Canning Vindaloo Curry (Lamb, Pork or Chicken)

Vindaloo is a classic Indian curry made with meat and spices, and it’s perfect for home canning.  It’s an easy heat-and-eat meal in a jar right from your pantry shelf.  It’s even better served over rice and with a piece of naan.

We eat a lot of curries at our house, and I absolutely love that most of our recipes are made with pantry (or freezer) staples.  I can put together a meal with just spices from our pantry and meat from our freezer, no grocery store is required.

The thing I don’t love, however, is that most curry recipes start with tough cuts of meat that are stewed for hours at a time to make them tender.  Don’t get me wrong, I love that they’re tender and delicious and made with inexpensive cuts, but it requires a lot of planning ahead on weeknights.

When I realized that most of our favorite curry recipes can easily be pressure canned, it was a real game changer.  Thai Red Curry Duck was one of the first recipes we adapted, and I’ve been working on making all our classics since then.  (It can also be made with chicken or any other type of meat.)

Lamb Vindaloo is one of our favorites, but this recipe can be made with any meat, including pork, chicken, goat, or whatever you have on hand.  (It’s not usually made with beef due to religious restrictions in India, but it is delicious with beef, too, even if not traditional.) 

I’m actually working with mutton shoulder here from a 10-year-old sheep that was retired from a local farm.  Since there’s very little market for mutton in the US, you can often get farmers to give you their retired animals for the cost of processing them at the butcher…and so this meal is almost free.  Pressure canning is the prefect way to make all those tough cuts tender, especially on an older animal like this.

It’s a traditional dish that combines classic Indian curry spices with influences from Portuguese colonists.  The Portuguese added vinegar and mustard, making this particular dish unique as a curry and absolutely delicious.

These days, it’s often bulked out with potatoes to extend the dish, and we love that variation too.  The potatoes really soak up the spices and flavor.  However, I’ve stuck with meat and spices in this recipe for simplicity in canning.  (I’ll work on adding a recipe with potatoes and other vegetables at some point in the future.)

This is a pressure canning recipe because it includes meat, and it cannot be processed in a water bath canner.  If you’re not familier with pressure canning, please read my beginner’s guide to pressure canning before you get started.

I usually can in a 30-quart All-American Pressure Canner for large batches, but when I’m working with just a few quarts at a time for these meal-in-a-jar canning recipes, I prefer working with my Presto Digital Pressure Canner.  It’s silent, easy to use, and doesn’t heat up the house. 

(You can see my full review of the presto pressure canner and how to use an electric pressure canner.  And no, you cannot can in an instant pot; it’s different than an electric pressure canner.)

Ingredients for Canning Vindaloo

This recipe is adapted from Phaidon’s India Cookbook, which has lovely authentic curry recipes.  They have it written as a lamb vindaloo recipe, but you can use any meat here.

Good choices include pork shoulder, lamb shoulder, and boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

To make a 4 quart (or 8 pints) canner batch, you’ll need the following:

• 6 lbs meat, in 1” dice
• 1/4 cup Oil (Coconut, or other neutral frying oil)
• 1/2 cup Cider Vinegar (or White Vinegar)
• 2 cups Broth (or Water), plus more if needed to fill jars

Spice Mix:

• 1 to 2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
• 2 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
• 2 Tbsp. Ground Coriander Seed
• 2 Tbsp. Garam Masala
• 2 Tbsp. Ground Ginger
• 2 Tbsp. Ground Mustard Seed (or 1/4 cup prepared grain mustard)
• 1 Tbsp. Ground Turmeric
• 3 tsp. Salt
• Cayenne Pepper, To Taste, Optional for Heat

The recipe above follows the guidelines for safe canning, which allow you to add dry spices to any caning recipe.   With that in mind, it’s basically the same as canning any plain meat, but with spices added.

Oil is used for browning the meat (and toasting the spices), which is a part of the normal process for canning meat of any kind as a hot pack.

You could also choose to add some vegetables to this recipe, including peeled and cubed potato, sauteed onion, garlic, or hot peppers.

Some people do add vegetables to vindaloo, but in many parts of India, onions and garlic are prohibited for religious and cultural reasons, so they’re not often included in curry recipes.  Still, they’re often used outside of India.

Potatoes are also commonly used to stretch the dish a bit, and I’m fond of adding diced hot peppers for extra heat.

If you do that, you’ll be basically canning beef stew with a different spice mix.  Be sure to add plenty of broth or stock to keep it a “stew-like” consistency, as it can get a bit thick for safe canning if you pack the jars with too many potatoes.  As I mentioned, I’ll work out a specific recipe for that variation later. 

Canning Vindaloo

Before you get started, prepare a pressure canner for hot pack.  This recipe comes together pretty quickly, and you’ll want to have your pressure canner ready to go.

To prepare vindaloo for canning, start by adding the coconut oil and spices to a deep stock pot or dutch oven.  Toast the spices in the oil for 1-2 minutes, until they’re fragrant. 

Add the cubed meat, and toss it in the oil/spice mix.  Cook for about 10 minutes, until the meat is browned on all sides.  It may be easier to divide everything in half and cook it in two batches, as 6 lbs is a lot of meat, and many people don’t have a pot big enough for that.  (In that case,  divide the oil and spices in half and the meat and work in batches.

As the meat browns, add the broth and vinegar to another saucepan and bring it to a boil.

Once the meat is browned, pack it into prepared jars, either pints or quarts, leaving 1” headspace.  Don’t pack it too tightly.

Pour the boiling stock or broth (with the vinegar mixed in) over the top of the meat, maintaining 1” headspace.  You should need about 1/2 cup per quart jar.  (The meat will release more juices as it cooks during the canning process.)

Debubble jars and adjust headspace if necessary.

Seal with 2 part canning lids and process in a pressure canner, adjusting pressure to altitude (see below).

Processing times are 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.

Altitude Adjustments for Canning Vindaloo

Altitude adjustments for meat canning recipes, including this vindaloo recipe, are as follows:

For dial gauge pressure canners:

• 0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
• 2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
• 4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
• 6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure

For weighted gauge pressure canners:

• 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
• Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure

Meal in a Jar Canning Recipes

Need a few more meal-in-a-jar canning recipes?

• Boston Baked Beans
• Thai Curry Duck
• White Bean Chicken Chili
• Cajun Red Beans and Sausage

Yield: Makes 4 quarts (or 8 pints)

Canning Vindaloo (Lamb, Pork or Chicken)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Canning Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Vindaloo is a classic Indian curry, and it's perfect for home canning.

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Ingredients

• 6 lbs meat, in 1'' dice (Lamb, pork, etc.)
• 1/4 cup Oil (Coconut, or other neutral frying oil)
• 1/2 cup Cider Vinegar (or White Vinegar)
• 2 cups Broth (or Water), plus more if needed to fill jars

Spice Mix

• 1 to 2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
• 2 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
• 2 Tbsp. Ground Coriander Seed
• 2 Tbsp. Garam Masala
• 2 Tbsp. Ground Ginger
• 2 Tbsp. Ground Mustard Seed (or 1/4 cup prepared grain mustard)
• 1 Tbsp. Ground Turmeric
• 3 tsp. Salt
• Cayenne Pepper, To Taste, Optional for Heat

Instructions

1. Before you get started, prepare a pressure canner for hot pack.  This recipe comes together pretty quickly, and you'll want to have your pressure canner ready to go.
2. To prepare vindaloo for canning, start by adding the coconut oil and spices to a deep stock pot or dutch oven.  Toast the spices in the oil for 1-2 minutes, until they're fragrant. 
3. Add the cubed meat, and toss it in the oil/spice mix.  Cook for about 10 minutes, until the meat is browned on all sides.  It may be easier to divide everything in half and cook it in two batches, as 6 lbs is a lot of meat, and many people don't have a pot big enough for that.  (In that case,  divide the oil and spices in half and the meat and work in batches.
4. As the meat browns, add the broth and vinegar to another saucepan and bring it to a boil.
5. Once the meat is browned, pack it into prepared jars, either pints or quarts, leaving 1'' headspace.  Don't pack it too tightly.
6. Pour the boiling stock or broth (with the vinegar mixed in) over the top of the meat, maintaining 1'' headspace.  You should need about 1/2 cup per quart jar.  (The meat will release more juices as it cooks during the canning process.)
7. Debubble jars and adjust headspace if necessary.
8. Seal with 2 part canning lids and process in a pressure canner, adjusting pressure to altitude (see below).
9. Processing times are 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.

Notes

Altitude adjustments for meat canning recipes, including this vindaloo recipe, are as follows:

For dial gauge pressure canners:

• 0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
• 2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
• 4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
• 6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure

For weighted gauge pressure canners:

• 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
• Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure

Meat Canning Recipes

Working with other types of meat?  Check out these other meat canning recipes!

• 20+ Chicken Canning Recipes
• Canning Leftover Turkey
• Canning Chicken Chili Verde
• Canning White Bean Chicken Chili
• Canning Chicken Soup