Old-Fashioned Beef Stew with Potatoes and Herbs (Pressure Canning Recipe)

Pull this out when dinner time rolls around and you’ve got nothing planned or when you need a real lunch. Spending an afternoon canning beef stew now means you’ll have something ready to go on your shelf when you need it. This is also surprisingly good. The meat is super tender and there’s lots of flavor from the veggies and herbs.

I pull this out on days when I just want take-out (but living in the country makes that not an option). I just pull a jar or two off the shelf, heat it up, and dinner’s done. Sometimes I serve bread, sometimes I don’t. Depends on what I got. Don’t let pressure canning scare you. We are still just making a recipe, putting it in jars, and heating it up. You can do this, and I’ll walk you through each step.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

For your stew meat, use a cheaper cut like a chuck roast, or one that’s good for slow cooking. Use a proper pressure canner, not just a big pot. We need it to reach the high temperatures to safely preserve the meat. And you want to use fresh vegetables instead of frozen for this. The frozen ones will release more liquid and affect the seal.

This will make 10 pints. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

• Pressure canner and supplies
• Mason jars

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 pounds of beef stew meat
• 6 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 cups carrots, sliced and peeled
• 1 ½ cups celery, chopped
• 1 ½ cups of onion, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 teaspoons basil
• 2 teaspoons rosemary
• 2 teaspoons parsley
• 1 teaspoon pepper

How to Pressure Can Beef Stew

If you live at a higher altitude, you must adjust the pressure and processing time. Check your canner’s manual or this article for adjusting for higher altitudes.

Step One: Prep Your Equipment

Wash your jars. Put 3 inches of water in your pressure canner with a splash of vinegar. Add the jars and heat everything up on medium. Put lids and rings in a small pot of simmering water.

Step Two: Cook the Meat

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the beef and brown it on all sides for about 3-5 minutes.

Step Three: Add Everything Else

Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.

Add enough water to cover. Then, add all your seasonings and stir. Bring to a boil.

Start boiling another pot of water – you’ll need this later.

Step Four: Fill the Jars

Ladle the hot stew into the hot jars, leaving a 1-inch headspace.

Remove air bubbles with a plastic knife. Top off with boiling water to maintain 1 1-inch headspace.

Wipe jar rims clean. Put on lids and rings fingertip-tight.

Step Five: Process Them

Put the filled jars in the canner. Lock the lid and heat to medium-high. Vent steam for 10 minutes, then bring to 10 pounds pressure (11 for dial gauge). Process for 75 minutes for pints, 90 for quarts.

If pressure drops below 10 pounds, start the timer over.

Step Six: Cool Down & Check Seals

Turn off the heat. Let the pressure drop naturally. Wait 5 minutes after the pressure reaches zero, then remove the lid. Let the jars sit in the canner 10 minutes, then move to cool for 12-24 hours.

After 24 hours, make sure the lids are sealed properly. Store the sealed jars for 12-18 months. Put any unsealed jars in the fridge and use within a few days.

Storing & Serving

Once your jars have cooled and sealed, take the rings off. They can sometimes trap moisture and hide a broken seal. Store your jars in a cool, dark, and dry place like the pantry or cupboard for up to a year. Don’t freeze your stew. It will change its texture when it thaws out.

This filling dinner is good on its own, or you can add some of these if you’d like.

• Have some crusty bread on the side, like this no-knead herb and olive oil bread or apple cider sourdough bread.
• For a cozy night, finish off with some sourdough cinnamon rolls.

Questions and Troubleshooting

More Canning Recipes To Make Dinner Easy

Having these in your pantry will make it so easy to pull dinner together.

• I make this spaghetti sauce every year with my garden tomatoes.
• Tomato soup and a grilled cheese are the perfect, cozy dinner for chilly days.
• Make some homemade pizza sauce and thin crust pizza dough for a fun pizza night.

Printable Recipe