Having quick and easy ready-to-eat meals at home is a great way to be prepared. This easy tutorial for pressure canning meat is the perfect solution. The raw pack method is easy to follow and you can simply add the meat to soups, stews, casseroles or eat straight out of the jar!

When you live on a homestead or want to be prepared with easy pantry meals that don’t have questionable ingredients without buying store-bought meat options, having jars of canned meat on hand is a really great option. 

One of our best tips for preparedness (especially in case of a winter storm or power outage) is to diversify your food storage. It does you no good to have hundreds of pounds of meat, packaged and frozen when the power goes out. Not only will you NOT want to get into those freezers if the power is out, but likely, you won’t have an easy way to cook them.

Canned meat is the perfect solution. It’s fully cooked, tender, juicy and packed full of flavor. You can eat it straight from the jar (if needed), or add it to casseroles, stews, and stews.

Why Should You Learn to Can Meat?

1. Preparedness – As I mentioned above, it’s a great way to be prepared.
2. Convenience Meals – There will inevitably be those times when you’ve had a long hard day, and cooking up a meal from scratch is the very last thing you want to be doing at the end of the day. Having some ready-made food on hand can really save the day!
3. It Saves Freezer Space – If you’re a hunting family or raise your own meat, or just like to buy meat in bulk, you know how precious freezer space can become. Being able to can some of the meat you get can really help save valuable space for other items that are best frozen.
4. It Tastes Amazing – Hopefully, your mind isn’t thinking about store-bought canned meat, that’s a completely different food altogether. Homemade canned meat tastes like the most tender roast you’ve ever eaten! The meat is juicy, tender and packed full of flavor (for extra flavor, be sure to add the optional salt to each jar!). 
5. BONUS – Each jar will create an amazing broth! Be sure to use this in your soup or use it as a base for gravy. 

Can You Water Bath Can Meat?

No, you cannot water bath can meat. No exceptions. A water bath simply does not get to a high enough temperature to make food safe for storage.

Do I Have to Use a Pressure Canner to Can Meat?

Yes, 100% you must use a pressure canner to can meat. A pressure canner is mandatory because meat is a low-acid food. A pressure canner is the only way to get the meat up to a high enough temperature, for a long enough time to make it safe for food storage.

Don’t be intimidated by your pressure canner. I know we’ve all heard stories of great-great-grandma blowing up her pressure cooker while cooking in the kitchen. But nowadays, pressure canners come with so many built-in safety mechanisms that you’ll have ample warning before anything that drastic happens.

If you want more tips and tricks, plus an in-depth canning course, check out our canning class here. Carolyn will walk you through the whole process, from start to finish, and teach you step-by-step methods to safely can at home.