Canned Ground Beef (Hot Pack)

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Understand before you begin that ground beef is a low-acid food and must be processed in a pressure canner; a boiling-water bath canner or open-kettle canning is not safe and will not destroy botulinum spores.
2. 2Wash 7 quart jars (or an equivalent number of pints) in hot soapy water or run them through a dishwasher cycle, then keep the jars hot in simmering water or a low oven until you are ready to fill them.
3. 3Wash new two-piece lids and simmer or prepare them exactly as the lid manufacturer instructs; do not reuse old lids for canning.
4. 4Break the ground beef into a large stockpot or several skillets and cook over medium heat, stirring and breaking it into crumbles, until it is fully browned and no longer pink; this is a hot pack, meaning the meat is cooked before it goes into the jar rather than packed raw.
5. 5Drain off and discard the excess rendered fat, since leftover grease on the meat can coat the jar rim and interfere with getting a good seal.
6. 6Using a slotted spoon, pack the hot browned beef loosely into the hot jars, not pressing or tamping it down tightly, because liquid needs to be able to circulate all the way around the meat during processing.
7. 7Leave 1 inch of headspace at the top of each jar, measuring from the top rim of the jar to the surface of the meat.
8. 8Ladle boiling water or boiling beef broth over the meat until it is fully covered, maintaining the same 1 inch of headspace; salt is optional and is added only for flavor, never for safety.
9. 9Slide a thin plastic or wooden bubble tool down the inside of the jar in several spots to release trapped air pockets, since dense ground meat can trap more air than vegetables, then re-check and adjust the headspace to 1 inch if needed.
10. 10Wipe the jar rim thoroughly with a clean, damp cloth, paying special attention to removing every trace of grease, since any fat residue on the rim can prevent the lid from sealing properly.
11. 11Center a prepared lid on the jar and screw the band down until it is fingertip tight, meaning snug but not forced.
12. 12Load the jars onto the rack in your pressure canner, add the amount of water specified by the canner's manufacturer instructions, lock the lid, and let steam vent steadily from the vent port for a full 10 minutes before placing the weight on or closing the petcock.
13. 13Process pint jars for 75 minutes and quart jars for 90 minutes, holding the pressure at 10 pounds in a weighted-gauge canner at altitudes up to 1,000 feet (15 pounds above 1,000 feet), or at 11 pounds in a dial-gauge canner up to 2,000 feet (12 pounds from 2,001 to 4,000 feet, 13 pounds from 4,001 to 6,000 feet, 14 pounds from 6,001 to 8,000 feet).
14. 14When processing time is complete, turn off the heat and let the canner depressurize naturally on its own; never use the quick-release method or run water over the canner for meats.
15. 15Wait until the gauge reads zero pressure, then wait an additional 2 minutes before slowly opening the vent or removing the weight, and let the canner sit for 10 more minutes before unlocking and opening the lid.
16. 16Carefully remove the jars with a jar lifter and set them upright on a towel or cooling rack, undisturbed, for a full 12 to 24 hours.
17. 17After cooling, press the center of each lid; it should not flex or pop, which confirms a good seal, then remove the bands, wipe the jars, and label each one with the contents and the canning date.
18. 18Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to about 1 year for best quality.
19. 19Before tasting or using any home-canned ground beef, boil its contents hard for a full 10 minutes, since this destroys any botulinum toxin that could be present even in a properly sealed jar; discard, without tasting, any jar that has an off odor, spurts liquid when opened, or has an unsealed or bulging lid.