Canning Ground Beef
Today let us discuss canning ground beef as that is the exercise for the day. We had a slight miscommunication in the required amount of ground beef needed. It is not a big deal as the excess gets put away for future use. Have you discovered how convenient it is to have readily accessible ground beef?
On those days when time is slipping away and you need a good meal it is refreshing to look in the pantry and see the ground beef. Canning ground beef lets you have a quick meal ready in minutes that will brings cheers from the children.
It is always good to review the Ball Blue Book or the UGA Website to ensure you are aware of all the latest news. Because canning ground beef is meat we will be pressure canning this in the All American Canner.
- Brown ground beef
Brown your ground beef in a large skillet. Of course my preference is a large cast iron skillet. You want to ensure that the ground beef does not have any pink left in it when done. Once done remove and drain any grease.
- Pack it into jars and cover with liquid
Whether you are packing it into pints or quarts you want to make sure to put the browned ground beef in a warm sterilized jar. Pack until you have at least a 1/2″ of head-space. Once you have the jars full then you need to cover the ground beef with a liquid of your choosing. I generally use water.
- Clean jars and put lids on
The next step is to make sure you wipe the rim of the jars clean. A clean and dry rim ensures a better seal. Put your sterilized lids on and tighten the ring.
- Pressure Can following instructions from Canner
Once you have the sealed jars in the pressure canner make sure you follow the instructions that came with your canner. You want to make sure that you process for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts below 2000′ elevation.
- Remove Jars, Check for seal, Clean,Label, and put away
Once you have finished your time follow the instructions on letting your pressure canner return to zero. Once the lid is off remove the jars and put aside to cool. I usually let my jars cool overnight. Then I check that the jars sealed. Label the ingredients and date. Clean the jar and remove the ring. Then store in the pantry.
I hope these 5 steps will help you with canning ground beef and put up one of the base ingredients for meals in the future. It has allowed my family to have quick meals ready and we know where it came from. It is a better alternative than Fast Food and if something ever happens to the food supply we have some meat stored.
GB²
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I like your recipe on canning ground beef and I am going to try it. However, I am wondering how long it will last in the jar. I have canned vegetables for years but never meat and I am going to try my hand at this. I love canning. I know the vegetables will last for years, but don’t know about the meat. I would appreciate any advice. Thanks! Roberta
Roberta,
Glad you enjoyed the article! Since you have canned vegetables you know there are different opinions on how long canned food will store. I have heard people say that eat it within one year all the way to it is safe for five years.
Three important things to remember with any canned food.
1) FIFO method. make sure you are using your oldest stock first. We write the month and date of canning on the top of the lid after they are sealed. If you are doing multiple batches of the same thing in a month then put a lot number on each jar as well.
2) The longer food is stored it tends to break down. The quality and nutritional benefits are lost over time. We typically are rotating our stock every year or sometimes two on some items.
3) Always inspect each jar before opening to ensure the seal is still intact and not bulging. If there is a bad smell upon opening then do not use it. It is not worth the potential danger to risk it in our opinion. When in doubt throw it out!
I sincerely hope that you will give canning meat a try. It really makes meal time a lot easier when you have the meat and vegetables preserved and you know what is in it.