and am having an absolute blast with it this summer. You are a life saver!! In December, I lost my beautiful little boy at 11 years and 8 months of age. He was one of my two pride and joys. The other will be 20 soon, so you can imagine my loneliness. This summer I am keeping myself busy and one of those things is with canning!!! I have barbecue in the pressure cooker as I am typing this. What I would like to know is can broth from cooking meats be canned and if so recommendations for time, etc. My freezer is full and would rather not lose this broth. The broth would be a great soup starter later. Thanks again, Granny! ((SMILES))

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  21. Just stumbled across your blog, and so thankful! My parents did all the canning, so we never learned that part. So last year, I attempted canning salmon and tuna. It turned out great! My parents in heaven are surely proud! But didn't have the confidence to try canning beef; etc. I will now. You make it sound so easy.

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  22. what elevation are those canning times for? I am in a mountain region.thanks:)

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  23. Can freezer meat be used or is fresh better?

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  24. Glad I found this site and in answer to the question about is the meat tender after canning and the answer is yes, it is falling apart tender for the most part and you can use meat that has been frozen and thawed. I can porkloin and chicken breast and my daughter cans venison, fish, and beef and it is truly a sanity saver when you come home wondering what to have to eat at a short notice. I am still learning but I love to can these meats. Also a great place to look for a pressure canner is at the flea market - I just bought one for $35 and an American canner for $80.

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  25. I would love to see the end result ..of actually eating or cooking with this meat.

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  26. So...after canning, this canned meat can sit in your pantry or on a shelf with no refrigeration necessary? Are there temperature requirements for storage? I'm sorry. This is just such a foreign concept to me.

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  27. You are amazing, Canning Grandma! I'm so happy I found your website. Can't thank you enough. I'll bet you have an awesome beef tips recipe to go with this canned beef. :)

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  28. After years of canning I finally took a class.We were told to wipe the rim of the jar with vinegar to remove any fat residue before putting the lid on. Never knew that trick.

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  29. I looked at the above comments but didn't see an answer about how long the meat is good. Can you use this for long term storage?
    Thank You,
    Debbie

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    1. Hope someone answered you before now but anyway it will be good for 3 to 5 years. It is the perfect long term storage. I'm no expert by any means but I have canned beef, chicken, and porkloin and it is wonderful. Each quart jar holds about 2 pounds of meat and pints hold about one pound.

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  30. Can you pressure can ground beef, vension, ect, ect.


    Judy

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