# Pressure canning beef stew.



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

My elevation is 1,320 ft. I want to can some beef stew and my AA canner book and the blue ball book recommend 15 lbs after 1,000 ft for 90 mins.
Should i go with 10 lbs or 15 lbs?
I ask because i went with 10 lbs for green beans this summer instead of 15.
Which do you use for beef stew?
Thanks for any help.


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

You should always can at 15 lbs for your elevation as water boils at a lower temp over 1,000 feet. 

The AA manual does have a chart for vegetables at different elevations that takes into account that 15 lbs at 1300 feet is very different than 15 lbs at 7,000 feet (if you had a dial gauge you would can at 12 lbs, not 15 lbs), but I would use at your own risk as the USDA canning info does not do this.


----------



## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

The pressure indicated is what it takes to get the temperature to that required for canning. Stick with what the book says. At 1000 feet or below, it takes 10 lbs. of pressure to get the temp up to 240 deg. At higher elevations it takes higher pressure to get the temps up that high. _It doesn't matter what you are canning._

Green beans require a temp of 240 deg for 20 minutes (pints), or 25 minutes for quarts. At your elevation, canning at 10 lbs. pressure did not get the beans up to the required 240, therefore they are under processed.


----------



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

I went ahead and decided on 15 lbs and canned it at that. 
This is my first time trying canning something with meat. Have my fingers crossed all went well.
The canner is still cooling down.
A long time friend who has pressure canned for years and who is 100 ft higher in elevation than me told me she always canned her beans at 10 lbs.
So i followed her advice. The AA canner book is quite confusing if you ask me when it comes to how much lbs to use.
I will boil the beans for 10 mins before using or use them in items that require long cooking times such as stews or soups. I really don't feel like throwing out all the pints of beans i did this summer.


----------



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

I just went and checked and the pressure gauge was at zero. I slowly took off the weight and took them out of the canner. Nothing looked weird or broken. I heard them sealing shortly after removing them. If i have good seals on all in the morning everything should be fine.


----------



## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

flowergurl said:


> I went ahead and decided on 15 lbs and canned it at that.
> 
> A long time friend who has pressure canned for years and who is 100 ft higher in elevation than me told me she always canned her beans at 10 lbs.
> So i followed her advice.


Flowergurl, please don't think I'm trying to hammer you, but don't follow your friends advice. She may be your friend, but she's passing on bad canning techniques.

At your altitude, pressure can _everything_, *no matter what it is*, at 15 lbs. pressure.

Boiling water bath - for things like jams, jellies and fruits, just boil as normal.

If you need advice, we are always here to help! :sing:


----------



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

Yes Sally I will do that from now on. No point in going to all that trouble and doing it wrong.  
Now I do have a question about the beef stew i did last night.
All the jars sealed but one. I am going to throw that one out. I am guessing it must have leaked during processing as the other jars have an oily feel to them.
I did trim all the fat i could get off the meat before processing.
Some of the jars have a small amount of fat on the top inside of the jars is that normal? I will take a pic here in a few.


----------



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

View attachment 16956


----------



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

This is the recipe i used:

http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipe.aspx?r=68


----------



## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

DO NOT THROW IT OUT!!!

If you have more jars to process, just re-cap it with a new lid and re-process it along with the new jars. If you don't have more jars to process, just let it cool and put it in the fridge and have it for lunch in a day or so.

It's not unusual to have a jar not seal. BUT! Wait 24 hours before you decide that it hasn't sealed. Sometimes there will be a slow poke among the group.


----------



## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Flowergurl, Bless you heart!! After looking at the recipe that you used, (which is a very good recipe!) I understand your confusion about what pressure to use to can your food!!

_*ALL*_ canning recipes are _based_ on altitudes of 1000 ft or less. The manual will tell you that for altitudes of MORE than 1000 ft, you need to use the 15 lb pressure (this wil be for those canners that have a 3 piece weight - 5 lbs, 10 lbs, & 15 lbs.) If you have one that uses a guage, like an All American, it will tell you what the pressure will be for your basic altitude. (I don't like those, they are more complicated.)

For your altitude, _always_ use 15 lbs. for _every_ pressure canned recipe.

Hope this helps.


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

My canned stew looks just like yours! Even down to the specks of herbs sticking to the side. And my meatballs are even fattier. I think it looks just fine.


----------



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

The jar that didn't seal had sat out all night. I was afraid to use it after that.
I poured it out, but I did inspect the meat and veggies. The meat looks very tender and was fully cooked. The veggies are not mushy as I feared they might be.
I was afraid mine might have had to much fat in it, Thanks Vosey. 
I have an all american canner, it has a gauge and a weight. The manual says the
weight will give you the correct pressure. Even tho the gauge only registered 14 lbs. the weight giggled 2-3 times a minute, with the 15 lbs side over the vent.
Thanks for all the help. 
Sally could you use wild game meat such as deer in place of the beef in this recipe?
I am learning to pressure can so I can save money and help us in our retirement years.


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

flowergurl, I've always wondered about eating the unsealed jar when you are supposed to let them sit for 12-24 hours. But they are crazy hot for a lot of that time! 

Venison or elk would process the same as beef.


----------



## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

As Vosey said, venison can be used and it makes a very good stew. Just remember - venison fat is nasty stuff. (It's hard like wax and will coat the inside of your mouth.) Just trim it well. No matter how well you trim it, you will still get some fat in the jar. Just spoon it out when you open the jar. It will be easy to see - looks like small pieces of wax.


----------



## The_rpp (Oct 19, 2013)

An improperly sealed jar of stew, cooling on your counter for 12 to 24 hours, would be safe to refrigerate for a week or so and eat. Now past 36 hours, I am not so sure. You will be heating it before cooking anyway. However, do not do anything you are not comfortable with. My wife has a much lower tolerance for that sort of thing than I do.

By the way, the reason it may not have sealed can be an important lesson. It took me a long time figure this out, but then I am a bit of a slowpoke. Obviously we need to clean the lips of the jars when we put the lids on.

When processing, the jar will boil vigorously. That steam needs to escape, that is why, of course, we tighten the lids only lightly. If there is insufficient head-space, sometimes the jars can boil-over and some of the food contents get stuck on the lip of the jar. When the jar cools, the sealing compound cannot get around the small food particles and so the seal does not form. 

Other times the food particles are small enough for a seal for form initially as the jar cools. But that tiny bit of food might still cause a pinhole leak in the seal. So after some time, hours, days a week or so, the vacuum is slowly broken with air slowly seeping in. Food spoilage would be inevitable.

While most failures happen right away, some can be delayed. This is why I always try to check after a week or so to make sure all the jars are still good.

You stew looks really good!


----------



## The_rpp (Oct 19, 2013)

suitcase_sally said:


> As Vosey said, venison can be used and it makes a very good stew. Just remember - venison fat is nasty stuff. (It's hard like wax and will coat the inside of your mouth.) Just trim it well. No matter how well you trim it, you will still get some fat in the jar. Just spoon it out when you open the jar. It will be easy to see - looks like small pieces of wax.


I did not know that. Thank you!


----------



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

Yup, the jars tops I always wipe good and just finger tight on the bands. I measure twice for headspace. I only rarely have had a jar not seal. Now sure what happened with that one ?
Thanks, I hope it tastes as good as it looks. LOL


----------



## mpennington (Dec 15, 2012)

Any time I process jars containing meat, I wipe the jar tops with a cloth dipped in vinegar. This helps remove any oily residue which could cause seal failure.

Sent from my BNTV600 using Homesteading Today mobile app


----------



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

We opened one of the jars and had it for supper tonight.  I wanted to see how we liked it. I let it boil for 10 mins and turned down the heat and added some flour to thicken it. I baked some biscuits and it was quite a hearty home cooked meal.
Yup, I will put up some more of this.


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

flowergurl said:


> We opened one of the jars and had it for supper tonight.  I wanted to see how we liked it. I let it boil for 10 mins and turned down the heat and added some flour to thicken it. I baked some biscuits and it was quite a hearty home cooked meal.
> Yup, I will put up some more of this.


And the flavor gets better with time! My first stew canned was out of this world, then my second batch I ate a jar right after canning and it was not nearly as flavorful. I put those jars in the back, 6 months later DH opened one for dinner and it was delicious! I've learned to let chili sit as well, makes a big difference.


----------



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

Oh i'm sure it does. I just wanted to see if we'd like this in case I found meat and sale wanted to make more. I didn't want to can up a bunch and end up not liking it. haha


----------



## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

I always can things like stew. chili. soup and spagiti sause . after adding all the ingredints I end up with a huge pot full so instead of having it every day canning allowes me to have heat n eat meals just like my city couisins who live out of the grocery store ( though better quality and taste) I have a small electric canner holding 4 pint jars that gets lots of use for this . canning at home wiil save you plenty as you can use your jars over and over once you have them . I love canning lots of beef and pork ; though in the full sized canner(we raise our own here but many of my friends find great deals on whole pork loins and stew beef on sales at the grocery ) and it comes out tender and can be used in many recipes . there is no better feeling than knowing the cellar is full of goodies when a snow storm or the like hits and the local news shows people lineing up at the grocery for staples


----------



## mommatwo2 (Nov 7, 2013)

arnie said:


> I always can things like stew. chili. soup and spagiti sause . after adding all the ingredints I end up with a huge pot full so instead of having it every day canning allowes me to have heat n eat meals just like my city couisins who live out of the grocery store ( though better quality and taste) I have a small electric canner holding 4 pint jars that gets lots of use for this . canning at home wiil save you plenty as you can use your jars over and over once you have them . I love canning lots of beef and pork ; though in the full sized canner(we raise our own here but many of my friends find great deals on whole pork loins and stew beef on sales at the grocery ) and it comes out tender and can be used in many recipes . there is no better feeling than knowing the cellar is full of goodies when a snow storm or the like hits and the local news shows people lineing up at the grocery for staples



I do this as well.... I make a huge batch we eat dinner and I reheat it the next day for canning. Hubby takes a pint ( equals to a can of anything you can buy in the store) to work for lunch. Busy day I heat up a few cans of what ever and we are ready to eat.  I also can my own pinto beans, northern beans and red beans. Easy for any recipe. 


Sent from my iPad using Homesteading Today


----------



## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

mommatwo2 said:


> I do this as well.... I make a huge batch we eat dinner and I reheat it the next day for canning. Hubby takes a pint ( equals to a can of anything you can buy in the store) to work for lunch. Busy day I heat up a few cans of what ever and we are ready to eat.  I also can my own pinto beans, northern beans and red beans. Easy for any recipe.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Homesteading Today


 it always seemed to me that we canned our home grown goods but our county has a cannery and i'v noticed lots of people canning pinto beans and bulk bought foods adding their own things like a chunk of saltpork to each can of beans or hot pepper to tomatoes .


----------



## PackerBacker (Jul 17, 2013)

suitcase_sally said:


> At your altitude, pressure can _everything_, *no matter what it is*, at 15 lbs. pressure.


http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/applesauce.html

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/tomato_crushed.html

:huh:


----------



## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

I believe she meant food that is supposed to be pressured canned only. Applesauce & tomatoes are safe to do in a hot water bath.


----------



## PackerBacker (Jul 17, 2013)

Wendy said:


> I believe she meant food that is supposed to be pressured canned only. Applesauce & tomatoes are safe to do in a hot water bath.


Doesn't matter what she meant. Only what was actually typed.


----------



## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

No, it actually does matter what she meant. I think everyone knew what she meant except for maybe you.


----------

