No Freezer Space? This Is How I Store Beef for Easy Meals
Canning Meat In Jars
If you’re trying to cook more at home but still live a busy, normal life—this is one of the most useful things I do in my kitchen. This is the most tender and flavorful meat I have enjoyed. It is not pretty to look at. Just get past that and make a batch of canned beef roast for your family.
Once cooked, add it to your slow cooker and add some barbecue sauce and enjoy the best loose meat sandwiches.
Hopefully you made more than one jar. Because it will a meal in a jar. Ready to heat, serve and enjoy. Meal planning doesn’t get much simplier. At 5pm, instead of figuring out dinner, I can open a jar, heat it, and turn it into barbecue beef or soup in minutes
Use this for soups, for barbecue beef, beef stroganoff and so much more.
Why I Actually Do This (Real Life)
- quick meals without thawing
- no freezer space required
- less last-minute takeout
- meat cooked & ready when I need it
What Ingredients Are Used for Canning Meat?
- raw meat: beef roast, pot roast, stew beef, cubed meat
Do I Need To Pressure Can Beef Roasts?
Per the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP), meat should be pressure canned. For safety, I only follow tested methods from Ball and the National Center for Home Food Preservation—this isn’t something to guess on.
Do I Need to Use Beef Broth for Canning Pot Roast?
You don’t need to add beef broth when canning beef. From the approved recipes you can boil the meat in water and use this reserved juice to can with. You can also raw pack without water in the jars and process. As the jars pressure can, they will make beef broth in the jar itself.
How Do I Can Beef?
See the recipe below for specific directions. The beef is placed in canning jars, water is added and placed into a pressure canner. This makes quick meals in jars for busy week night meals..
How Much Beef Do I Need to Can?
This recipe is up to you on how much you want to can. Two roasts, makes about 4 quarts once trimmed.
How Long is the Canning Process?
Pint jars are processed for 75 minutes, with weight and altitude adjustments (along with type of gauge you are using for pressure canning). Quart jars are processed for 90 minutes. Use the link above to find your specifics. We are in Michigan, so we use 90 minutes for quarts and 10 pound weight for pressure canning.
Why Would I Can Meat?
This would allow you to have cooked meat on hand for a quick meal for dinner. Helpful for a busy weekday, without eating takeout. It’s like a roast in a jar, but cooked! It is helpful when you get meat on sale and no freezer space.
Do I Need to Can in Quarts?
You can can beef in pints, review recipe below with the difference in processing time.
Dial Gauge vs. Weighted Gauge Pressure Canners?
I have a Presto 23 quart noted below. It has a dial and a weight on it. I rely on both. I will note the 23 quart canner did not come with a 10 pound weight, so I bought a replacement so I could use it for 10 pound pressure (mine came with a 15 pound weight). The weight I have now allows 5, 10 and 15). Linked below. I think it’s something everyone who is home canning recipes needs The dial lets me know exactly where the pressure is at. And I can adjust the burner as needed.
This is what building a more self-sufficient kitchen actually looks like for us—small systems that make everyday life easier…and delicious.
This Jar Doesn’t Look Pretty… But It Saves Me on Busy Nights | Canning Beef Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
- beef roast
- salt (optional) 2 teaspoons per quart jar
Instructions
Raw Pack Canning
- Take the roast and trim off excess fat.
- Cut roasts into 1 inch pieces and place into quart jars. Do not can bones.
- If desired, add 2 teaspoons salt per quart jar.
- Fill jars with raw meat pieces and leave 1 inch head space. Do not add liquid.
- Clean rim of jar with clean wet towel.
- Place seal on jar and hand tighten.
- Take the pressure canner and fill at least 5-6 inches deep. Long canning times require more water.
- Place the jars in the canner and close the canner.
- Place the weighted gauge on the canner for 10 pounds.
- Pint jars are processed for 75 minutes, quart jars for 90 minutes, adjusting time for elevation.
- Once time has completed, let the pressure canner release pressure naturally.
- Let the canner sit closed for 5 to 10 minutes after pressure is release and remove weighted gauge.
- Open the canner and take the top off, opening away from you (the steam will come out and be very hot and there will be hot water).
- Let the jars sit for 5 minutes before removing. Use oven gloves to hold the top and watch out for steam under the top.
- Place a towel on the counter and put the jars onto the towel.
- Cover the jars and let sit 12 to 24 hours.
- Check that the jars have sealed, remove the bands and date and label the jars.
