Bottling Beef

My neighbor wanted to come by when I was canning pork, but since I don't plan my days out to the minute, she wasn't able to come when I called.

I decided I would do a step-by-step tutorial on bottling beef just for her! I like her.... she lives behind us and loves to look at our animals.

Here's the recipe from the current Ball Blue Book (page 62) (Click to visit Ball's website.)

Use beef or other meat suitable for stewing. Cut into 1 1/2-inch to 2-inch cubes. Remove fat and gristle. Simmer meat in water to cover until hot throughout. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint jar if desired. Pack hot meat into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints 1 hour and 15 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a steam-pressure cooker.

I don't cook the meat since I process the pint jars for 1 hour and 25 minutes. We have to process for a bit longer up at our altitude.

Here's my step-by-step photos:

I estimate about 1-pound of meat per pint jar ("a pint's a pound the world around" as Hubby's grandma used to say.)

I found roasts on sale at the grocery store. I bought 2 to put into bottles.
Just like the recipe, I trim off the gristle and fat, cut up the rest into 1 1/2-inch to 2-inch cubes and pack into clean, sanitized jars.

1/2 teaspoon of salt added to each jar. I use non-iodized salt.

Simmering lids. There is extra water in the pan because I use the hot water to fill the jars.

Add water to fill the jar. Use a knife to release air bubbles.

Put more water in the jars until it is about 1-inch below the rim of the jar.

I don't have the canning kit for my small pressure cooker. I found an old round cake cooling rack that happens to fit in the bottom of the cooker.

I can fit 7 pint jars into my small pressure cooker. After putting the jars into the cooker, add water until the water level is about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the jars.

Lock the lid and set the pressure cooker for 10 pounds (or high pressure in a small canner).

Light the burner before putting the pressure cooker on it.
Let the cooker get up to pressure and then start the timer for 1 hour and 25 minutes.

After processing for 1 hour and 25 minutes, turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker release its pressure on it's own, that means leave it alone until the lock releases.

Then take off the lid, but Sheepy taught me to leave the jars in the hot water until the water is luke warm. If you don't, the liquid seems to escape from the jar.

All done and ready to go into the storage room!

Well, not all of it will go into the storage room. Son1 is home this weekend and he'll take two or three jars back to school with him.

Someone's gotta feed those starving college students!