Canned Meat Sauce with Ground Beef

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Understand before you begin that once meat is added to a tomato sauce, the whole mixture becomes a low-acid food overall and must be processed in a pressure canner; unlike a plain vegetarian tomato sauce, which can sometimes be safely water-bath canned when properly acidified, this meat version is never safe in a boiling-water bath, no matter how much tomato or acid it contains.
2. 2Wash 7 pint jars in hot soapy water or a dishwasher and keep them hot; wash new lids and prepare them exactly as the manufacturer instructs.
3. 3Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic in a large pot over medium-high heat, breaking the meat into crumbles, until fully cooked, then drain off excess fat.
4. 4Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, and oregano to the pot, stir well, and simmer uncovered for about 30 to 40 minutes to blend the flavors and reduce the sauce slightly.
5. 5Do not add flour, cornstarch, cheese, cream, or any other thickening or dairy ingredient to the sauce before canning, since thick, dense mixtures and dairy products are not tested safe for home canning and can prevent proper heat penetration; keep the sauce a pourable consistency and add cheese or cream only after opening and reheating.
6. 6Ladle the hot meat sauce loosely into the hot jars, leaving room for the liquid to move throughout the jar rather than packing it in tightly.
7. 7Leave 1 inch of headspace at the top of each jar, and add salt only if desired for flavor.
8. 8Run a bubble tool through the sauce to release any trapped air pockets, particularly around the meat crumbles, then recheck and adjust the headspace to 1 inch.
9. 9Wipe the jar rims completely clean of any sauce or grease, center a lid on each jar, and screw the band down fingertip tight.
10. 10Load the jars into the pressure canner, add water as directed by the manufacturer, lock the lid, and vent steam steadily for 10 minutes before pressurizing.
11. 11Process pint jars for 60 minutes and quart jars for 70 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a weighted-gauge canner up to 1,000 feet (15 pounds above 1,000 feet), or 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).
12. 12Turn off the heat once processing finishes and let the canner depressurize naturally on its own; never quick-release a canner containing meat sauce.
13. 13Wait until the gauge reads zero, then wait 2 more minutes, slowly vent any remaining pressure, wait 10 more minutes, then unlock and open the canner.
14. 14Move the jars to a towel-lined surface and let them cool completely undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
15. 15Check that each lid has sealed, wipe the jars clean, label with contents and date, and store in a cool, dark place for up to about 1 year.
16. 16Before eating, boil the meat sauce hard for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, to destroy any possible botulinum toxin, and discard without tasting any jar with an off odor, spurting liquid, or a lid that never sealed or is bulging.