Canning Ground Beef ::: Perfect for Camping

   My mother has always said there is a time and place for everything Canned ground beef fits into this category quite well. While it is convenient to freeze ground beef you naturally do not prepare .the hamburger prior to freezing it. It .is convenient to freeze .it but we need to send ourselves .a .memo when .we need to take it out so it can be used at supper     

Yes, ground beef can be cooked from the frozen state but there are issues. First the hamburger cooks at an uneven rate with the outside cooking faster than the middle and in the end part of the meat is over cooked before the rest of the meat is done. On the other hand, canned ground beef is always ready to use with no waiting time for the meat to thaw out. Simply open the jar of meat and you can start cooking.

The canned ground beef is pre-cooked so it saves time in preparing as you simply need to heat it up. The canned ground beef has a longer shelf life than the frozen ground beef as well. There will never be any freezer burn on the hamburger or worry about no freezer room.

There are two ways of canning ground beef: (1) small batch and (2) large batch. Browning large batches of ground beef either to use in a recipe or to can be made easier by boiling the meat.

We started to boil hamburger a few years ago as our family grew. With 10+ sitting at the table any shortcut when preparing the food is needed. Another great reason to boil instead of fry hamburger is because grease will not splatter all over the stove top. Boiling ground beef removes fat from the meat. When canning meat you will want as little as fat as possible in the jar.

A bonus is that the after the ground beef has boiled, strain the broth and set it in the fridge to cool overnight. Skim the fat off the top and season the broth. Now you have some well seasoned beef broth to use.

After browning the meat, skimming the broth and fat, it is time to fill the canning jars. Use a slotted spoon to fill the jars with ground beef. Be sure to leave about an inch of head space. Season each jar with a teaspoon or two of salt. Fill each jar with boiling water, beef broth or tomato juice, still leaving an inch of head space.

Try to limit mess and keep it all clean.

To help remove air bubbles from the jars of meat run a spatula around the inside edge of the jar. Wipe the rims of the jars clean to remove any grease. A quick way to do this is to use a paper towel with a little vinegar. Place lids and rings on finger tight, make sure to not over tighten so that jars seal properly.