Safe Home Meat Canning: A Beginner’s Guide to Pressure Canning

Meat is a low-acid food and must be pressure-canned for safe shelf storage. Water-bath canning is not safe for meat because it cannot reach temperatures needed to control botulism spores. Use only current, tested recipes and processing instructions for your jar size, meat type and altitude. For hot pack, partially cook the meat, fill clean jars with hot meat and liquid, leave the recommended headspace, then process in a pressure canner. For raw pack, place fresh trimmed meat in jars without added liquid, seal with new lids and process exactly as directed. Do not guess processing times or substitute ordinary jars for canning jars. Let the canner cool naturally before removing jars. Allow jars to stand undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check the seals. Refrigerate any jar that does not seal properly. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark, dry place and label each one with its contents and date. Traditional fat-sealed or potted meat should not be treated as a safe room-temperature alternative to tested pressure canning. Keep such foods refrigerated and follow reliable food-safety guidance. Proper pressure canning can help households keep a practical shelf-stable protein supply when done carefully.

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