Canning Beef Stew: A Step-by-Step Guide to Preserving Comfort Food

Canning beef stew is a fantastic way to preserve the hearty flavors of this classic comfort food, allowing you to enjoy a warm, satisfying meal even on the busiest of days.

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Whether it’s a chilly winter evening or a quick weeknight dinner, having homemade beef stew readily available in your pantry can be a game-changer.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the canning process, sharing essential tips and techniques to ensure your stew retains its rich taste and nutritional value.

You’ll learn everything you need to know to create delicious, shelf-stable beef stew that will warm your heart and nourish your family for months to come. So roll up your sleeves, and let’s start canning!

Related Article: Canning Mushrooms: A Simple Guide to Preserving Flavor and Freshness

Pressure canning directions for canning beef stew.

If you are new to pressure canning, beef stew is one of the easiest things for you to learn how to can.

Note: You cannot can beef stew without a pressure canner. Because meat is a low acid food it MUST be pressure canned.

A lot of recipes require a lot of preparation and cooking prior to canning, but for this recipe you put all of the ingredients in the jar raw (even the meat!), and then all of the ingredients are cooked in the jars during the pressure canning process.

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If you have never eaten meat cooked in a pressure canner before, it is amazing! It’s very tender and FULL of flavor, and you won’t want to eat beef stew any other way again.

If you follow this following recipe step by step, your beef stew will turn out perfect every time. If you just got your pressure canner or are thinking about buying one and still not sure how to use it, let me walk you through the entire process step by step.

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Beef Stew Canning Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Roast or stew meat
  • Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Onions
  • Celery
  • Beef bouillon

You don’t have to use exact measurements for this recipe. One 3-lb. chuck roast will be enough meat for about 6 quarts of beef stew. For 6 quarts you will need approximately 2 onions, 6 stalks celery, 1 carrot, and 1-2 potatoes per jar.

Looking for a delicious and convenient way to enjoy homemade beef stew? With this easy canning recipe, you can have a hearty and flavorful meal ready to go whenever you need it! Made with tender beef, hearty vegetables, and savory herbs and spices, this beef stew is a classic comfort food that's perfect for busy weeknights or chilly evenings.

Sterilize your canning jars, lids, and rings. I sterilize mine by running them through the rinse cycle on my dishwasher. Just leave them in the dishwasher until you are ready to use them.

Prepare the beef bouillon by adding about 4 tbsp. of bouillon powder to 12 cups water (you need about 2 c. per quart canning jar). Heat to boiling.

Chop carrots, celery, and onions, and then peel and chop the potatoes.

Canning Instructions

Place 1 tsp. salt into each sterilized canning jar. Layer beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery in canning jars. Add heated bouillon, leaving 1 inch head space. You can easily measure the head space with this inexpensive canning funnel.

If you don’t have enough bouillon to fill all the jars, just add a little hot water to make up the difference.

Wipe rims of jars with damp paper towel or dish towel, and then place the rings and lids on the canning jars.

My favorite beef stew recipe for canning.

Some people ask how long it takes to pressure can meat. Because meat is a low acid food, it takes close to the longest for it to process compared to other foods, so you can count on it taking up to 1 1/2 hours to process in the pressure canner.

Fill the pressure canner with 2-3 inches of water and place the jars in the pressure canner, and then secure the lid on the canner.

Heat the water in the canner until steam starts escaping through the vent pipe. Then place the pressure regulator on the vent pipe. The pressure will slowly start building in the pressure canner.

When the canner reaches 10 pounds of pressure, process the jars in at 10 pounds pressure for 75 minutes for pints or 90 minutes for quarts. When timer goes off turn off the heat on the stove.

Easy recipe for pressure canning beef stew.

After the pressure has been completely released from the canner, remove the lid from the canner. Remove jars from canner and place on a towel on the kitchen counter to cool. It will take hours for the jars to cool completely, so let them sit until they are completely cooled off.

Shelf Life of Canned Beef Stew

Make sure lids are sealed before storing in the pantry.  If you have any jars that didn’t seal, place them in the refrigerator and eat them in the next week. Sealed jars can be safely stored 1-2 years.

To serve, you can eat as-is or to thicken the stew, remove some of the liquid from the stew and add a couple tablespoons of cornstarch. Stir, then add back to stew to thicken it (the cornstarch is added after canning because cornstarch is not safe to can).

If you live about 1,000 feet in elevation, download this altitude adjustment chart to find out how much extra pressure you need to use to can this recipe.

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