How to Pressure Can Beef

Marie Overton
Jan 8, 2021
2 min read

Updated: Dec 1

Canned beef has many reasons to recommend it. It allows you to take advantage of discounts on meat and buy in bulk, it frees up freezer space, the meat is incredibly tender and it is so convenient. It is so nice to be able to pull it out of the pantry fully cooked and use it in favorite recipes. It has been a real-time saver for our family.

Canning meat requires a little bit of preparation. You will need a pressure canner. Also necessary are lids, tongs for pulling out the lids, lid rings, clean quart jars, a long plastic utensil, salt, a teaspoon, a cutting board and a sharp knife.

Canned beef can be done with any cut but a chuck roast is often used.

Chuck Roast

Prepare the beef by removing fat and bone and slicing it into 1 inch thick strips.

Person in an apron cutting raw meat on a wooden board in a kitchen. A plate with more meat is in the background. Apron reads "Mari".

Fill the quart jar with a jar funnel leaving 1 inch of head space.

Raw beef on a cutting board is being prepped to be placed in a clear jar on a granite countertop. Apron with "Marie" partially visible.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt.

Person in apron adding salt to jars of raw meat on a kitchen counter. Lids nearby. Warm, homey kitchen setting.

Pour boiling water over the salt filling the spaces between the meat. Use your plastic utensil to release any trapped air bubbles.

Copper kettle pouring water into jars filled with raw meat on a kitchen counter. Apron with "Marie" visible. Lids and stove in background.

Place the lid on being careful not to touch the bottom of it and secure it with a lid ring to fingertip tight. Place your jars in the pressure canner and follow your manufacturer's directions for canning.

Canning Beef:

Pressure gauge on a metal surface reads 11 PSI. Background features a hexagonal tile pattern. Text: "Read instructions before operating."

At sea level meat must be processed at 10 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes. Do not start the timer until after your target pressure has been achieved. If at any point the pressure falls below the target. The pressure must be increased and the timer restarted.

A black chalkboard sign with "PRESSURE CANNER" instructions, including altitudes and weights. Glass jars with gold lids are nearby on a speckled surface.

After the 90 minutes has elapsed, remove the canner from the heat and allow all pressure to dissipate before you attempt to open your canner. After the pressure has all released remove the weight and then the lid and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

Six mason jars of preserved food sit on a black-and-white checkered cloth, with a red jar lifter on a granite countertop.

Place your jars on a heat resistant surface and allow them to cool for 24 hours.

Six jars of canned beef labeled "Ball" on a woven mat with a knife and a pressure cooker lid, set on a gray speckled surface.

After 24 hours, check for if the lids have sealed which should be indicated by the middle of the lid being depressed down.

Mason jar with a metal lid labeled "Sure Tight" on a granite counter. Hexagonal-patterned backsplash in the background.

Sealed Lid

Any that have not sealed should be refrigerated and used in the next 4 days. The sealed jars should be labeled with the date and stored in a cool, dry place. Home canned products are good for up to 3 years. After that point, they start to lose their nutritional value.

How to make adjustments to pressure canning based on altitude:

Barometric pressure is reduced at high altitudes, affecting the temperature at which water boils. This means boiling-water and pressure canning methods must be adjusted to ensure safe processing. When using the pressure canning method of canning, additional pounds of pressure is required. The following altitude chart gives the requirements.