I've canned beef stew before. I've also canned pork and beans. You will probably want to use a pressure or steam canner for safety reasons. If using bwb to can meat or beans, add preservatives, such as salt, saltpetre, and potassium sorbate.

Nick123
Canning anything containing meat or broth must be pressure canned. No ifs about it.

No, do NOT use a steam canner for this. Steam canners are useful ONLY for high acid foods like pickles and fruit jellys. Adding salt petre will not work as it needs to draw in air from the surroundings to turn into concentrated nitrogen (nitrates). Its used to prevent meats from spoiling and also for air (dry) cured meats like pepperoni and salami. Potassium sorbate is a more refined ascorbic acid, and can only protect color changes due to oxidation. None of these additives will reduce the risk, or prevent food poisoning if regular canning is done on a beef stew.

I was talking about canning them in my new Presto pressure canner when it gets here, not water bathing it. :) Do you fully cook the pork and hocks and stew before canning in the pressure canner or only partly cook them?

Why not check out the USDA guidelines on canning stews because most home recipes for beef stew won't pass muster when it comes to canning? I linked them for you below.

I think you are going to run into several problems. One is the density issue, it will have to be more dilute than you may wish and you can't use any sort of thickeners in it (no flour or corn starch), no noodles, no fats, etc.

I assume you have the Ball Blue Book (and if not, you really should if you are going to do home canning). It has an approved recipe for beef stew with vegetables that is pressure canned for 1 hour 30 mins. for quarts and allows for 1 T of oil.

Since you are new to pressure canning (I assume) please understand that pressure canning still doesn't allow you to can just anything ;) - it has it's own set of restrictions and limitations.

Also the search here will pull up several previous discussions on stew canning for you if you want to review them.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Canning Meats

You can always can the meat separately from the veggies and mix them (and thicken, if desired) when you open. I personally wouldn't want to can them together since you have to process for the product with the longest time, the veggies will be mush by the time the meat is done (does that make sense??).

There a variety of recipes in the BBB. Well worth the $5-6 it costs!

Deanna

I have several canning books from about 20 years ago. I think I need some new ones. ;) I'll stick to freezing the stew.

I did can back in 1980s. I had a Mirro w/gauge and canned mostly veggies from the garden. Never meats of any kind.

I have several canning books from about 20 years ago. I think I need some new ones. ;)

Ohhh, yeah you do. Most definitely. ;)

Dave

Many of my moms old caning books are gathering dust on the bookcase. She had Putting Foods By, Pickling made easy, and several others. All are at least 20 years of age. I don't even want to read any of them. At that time all glass jars with bail mounts and glass domed covers were the rage. All you needed were rubber rings and you were all set to go. She would BWB as per all recipes and then flipped the jars over once they came out, just to insure that none leaked.

I'v canned beef stew, but I would also add other veggies during reheating as they do get mushy. Here's a good recipe to try:

Beef Burgandy

Recipe By :Katie, November 2002
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
6 pounds cubed beef chuck roasts -- (or use stew meat)
2 large onions -- coarsely chopped
10 slices bacon -- diced, cooked and drained
1 whole garlic bulb -- peeled and thinly sliced
3 cups beef broth
3 cups Burgundy wine
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced -- or 2 cans mushroom stems and pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme

These measurements are approximate. You need enough liquids to cover beef and veggies.

Brown the beef cubes and set aside in a large stockpot. Brown onions and garlic and add to beef. Cook and drain bacon and add to beef. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer about an hour.

Pour into hot, clean jars, leaving 1" headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rims and adjust two piece lids.

Process pints for 60 minutes and quarts for 75 minutes. Dial gauge canners: use 11 lbs at 0-2000 ft., 12 lbs. at 2001-4000 ft., 13 lbs. at 4001-6000 ft., and 14 lbs. over 6000 ft. Weighted gauge canners: use 10 lb. weight at 0-1000 ft., and 15 lb. weight over 1000 ft.

To serve: heat and thicken with cornstarch or a roux. Serve over rice or noodles. Would also make a good stew.
Yield: "5 quarts"

I just looked. The "Complete Guide To Home Canning" by the US Dept. of Ag. is from 1973 and the "Ball Blue Book" is from 1977,1979. The old time jars with glass lids and bails are mentioned but the jars with 2-piece lids, now used, were all the rage back then.

Thanks for that recipe. It's one I will definitely try.

My freezer is completely full too so I need to can rather than freeze for a few months. I did a search here for "beef stew" and will follow advice to can vegetables separately.

The Beef Burgundy recipe that gardengrl posted looks really good and will try that for the beef part. Any tweak suggestions? I plan to cook the bacon first and brown the meat in the bacon grease. One thing that bothers me is the burgundy wine. Sam's only carries it in a one gallon jug for a little over $8. Went to Wal*Mart and only the same thing for a little over $10. Carlo Rossi brand. Really don't want to spoil things with a terrible wine.

For the vegetables jars I would like to include carrots, celery, onions, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, brussel sprouts and potatoes. I want to use whole brussel sprouts so would be about two per pint jar. Any suggestions as to proportions of each? I think tomato paste or tomatoes might help and probably chicken broth for the liquid? Are russet potatoes OK or should I buy some red?

pickler_gardener - as mentioned above, trying to create your own recipe and canning it is very risky - first rule of home canning is you can't safely can you own recipes. ;)

So as long as you used approved recipes, can the meat separately, and follow the guidelines discussed in detail and linked above for safely canning the mixed vegetables and only combine them prior to serving, you should be fine.

Any tweak suggestions? I plan to cook the bacon first and brown the meat in the bacon grease.

So sorry no "tweaking" allowed. Note in the recipe above that the beef is NOT cooked in the bacon grease. All the bacon is cooked separately and all grease is drained and removed as it isn't allowed in home canning. If you cook the meat in it the bacon grease is absorbed and ends up in the canned meat - that's a no-no - oils insulate bacteria and prevents the heat from killing them so oils/grease aren't allowed. Stick with the recipe.

The burgundy wine - any good quality will do. Carlo Rossi is fine but you will have better luck at a liquor store and find it in small quantities too.

carrots, celery, onions, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, brussel sprouts and potatoes

Keep in mind that there are some restrictions on canning certain vegetables. ;) So NCHFP supplies the rules for each vegetable too. EX: potatoes, any kind are fine, will give you very different finished textures when pressure canned and many don't care for the result - but they are approved if properly cubed.

Here is the basic approved mixed vegetables instructions from NCHFP. Note that canning turnips, rutabagas, brussel sprouts, and parsnips is not recommended because of the discoloration, flavor changes, and poor texture that results. Most don't care for the end result and no tested canning times exist for them. NCHFP recommends drying them and reconstituting when needed or freezing and adding prior to serving.

No problem with the chicken stock or tomatoes (no tomato paste - whole or chopped are approved) if you stick with the recommendations for both. Watch your jar density adding enough of the liquid as required - overly thick/dense voids canning times. No flour, pastas or thickeners allowed of course, and pressure canned of course.

All this is discussed above but it never hurts to review it. Hope all this helps. Good luck.

Dave

Thanks for reply.

I fried the diced bacon yesterday afternoon late and browned 1/4 of the 6 lbs stew meat in the grease. The grease turned black too quickly for me so finished with peanut oil. Don't know how much the beef cubes soak up. Seems I end up pouring off more liquid than what I put in the pan for each small batch.

Looks like I'll be freezing stew again this winter. :[

I usually can KatieC's Beef Burgundy minus the wine, then when I want stew I open a jar of canned potatoes and carrots, drain off the meat broth from a jar of the beef, thicken it and add the meat and vegetable together and heat.

Yummy and fast beef stew and it leaves freezer room for me!

If I have time I'll just dump it all into a casserole and top with biscuits, bake until the biscuits are golden and the stew is hot.

Annie

If you drink more than that you are exceeding the dose and then you will be pushing it and it wonÂt be healthy anymore but give you a hangover and all the negative side effects of alcohol. Whether as if you control yourself and drink only a little wine each day, you are giving yourself a little natural medicine to being young and healthy and having a good sex life with your wife. I love to drink white Burgundy Wine with fish dinners.

White burgundy wine accompanies great the fish meals, but white wine is not as beneficial to your health as red burgundy wine. Burgundy wine is called this way because it is made in the French region of Burgundy, where these amazing grapes grow.

French wines have amazing qualities to them. They carry all the body and aroma, passion and magic of the French region in the abilities of the French to create amazing wines that has characterized them for centuries. I recommend everyone to drink one or two cups a day of burgundy wine to have a better life. You will be amazed of the flavor and benefits this amazing drink has in store for you and your partner.

More info at: http://www.myburgundywine.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com

Oh, goody - more SPAM! Totally irrelevant to the discussion and using a redirected link too.

Send off a note to the GW staff under the subject ABUSE..

Juices Drinks
Vegetable Juices are critical to good health because it is an important source of raw food. Each of us needs raw foods every day, and Vegetable Juices (Healthy Beverages) are an excellent way to make certain you receive large quantities of such raw foods.

Fruit juicing is certainly good for you, but it has one disadvantage over Vegetable Juices (Healthy Beverages): fruit juice tends to increase insulin levels when consumed.

Vegetable Juices do not raise insulin levels like fruit juice. The only omission to this would be carrot or beet fruit drink which functions similarly to fruit juice. However, fruit juicing is surely improved for you and your kids than drinking soda, which is a very bad idea.

More info at: http://healthyjuiceguide.com

Here is a link that might be useful: Juices Drinks

I have just sent off an ABUSE note to the moderators about the TWO spams, Usename BURG14 and BURGUNDYWINE are probably one in the same SPAMMER.