Canning Pot Roast in a Jar

4.80 from 5 votes

Canning pot roast in a jar gives you tender, perfectly cooked meat without running the oven or crockpot all day long. Just grab a jar off the pantry shelf, reheat and you're in for a delicious home cooked meal in minutes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Canning Time1 30

Total Time2

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Meal in a Jar, Pot Roast

Servings: Servings (Makes 4 pints or 2 quarts)

Author: Ashley Adamant

Equipment

Pressure Canner
Canning Funnel
Wide Mouth Quart Mason Jars
Wide Mouth Canning Lids
Jar lifter

Ingredients

2 lb beef chuck roast boneless, fat trimmed and meat cut into 2-inch (5 cm) chunks
2 tsp salt
1 tsp Ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic sliced
2 whole bay leaves 1 per quart, or 1/2 per pint
2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup carrots sliced
1 cup onions diced
1 cup potatoes peeled, diced
½ cup celery diced
Boiling Water or Broth to Fill about 1 quart

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the pressure canner and jars, keeping the jars warm. Place the canner on the stove with about 2 inches of water, following your canner manufacturer's instructions. Since this is a raw pack, heat the canner water only to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit, not to a simmer, before loading the jars.
Trim the hard fat off the beef and cut it into 2-inch chunks that fit through the jar opening. Slice the garlic and carrots, and dice the onions, potatoes, and celery.
Combine the beef, vegetables, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaves in a large bowl and mix well.
Pack the raw mixture into the jars, dividing it evenly and not packing it down too tightly. Add the red wine if using.
Pour boiling water or broth over the solids, leaving 1 inch headspace.
Remove air bubbles, recheck the headspace, wipe the rims, and apply the lids and bands fingertip tight.
Load the jars into the pressure canner, lock the lid, and vent steam for 10 minutes. Bring to pressure, at 10 lbs in a weighted gauge canner or 11 lbs in a dial gauge canner, adjusting for altitude.
Process pints for 75 minutes or quarts for 90 minutes, keeping the pressure steady the whole time.
Turn off the heat and let the canner depressurize naturally, never forcing it cool. Wait 5 minutes, then remove the lid.
Let the jars rest 10 minutes, then remove them and cool undisturbed for 24 hours. Check the seals, label, and store.

Notes

This is a raw pack recipe adapted from the "Simple One Jar Meals" section of The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. The beef and vegetables go into the jars raw and cool, then boiling water or broth fills the gaps to a 1 inch headspace.

Yield Notes: A full batch starts from about 2 pounds of beef and roughly 1 cup each of carrots, onions, and potatoes plus 1/2 cup of celery, measured before peeling and cutting. The red wine is optional and added at about 1/2 cup per quart jar. Plan on roughly 1 1/2 to 2 cups of boiling broth or water per quart to reach the headspace line, though it varies with how tightly you pack.

Thickeners: Never add flour, cornstarch, or any thickener to the jar. Can the pot roast with thin liquid, then thicken it into gravy at serving: whisk about 2 Tbsp flour per quart or 1 Tbsp per pint into the pot as it reheats and simmer 10 minutes.

Batch Size: The tested batch is small (4 pints or 2 quarts). Because the process time is fixed, run two or three batches together to fill a canner load without changing the time. Minimum batch is 2 quarts or 4 pints, and maximum is as many as your canner is rated for.

Storage: Properly sealed jars keep about 12 to 18 months in a cool, dark place and stay safe longer. Refrigerate after opening and use within 3 to 4 days.

Altitude Adjustments for Canning Pot Roast

With pressure canning, the processing times stay the same at higher altitudes, but the pressures change. Here are the altitude adjustments for pressure canning:

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

Nutrition