Canning Pork Ribs
Canning pork ribs is one of the best ways to preserve tender, delicious pork without taking up freezer space.
Ingredients
- Pork spare ribs about 8 lbs
- Salt optional, to taste
- Barbecue sauce about 2 cups or Extra Broth
- Broth to fill the remainder of jars - about 2 cups total
Instructions
- Crack the pork ribs evenly and trim off excess fat.
- Roast or bake the meat until it's about halfway done and cooked through.
- Remove the bones, then cut the meat into squares.
- Put the barbecue sauce into a stockpot on the stove, then bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, about 180 degrees Fahrenheit, but make sure you keep it hot while you're preparing the jars.
- Do the same with the broth, warming it and keeping it hot until you're ready to fill the jars.
- Pack the hot pork meat into a hot, sterilized jar, leaving about an inch of headspace. If desired, add a half teaspoon of salt to each pint jar (or one teaspoon of salt to each quart jar).
- Ladle the hot barbecue sauce and/or broth over the meat, leaving an inch of headspace.
- Remove air bubbles, then add more broth if needed.
- Clean The jar rims with a damp paper towel.
- Put the lids on the jars, then adjust the bands until they are fingertip tight.
- Put the jars on the rack in the pressure container. Add two inches of simmering water (about 180 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Put the lid on the canner, then turn it to the lock deposition. Adjust the heat to medium high, then vent steam for 10 minutes. Put the weighted gauge on the vent and bring the pressure to 10 lbs.
- Process pint jars for 1 hour and 15 minutes or quart jars for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, then cool the canner to zero pressure.
- After five minutes, remove the lid, then let the jars cool inside the canner for another 10 minutes.
- Take the jars out of the canner. Do not retighten loose bands (these can be removed if desired). Cool the jars for another 12 hours, then check the seals.
- Label and store the jars.
Notes
The BBQ sauce is optional in this recipe, and pulled rib meat can be canned in water or plain broth. I actually prefer to can it without the BBQ sauce so that it's more versatile, and I add the sauce at serving when making pulled rib sandwiches.
Salt in this recipe is also optional, and not required for safe canning. It can be adjusted to taste, and may not be necessary if you're using BBQ sauce. If using plain broth, I would suggest adding salt, as it helps keep the meat tender and flavorful.
Pork ribs can also be canned bone-in, believe it or not, provided the bones are small and will fit into the jars, leaving the appropriate headspace. The bones tend to get brittle during canning, and will crumble when the meat comes out of the jar...so I don't suggest this method. It also unnecessarily takes up space in the jars with bones when it could be more meat instead. Ribs are best canned when trimmed off the bone.