Home-canned ground beef is delicious, convenient, and shelf-stable!
I have a dilemma, friends. My freezers are jam-packed with an abundance of ground beef and I need to make some space fast! One way to free up valuable real estate in my freezers is for each of my family members to eat their weight in Smokey Sloppy Joes, burgers, and tacos in a pretty short amount of time. Or I can simply pressure can the meat and have it on my pantry shelf ready to go whenever I need it. Though we do love our tacos, I believe I’ll choose the latter.
Why Can Ground Beef?
Easy to Prepare! Even if you’re new to preserving food, canning ground beef is super easy to do. Just a few steps is all it takes to get cooked ground beef on your pantry shelves in no time.
It’s super convenient! I can’t tell you how many times having this little gem ready to go has saved me at dinner time. The meat is already cooked and can quickly be added to speedy dishes like my Ground Beef & Ramen Korean Bowl, One Pan Tex-Mex Rice Casserole, or the family favorite, tacos.
It’s delicious! Unlike the questionable stuff sold in the cans at the supermarket, home-canned ground beef actually tastes pretty darn good. Probably because it’s real meat, broth/water, and salt which is totally optional.
The instructions in this post may also be used to can ground venison, bison, or any other ground red meat.
Equipment Needed
Tools
You’ll need a basic canning utensils kit that has a jar lifter, debubbler wand, and a funnel.
Pressure Canner
Because meat is a low-acid food, you cannot water bath can it. You’ll need to use a pressure canner, not to be confused with a pressure cooker. These are not interchangeable! I have a 23-quart Presto Pressure Canner. I ordered an additional canning rack so that I could run a max-load of 18 pints at a time.
Jars, Lids, and Rings
Of course, you’ll need jars to can the ground beef. I have used brand name jars and no name jars and they both work just the same.
Lids, however, are a very different story. Don’t go cheap when it comes to lids! Save those cheap lids for vacuum sealing or craft projects. The last thing you want is to open your canner and see your lids have failed. I’ve been there and trust me, it's not a good time. My absolute favorites are the For Jars lids, and a close runner-up is Ball brand lids. I’m not affiliated with either brand.
When it comes to rings, you can use the cheap ones that come with the no-name jars as long as they are not dented, rusted, or in some other way compromised.
Prepare for Canning:
To prepare jars for canning, I like to place my clean, room-temperature jars into my canning pot with room-temperature water. I allow my jars and water to come to the same temperature at the same time. You don’t want boiling water; you’re just heating everything up at this point.
Place a clean kitchen towel on the counter space where you intend to place your hot jars once removed from the canner. If the kitchen towel is on the thin side, like a flour sack, double up your towels.
Once your ground beef is ready for canning, carefully remove the jars from the pot using your canning jar lifter and empty the hot water back into the pot. Place the hot jars on the prepared kitchen towel and begin adding the meat to the jars.
Helpful Tips
Ground beef must be cooked prior to canning to ensure a safe final product.
Water bath canning is not an approved safe method for meat. It is absolutely essential to use a pressure canner.
I like to can our ground beef plain with just a little salt. You can certainly add a variety of seasonings but keep in mind the canning process may alter the taste.
The liquid in the final product is safe to consume. You have essentially made a beef broth.
Properly prepared and stored, canned ground beef can last about 18 months. The integrity of the seal may begin to deteriorate after that.
Siphoning of liquid may occur during the canning process, which is normal. If there is any meat above the liquid in your jars, it may become slightly discolored but will still be safe to eat.
When in doubt, throw it out. Botulism can’t be seen or smelled. If your ground beef doesn’t look or smell right when you’re ready to consume it, toss it out.
For more information on safe canning check out the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Let’s Get Started!
Yield: Approximately 14 pints or 7 quarts
Ingredients
15 pounds lean ground beef, venison, bison, or any other ground red meat
1 teaspoon per pint or 2 teaspoons per quart of non-iodized salt (such as Pink Himalayan or Kosher)
7 cups water or beef broth
White Distilled Vinegar 5% acidity
Directions
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef in batches until cooked through. If using a fat content higher than 10%, I recommend draining off some of the grease.
Add the cooked ground beef into each jar, tapping down the beef as needed to ensure it's evenly dispersed among the jars allowing 1 inch of headspace.
Add water or broth to each jar.
Debubble the bar by pushing the meat around.
Add more broth or water if needed while ensuring the 1-inch headspace.
Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean dishcloth or paper towel dipped in white distilled vinegar.
Place canning lids and tighten rings to “fingertip tight”.
Using the jar lifter, carefully place each jar into the pressure canner.
Add the canner lid and secure following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Allow the canner to vent for 10-12 minutes before placing the weighted gauge on the vent.
Process for pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes following the recommended psi setting for your altitude.
At the end of the processing time, turn off the heat and allow the canner gauge to return to zero.
Carefully, remove the weighted gauge and allow any additional steam to vent.
Once the steam has vented completely, carefully open the canner and remove the lid.
Allow the jars to remain in the canner for 10 minutes before removing.
Using the jar lifter, remove the jars from the canner and place them on the prepared kitchen towel.
Allow the jars to cool completely for 12-24 hours.
Remove the canning rings and ensure each jar is sealed.
Clean the jars with a warm, soap dish cloth and wipe dry.
Label and store the jars in a dark, cool cabinet, basement, or cellar.
If you would like to see more canning recipes let us know in the comments below!
Did you know that we have a newsletter? It features some of our favorite recipes and free printables that are only available to our subscribers! And don’t worry, we hate spam mail and value your time. You’ll receive an initial thank you email, and our newsletter is delivered monthly. You can help our small family business by sharing us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Click here to sign up for our newsletter today!
Комментарии