Canning Pork

Canning Pork is one of the most practical pressure canning projects you can do, and it’s an easy way to turn turns an inexpensive cut into tender, ready-to-use meat that’s perfect for quick weeknight meals.

This method follows the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s instructions for canning pork and is designed specifically for pressure canning. It’s a classic, no-fuss approach that gives you shelf-stable meat you can turn into everything from tacos to soup in minutes.

There are so many different pork canning recipes, but the simplest and most useful is plain canned pork, especially when made with chunks of pork shoulder that get wonderfully tender in the jar.

Pork can be canned as raw pack with raw meat and no added liquid, or as a hot pack pre-cooked with added broth. Both have the same pressure canning times and pressure, the main difference is how the meat is prepared before it goes into the jar.

If you’re looking for a recipe for a specific cut of pork, try my recipes for canning sausage, canning pork ribs, canning pork shoulder in spicy broth or canning pulled pork.

Best Pork Cuts for Canning

When I’m choosing pork for pressure canning, I’m thinking about how it will eat after 75–90 minutes under pressure. The best cuts are the ones that stay moist, hold their shape, and turn tender without drying out. In general, that means a little connective tissue is your friend, and extreme leanness usually isn’t.

• Pork shoulder (Boston Butt or Picnic shoulder) – This is my top pick for canning pork in chunks. It has enough intramuscular fat and collagen to stay juicy, and it cans up tender without turning to mush. It’s also easy to cube and packs neatly into jars, which makes raw pack especially convenient.
• Pork Belly – A fatty, heavy connective tisuse cut that gets perfectly tender when canned. It’s great for adding meat to ramen, or dishes where you’re ok with a lot of fat in the finished product. The extra fat can cause jar sealing issues, but so long as you make sure your jars are sealed before storage, this is a great choice. (But don’t use cured belly or bacon, only fresh meat.)
• Fresh ham (uncured leg roast) – If you can get fresh, uncured ham/leg, it’s a solid option for canning. By fresh, it just means the raw back leg of a pig, that’s usually made into ham, but in this case, it’s not. It’s just fresh meat, and you can often ask for it as is from a butcher. It’s a bit leaner than shoulder, so it won’t be quite as succulent, but it still holds together well and has a nice, clean pork flavor. I tend to prefer hot pack with this cut if I want a little more liquid coverage and a “brothier” jar.
• Pork loin (including sirloin roast) – Loin will work, but it’s lean, so the tradeoff is texture. It can come out drier and more “firm” compared to shoulder, especially with raw pack. If you’re using loin, trimming is easy (there’s not much fat), but I recommend planning to use it in saucy dishes (tacos with salsa, stir-fries, curries, barbecue sauce) where it can rehydrate a bit.
• Pork tenderloin – This is usually too lean and too expensive to be worth canning, and it’s prone to drying out. It’s not unsafe, it’s just not the best use of the cut, since tenderloin shines when it’s cooked quickly, not pressure processed for a long time.

When canning, avoid anything cured or heavily salted (like corned/ham style cuts, bacon, or smoked, cured products). All types of cured meat are not tested for canning, and cannot be done unless the recipe specifically calls for them. (There are a few bean canning recipes that call for a small amount of bacon or ham, but that’s about it.)

Ground pork and sausage are a different process and behave differently in jars, so I don’t treat them as interchangeable with chunks. I have separate instructions for canning sausage.

Ingredients for Canning Pork

This is a simple, back-to-basics canning method where the quality of your pork (and how well you trim it) matters more than a long ingredient list.

• Pork shoulder: The best all-around cut for pressure canning in chunks, with great texture after processing. Any “low and slow” cooking cut will work wonderfully.
• Canning salt (optional): Adds flavor, but is not required for safety

You can use other high-quality cuts of pork (like leg cuts or pork loin), but lean cuts tend to can up drier, and very fatty cuts can leave excess fat in the jar. Pork shoulder is the sweet spot for flavor and texture.

You can add reasonable amounts of dry seasoning to the jars (like cumin, paprika or chili powder), but don’t add anything that’s going to thicken the contents (like flour, cornstarch, or gravy mixes).

Preparing Pork for Canning

Pork can be pressure canned as either a raw pack pressure canning recipe or a hot pack pressure canning recipe with pre-cooked meat and broth. The pictures here are for raw pork, but it’s also just fine to process pre-cooked pork.

Raw Pack Pork

Start with well-chilled pork shoulder (or another good canning cut) so it’s firm and easy to trim cleanly. Trim off excess surface fat and any tough gristle, then cut the meat into strips, cubes, or chunks that will pack neatly into jars.

If you’re using salt, add it to the jar first, usually 1/2 tsp per pint or 1 tsp per quart is about right.

Next, pack the raw pork tightly into hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. For raw pack, do not add liquid, as the meat will release its own juices during processing.

Wipe the rims, apply lids, and tighten rings finger-tight so the jars are ready to go straight into the pressure canner.

Hot Pack Pork

For hot pack, begin the same way by trimming and cutting the pork into strips, cubes, or chunks. Precook the meat until rare by roasting, stewing, or browning it lightly. Your goal isn’t to fully cook it, you’re just getting it hot, adding a bit of browning and setting the proteins.

(If you have fully cooked leftover meat, that’s fine too, but just be sure it only contains canning safe ingredients. Just meat and dry seasonings, no starches or thickeners.)

Pack the hot meat into hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace, then cover with boiling broth, meat drippings, water, or tomato juice. Hot pack usually gives you better liquid coverage in the jar and a slightly cleaner-looking pack.

Finish by wiping rims, applying lids, tightening rings finger-tight, and moving promptly to the pressure canner.

Canning Pork

Once your jars are packed (raw pack or hot pack), it’s time to process them in a pressure canner. Pork is a low-acid food, so pressure canning is the only safe method for making it shelf stable.

Place the filled jars on the canner rack and add the amount of water your canner manufacturer recommends. Lock the lid in place and heat on high until steam vents steadily from the vent pipe. Vent for 10 minutes with a strong, continuous column of steam, then apply the weight or close the petcock to bring the canner up to pressure.

When the canner reaches the correct pressure for your altitude (see below), start timing and keep the pressure steady for the full processing time:

• Pints: 75 minutes
• Quarts: 90 minutes

When the time is up, turn off the heat and let the canner depressurize naturally. Don’t force-cool the canner or open the vent early. After the pressure returns to zero (or the lock drops, depending on your canner), wait a couple minutes, then carefully remove the weight/open the vent and unlock the lid away from your face.

Lift jars straight up and set them on a towel-lined counter to cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours. Check seals, remove rings, label, and store sealed jars in a cool, dark pantry.

Any unsealed jars should go into the refrigerator and be used within a few days.

Serving Ideas

Turn a jar into pulled-pork-style sandwiches by warming the meat and shredding it with a fork, then tossing with barbecue sauce.

Crisp chunks in a hot skillet until browned, then add onions and peppers for quick fajitas or taco filling.Or, stir into a pot of beans (black beans, white beans, or baked beans) for instant depth and a longer-simmered flavor.

Use the broth and meat together as a shortcut base for soup, and add potatoes and cabbage for a simple pork-and-vegetable soup, or go spicy with green chiles and hominy.

Make a fast fried rice: sauté aromatics, add rice and vegetables, then fold in drained pork at the end so it stays chunky.

Warm and season with ginger, garlic, and soy sauce, then serve over noodles with a splash of the Home Canned Pork Broth and a handful of greens for easy homemade ramen.

Pork Canning FAQs

Pork Canning Recipes

20+ Pork Canning Recipes (Soup, Chili and Meal in a Jar Recipes)

Pork canning recipes are one of my favorite ways to turn a big meat purchase into real, ready-to-use food on…

Meat Canning Recipes

Canning Boston Baked Beans

Canning Sausage Potato and Kale Soup (Copycat Zuppa Toscana)

Canning Taco Soup