Canned Beef Stew Recipe with a pressure cooker
One thing we have been working on is building up our food storage with shelf stable foods. It is something we do for peace of mind. But also for frugal reasons. When times get rough in our budget, we have often relied on the food we have had in storage to get us through those hard times. And one of the favorites to have on our shelves is a canned beef stew recipe!
This recipe is one that I tasted at my sister’s years ago. And I instantly fell in love. And the entire family ate it! So that is another bonus! Not to mention that once you have the canned beef stew on the shelf, then dinner is only 10 minutes away! And to my surprise it is actually quite simple to make this canned beef stew!
Just set aside a day to do some canning and you will be able to put up a good number of jars on the shelf to help you get through those nights when you just don’t know what to cook!
How to Pressure Can Beef Stew
To begin you will need
- 7 quart jars (wide mouth is the easiest but you can use regular)
- 5 lbs beef cubed for stew
- 5 lbs potatoes (peeled and cubed)
- 2 lbs carrots
- 1 1/2 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
- Beef Bullion (optional)
- water
- 3 cups chopped onion (optional)
- Lehman’s 21.5 quart Pressure cooker
Now when I first started canning, I didn’t know that some foods had to be cooked in a pressure canner. And when I discovered that beef stew was one of them it scared me away from wanting to try it. Pressure canning always scared me. And frankly for good reason, because if you don’t know what you are doing; a lot can go wrong.
But if you have the right pressure canner and some common sense it isn’t something to be afraid of! That is why I wanted my Lehman’s 21.5-quart pressure canner so badly. It is a little more on the expensive side when it comes to pressure canners, but let me tell you why I wanted this one above all others.
Quality and safety! The Lehman uses exclusive metal to metal sealing. Which means there are no gaskets to crack, clean or burn. This gives an extra level of safety but also saves you money down the road since that is one less part you have to constantly replace.
Also, the Lehman’s pressure cooker cannot surpass 212ºF at 15 lbs sq in. Which again helps to alleviate the issue of exploding canners. It also features stay-cool bakelite handles, easy-to-read pressure gauge and detailed owner’s manual with recipes and canning hints.
Not to mention it is one of the best pressure canners on the market with the best reviews and ratings! Check out all the amazing reviews on Amazon!
So that is why I held out in making our canned beef stew until I had one of these Lehman’s pressure canners! I wanted quality and safety!
So now that I have one, it is time to get some canned beef stew on our shelves! My sister came over to help me since she has more experience than I. And I was so grateful for the help with this big pregnancy belly getting in the way.
First, you want to trim your beef and make sure it is all in cubes. Peel your potatoes and cube them. Then slice up your carrots. You don’t want the potatoes and carrots too small as they will be processing in the pressure canner for 90 minutes, and you don’t want mush.
Make sure you sanitize your jars before filling. I did this by running them through a high dishwasher cycle as we prepped the food. And make sure you get your lids prepped and ready to go by putting the lids in hot water to soften the seal.
Add any seasonings to the bottom of the jar first. Such as salt, pepper, and if you want to add in thyme, rosemary and garlic, that is all optional.
Now start filling the Jars with your beef cubes. Divide it up evenly between the jars.
Then add in potatoes and then top with carrots.
If you want a rich flavor, you can mix up beef bullion into water, and heat until all bullion is dissolved. Or if you want to opt for EASY, just boil water without the bullion, (I’ll tell you how to make it taste great after you open the jar).
Slowly fill the jars to just above the carrots with the beef stock mix or boiling water if that is your method.
Use a canning spatula to skirt around the edges in the jar to make sure all the air bubbles are released.
Finish filling up the jars with gravy leaving 1″ headspace.
Place the lids onto the jar and using the bands, and screw shut.
Place them into our Lehman’s Canner. Make sure you have at least 2-3″ of water at all times in the pressure canner, otherwise you will damage your canner.
Place the jars into the canner. The Lehman’s 21.5-quart pressure canner can process 7 quarts at a time or 19 pints since you can do 2 layers of pints.
Make sure you follow all the instructions for your pressure canner on how to seal correctly. Then begin processing as the manual instructs.
For this beef stew, you will process the jars for 90 minutes at 15 lbs sq in.
Once it is done pressure canning, turn off the heat and allow the pressure canner to completely drop to 0 lbs sq in. Do not rush this. Just wait it out. Then follow the instructions on how to properly and safely open the canner.
You can now remove your jars of canned beef stew and allow them to settle, cool and finish sealing.
You now have shelf stable canned beef stew for making the best homemade dinner in no time! These store great on the shelves for 1-2 years if kept in a cool, dry, dark place.
Homemade Beef Stew in under 10 minutes
But now that we have the beef stew in the jar, how do we make family dinner? It is so simple you will absolutely love this!
Homemade Beef Stew Recipe
Have dinner ready in under 10 minutes with this easy beef stew dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 jar canned Beef stew
- 1 packet brown gravy mix
- 1 cup water
- 1 can whole kernel corn
- 1 package sweet petite frozen peas (optional)
- 1 teaspoon McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning or to taste
Instructions
- Mix brown gravy mix and water into a sauce pan
- Add jar of canned beef stew, drained corn and peas
- Season with McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning
- Heat on medium heat until warm
- Serve with fresh rolls or warm bread
It really is that easy! Just open the jar of the beef stew, combine it with more vegetables that you would like, season it with a simple brown gravy mix and McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning. And you have a delicious and hearty dinner ready in no time.
Make it extra delicious by having some fresh baked rolls or bread ready to go with it.
I’m so excited to have some extra jars of canned beef stew on our shelves for simple family dinners. These will come in so handy after this baby is born! I can’t even tell you how great it will be to have a hearty meal in under 10 minutes, with a new baby to watch after. We’ll be eating like kings, but with very minimal effort!
Now you know how to make your own canned beef stew! And it is really quite simple! Make sure you get a quality pressure canner like the Lehman’s 21.5 quart Pressure canner. They also carry lots of canning supplies for all your canning needs!
You can learn more by visiting Lehman’s on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
Are you now brave enough to try the Lehman’s Pressure canner to make your own beef stew?
I have always wanted to know how to can stuff! I want to try this SO bad, and this beef stew looks delicious!
This recipe is the best, especially for those who can and have a home food storage. Although, the recipe is so good, that this won’t last long in storage! 🙂
I seriously need to do a few more batches of this beef stew for our shelves, because my kids are already asking to eat it again! 7 quarts really won’t last us long. lol.
I have always wanted to try to can my own food. This seems like a great way to start, this soup looks delicious.
beef stew is a classic winter dinner in our house. I can’t wait to start making it again when the weather cools off.
This is AWESOME!! I want to can but I am…. a little scared. I have everything to do it. I’m going to try to make this first.
I’ve never canned anything before, but I love this idea! It seems like a great way to save money if you get it all on sale, too.
That is so totally awesome! I can’t wait to try this. Beef stew is one of my family’s favorites.
What an awesome kitchen gadget. I really could use this for my big family, I bet it would be great to do batch cooking it!
Wow, I’ve never used a pressure cooker but it is on my must have list now. How cool that you can cook all that food at once! Great recipe for Fall
This looks so yummy and just in time for fall! I cannot believe it takes only 10 minutes!
This could not have come at a better time, as it is just starting to get cooler and I love soups and stews. I may have to put this pressure cooker on my must-have list 🙂
I love beef stew! I have never tried making my own before.
My family would love this recipe and I love canning! I’m going to have to get my pressure canner out of the closet!!
I love the idea of dinner being only 10 minutes away. I’ve never used a pressure cooker before. I may have to try one out so I can make this and have it ready to go when needed!
I have friends that do canning. I love getting treats from her. Everything they make is delicious. I will have to share this with her.
This Beef Stew looks so delicious. I would love to try making this. I have been wanting to try canning.
I think my family would love this! I will have to give it a try.
Wow this looks amazing! I wish I could make some like that. I’d make so many more meals in advance!
Looks great. I would love to have this in my year supply
This looks so yummy! I have never used a pressure cooker before, sounds like it is pretty handy!
This is such a wonderful idea. You make pressure canning seem not so scary. Will have to try this.
Wow that canner looks amazing! I have always wanted to try canning but was intimidated! The recipe looks great too!
That really does sound super easy and it looks delicious. I may have to give this a try.
Who knew you could make canned beef stew in pressure cooker? Not me! But now I REALLY want to give this a try. Thanks for sharing such a great idea!
I am not a big beef stew lover, but this process is really cool! I love that it was quick, and easy. Plus they are healthier than canned goods!
This looks so good, but I’m a little worried about all the gravy packets. Wouldn’t that be a ton of sodium?
Sodium is actually a crucial part in the food preservation that helps make this shelf stable. Without sodium then it wouldn’t remain safe on the shelf. Sodium is a natural preservative. And since the point is that we are canning it to be shelf stable, we need to ensure it will be safe to eat months later.
Now if you compare this home canned beef stew to that of canned beef stew you can purchase in the store, you are actually getting less than HALF of the sodium as you would from a store purchased beef stew.
The gravy Packet has 340 mg sodium. times 4 is 1360mg. So yes that looks like a lot. But then it is divided between at least 7 different quarts. And I actually ended up with 8 quarts. So 1360 divided by 8 is 170 mg per quart. Then you add in the additional gravy packet when you heat it up so add 340 = 510 mg of sodium per quart jar when mixed up to eat. That’s for a meal for a full family of 4. Not per serving. So you are actually getting less than 510mg of sodium in this meal when consumed.
A jar of beef stew for a single person that you purchase from the store like HORMEL, DINTY MOORE Beef Stew has 984 mg sodium in a single CUP!
So while yes we need sodium in the canned soup to keep it preserved, it is still a much better option than purchasing canned beef stew from the store if you are looking to cut down on sodium.
You can also use the McCormick Reduced sodium gravy packets if you prefer to lower the sodium even more.
I loved this recipe! Thanks for sharing. The gravy is a good idea, sometimes canned stew looks unappetizing so the gravy certainly makes it look appealing. It won’t last long I’m sure. 🙂
Your recipe only has the meat, potatoes, carrots, and celery; but the picture has corn. Did you add the corn after opening the canned jar and upon reheating?
Also thought you shouldn’t add gravies to canned foods before processing?
yes, I added the corn after opening the jar and heating it up.
As for the gravy, thank you for pointing that out. I completely messed up that part of the recipe! The gravy comes in later after the jar is opened, so no canning with any thickeners.
I’ve just fixed the recipe above to reflect not using gravy in the jars before canning.