Steps for Canning Beef Roast in a Pressure Canner
This post will share how I go about canning beef roast in our All American pressure canner, what equipment you need and safety measures you should follow.
We received a ton of meat from my in-laws when they moved and left a whole freezer full of food. I packed as much of it as I could into our own freezers, but there was just too much to fit. So I decided this was a good opportunity to get some canning done and get some practice in before the big gardening season where have lots of food to put up and preserve. Also, I recently canned some bone broth from the many bags of frozen bones we had in the freezer.
Equipment You Need
Canning Funnel & Jar Lift Tool
Canning Lids
Canning Jars
All American Pressure Canner (we have the 921)
Sharp Knife
Cutting Board
Steps by Step Canning Beef Roast
#1 Prepare the Meat
Cut the roast into strips and then cubes that are about 2 inches thick. I also removed any large pieces of fat.
Load the roast chunks into your jars with a 2 inch headspace from the top. These jars are going to be raw packed, meaning there will be no liquid added. This is according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, which you can review to confirm the specific directions for canning chunks of meat.
Once the meat is packed into the jars, add 1 tsp of salt on top. We actually ran out of fine salt this week and so I used coarse salt.
Sometimes It’s Easier to Watch
How I’m Canning Beef Roast
Here is a step by step video tutorial for how I’m canning beef roast.
#2 Review the NCFHP Website
Before you get to canning beef roast, you should review the National Center for Home Food Preservation website. It is important that you follow the canning instructions listed there to avoid any kind of danger that could be associated with botulism or just canning in an unsafe manner.
Remember also to check out that website to confirm what weight you need to use on your vent pipe and for how long to pressure can the meat for. This is all dependent on your location and elevation.
#3 Ready the Jars
With cloth and some vinegar, wipe down the rims of each of the jars to make sure that there is not any kind of oily spills or any kind of fatty layer on top. This will help to ensure that have a really good seal for each jar. Then seal the jars with the rings.
#4 How to Set up the Pressure Canner
Place a rack at the bottom of the pressure canner and pour about 2 to 3 in of hot water into the pot. I boil the water in my Kettle to make things go faster, pour that into the pot and then I add in my jars.
The All American 921 Pressure Canner, can fit six quart jars. Then I can also stack a few pint jars on a top rack if I desire.
In our house, we use broth for so many dishes I cook, that when I’m pressure canning bone broth I usually fill 6 quart jars and don’t bother canning pint jars.
With a rag and a little bit of olive oil, I rub some oil on the metal seal area of the pot to make sure that the metal-to-metal seal is well lubricated and will not get the lid stuck to the pot.
Secure the lid onto the caner at the specific notch indicated. On the All American canners, you will see that there is a arrow pointing to a little groove in the middle, and then this little lip that hooks underneath this metal part.
Start tightening up the bolts by grabbing the opposite ends and lightly tightening them initially, and then going back a second time and tightening the bolts really tightly. The goal is to make sure that the lid is tightening to the base evenly all around. Most times I have to bend down and get an eye-to-pot level to make sure the lid was tightened on evenly.
#5 Safety Note about Pressure Canners
While pressure canning bone broth, I always refer to my canners manual just in case. In fact, I do it each time I can. It is also important to mention that every canning is different and you should consult your manual to make sure you didn’t leave any steps out. It doesn’t take long to scan the one page that just explains the steps really simply, to ensure that you are operating the canner safely.
#6 Turn on the Heat
Turn on the heat and let the pot come up to a boil. I know the pot is at a boiling point when there is a stream of steam coming from the vent pipe. When you see steam coming out steadily, turn on the timer for 10 minutes and make sure that that steam is running continuously.
After 10 minutes, add the weight. To know what weight to use, go to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, selecting the type of food you want to pressure can, and checking the required weight for your elevation.
After 10 minutes, put the weight onto the steam spout. For our elevation, we use 10 lbs.
#7 Back to Canning, The Weighted Jiggle
Turn the stove temperature down and wait until you hear the weight jiggle about 1-4 times in a minute. This will take some figuring out the first time you can. I remember turning my stove dial up-and-down-and-up-and-down for what felt like a gazillion times, until the weight jiggled correctly.
For me, on our glass top stove, I know that sweet spot is just above number four on my biggest element.
Once the weight starts to jiggle, I start a timer and just make sure how many times it jiggles and stops, and then jiggles again within 1 minute. Start counting the processing time from the first jiggle, as long as you are sure that it is jiggling within 1-4 times in that minute.
After you have canned for a little while, you will know exactly at what temperature your stove needs to be for you to hear the weight jiggle within that 1-4 times a minute range.
Remember: Read your own canners manual
These are the instructions for my All American 921 Pressure Canner and you should make sure you read your manual to see when you can start counting your own processing time. Adjust the heat on your stove until the pressure regulator weight jiggles correctly.
#8 Start Processing Time
The processing time will be dependent on your elevation what recipe you are making. Check on the National Center for Home Food Preservation website for a helpful guide on what to pressure can for how long.
For my elevation, the processing time for pressure canning beef roast is 30 minutes.
It is important to note here that if at any point the weight stops jiggling and doesn’t start to jiggle again, the temperature has dropped and you will have to start your timer all over again.
This usually happens the first few times of canning when somehow the heat and pressure was not 100% correct and therefore changed throughout the process. Correct the temperature on your stove, wait for the right amount of jiggles per minute, and start your timer again.
#9 Finished, Now Getting the Pressure Down
At the end when the food is cooked for the proper time, turn off the heat source and wait until that pressure dial comes all the way down to zero. For us this takes about half an hour or around there. It is important to note that once the dial is close to zero, you should be close to your canner to be ready for the next step, or else your lid can get stuck to your pot.
As soon as the dial is all the way down at 0, take off the weight set the timer for another 2 minutes. This is to wait for that final steam to release.
After 2 minutes, use a cloth to loosen all of the knobs because sometimes they are hot.
#10 Resting the Jars
Find a place that you can put this hot lid and take it off carefully. Steam that comes out from the pot will be very hot.
Now these jars are very hot, so you will want to use one of these canning jar lifters to move the jars to a area to cool. I prepare an area with a cloth on my counter somewhere (not nearby a window or drafts area), and then that my jars out to let them cool there for several hours. For me, this usually happens over night.
However, this particular instance it was kind of a busy week. I just took off the lid when the pressure was done here and actually left these jars right in the water. The next day I took them out and this is what they look like.
In the photo below, you can see that the lower half of the meat is covered by the natural juices that came out through the cooking process. Then you see a line with some of the fat and meat above the fat line.
While it may seem concerning that here is some meat above the liquid line, this is normal for raw packed meat when canned. Therefore, this is normal when pressure canning beef roast. There will inevitably be some of the content that is above the liquid line, but because these jars are totally sealed this is fine and will preserve the food until we eat it.
#11 Test the Jars before Storage
A way I make sure that these jars are really well sealed is by taking off the rings. This allows to me to lightly tug on the lids and make sure that it is on there securely. I do this for all of my jars before I put them away just to make 100% sure I’m not putting anything in the cupboard that didn’t actually seal. Of course I will discover this later on if I grab a jar that is loose, but it is nice to catch it at this point so that we can just eat that jar right away instead of packing it away and letting the food spoil.
Also, remember to label your jars! Now you know how to go about canning beef roast. Happy canning!
