Home Canned Beef Stock


I have always used the recipe from my old Kerr Kitchen Cookbook to can beef stock.   The recipe from the Ball Book is much simpler, but, I think, much less flavorful.  They do not roast their meat and vegetables first and only use a bay leaf for seasoning.  I prefer the Kerr recipe, you’ll like it.  The Ball book calls for cooking 2-3 hours, the Kerr recipe calls for 4 hours, which I used, as I intended to can it the next day.  This makes a richer, more concentrated stock. If you think the bouquet garni is too much seasoning for you, use the plain bay leaf, depending on your end use.  You can choose to roast or not, as you wish.  This is perfect for gravies, soups and anyplace else you need beef broth or stock – and you know what is in it.   I usually can some pint jars and some half pints to have the size I need on hand.       
                          Home Canned Beef Stock
  4             Pounds  Meaty Beef Bones
  2             Quarts  Water
  1             Medium  Onion -- finely chopped
  1             Large  Carrot -- sliced
  1             Stalk  Celery -- sliced
  1             Medium  Bay Leaf
                 Salt
                 Beef Bouillon -- cubes or granules (optional)
                 Bouquet Garni (optional)
  3             Sprigs  Fresh Parsley
  3              Whole  Peppercorns
  1              Whole  Cloves
  1              Sprig  Fresh Thyme -- or 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
  1             Medium  Bay Leaf
Prepare Stock:
Optional:  (Heat oven to 425°.  Place all bones on large roasting pan (I use my oven broiler pan).  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Add vegetables and bake, turning occasionally, an additional 30 minutes or until bones are evenly browned.)  
Continue with recipe:  Remove bones and vegetables to a large stainless steel stock pot.  Add 2 cups of water to the roasting pan, scraping up browned bits.  Pour over bones and vegetables in stock pot. 
Add remaining water.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and skim off any foam.
Add bay leaf or bouquet garni (wrapped in several layers of cheesecloth or in a large tea ball).  Cover and boil gently for 2-4 hours. If a stronger flavor is desired, add bouillon.
Remove bones and discard.  Strain stock through a fine sieve or cheesecloth-lined strainer.  Discard vegetables and bay leaf.
Let cool and skim fat from stock.  It's recommended that this be done overnight in the refrigerator, after cooling, in a covered shallow pan. (The USDA recommends cooling to 70° at room temperature (not more than 2 hours), then cooling in the refrigerator.)  I cool to 85° or so in about 1 hour, then refrigerate so the temperature of the refrigerator doesn't get too warm for other foods.
Canning Stock:
Before canning, bring stock to a boil again.
Ladle hot stock into hot jars, leaving 1" headspace.  Wipe rim with a paper towel moistened with vinegar (to cut any grease).  Adjust prepared lids.
Place jars in a pressure canner.  Adjust water level, lock lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Vent steam for 10 minutes, then close vent.
Can at 10 pounds pressure for 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts at 1000' or less.  Check your canning book for higher altitudes.  
Turn off heat.  Let pressure return to zero naturally.  Wait 5 minutes longer; then open vent; remove canner lid.  Wait 10 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.
The Kerr Kitchen Cookbook 1990.
  "4 Pint Jars"

24 comments:

  1. Sounds great......I just did chicken stock...someone gave me 25 layer chickens (not laying anymore) so I canned up the meat, roasted the bones and made broth. Hard to find any meaty bones in my area. And bare soup bones cost as much as meat. I would llike to try your recipe so will be watching for some meaty bones...ty......

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  2. Sounds good except for the cloves, and maybe that much peppercorn. So I'd probably leave out the cloves and half the peppercorn.

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  3. I canned my beef broth last night. But when I got up this morning and looked at it there is a layer of fat on the top. grrr! Is it going to be ok or should I open then and skim off the fat and pressure cook them again? It was my first time doing broth. Hope I didn't ruin my hard work.

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    1. If your jars all sealed, don't do anything but enjoy it. I can never get rid of all the fat, even when I run it through cheesecloth (which I don't anymore - why lose the goodies?)
      The reason to skim some of the fat is to prevent it from getting under the rubberized part of the lid and perhaps prevent sealing. That's why it's practical to cool it overnight so you can simply pick off MOST of the hardened fat. You'll love your broth, it's so handy.

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  4. Hi! I'm new to canning and a little nervous about doing something wrong and making myself or others ill. I found a recipe for a beef stock that I want to try that includes roasted beef bones, beef feet, and ground beef as the base, with tomato paste, some veg, and some herbs. My question is, Can any stock be safely canned in the same way (i.e., 10 lbs. pressure for 20 or 25 minutes), or is it necessary to use a recipe that's been tested for canning, such as the Kerr recipe you give above or the Ball one to which you refer? I'd love to put this stock up in Mason jars but am wondering if the freezer might not be a better idea. I'd sure appreciate any advice you can give me.
    Thanks so much!

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    1. Are you straining your stock before canning it? If so, it should be ok to can it for stock the same as this recipe. However, I guess I wounder why you would make one as complicated as you are proposing the first time? Do you have a source for beef feet? Seems like a waste of ground beef too, as stock should be strained and the ground beef won't be eaten..
      The advantage of making your own broth from bones is the calcium you add to your diet, and using something that usually isn't used for a meal;
      I guess I would try this Kerr recipe or one from the Ball blue book...reputable, tested sources for recipes for canning.

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  5. I agree with Sue. Stock is what I make to use every bit of the poultry or beef I have paid so much for. Store bought stock is so high in sodium which is another reason to do your own. Use your scraps to make stock and save that expensive ground beef for a meal. I would not try this for a first canning project. The Kerr Book and the Ball book use tested and proven canning practices. You can always roast your bones before making stock, nothing that will hurt the stock and add some tomato paste and I usually add carrots just be sure to strain before canning.

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  6. Hi ladies.I wanted to comment on the lady with the mweat question. You can "can" meat products, for example if you wanted to make vegetable beef soup, or whatever. Iy does add a considerable amount of time to the processing time. You must use a pressure canner as well, not just a boiling stock pot. I think ther time is an hour if I recall. My books are packed away from moving recently. You can find it on the ball canning site though probably.
    One last thing, don't do what I did and prepare a whole big pot of seafood chowder to process then read the directions. I added the dairy. Dairy is a big no no for canning. Make your chowder, then add the milk, or cream when you heat it up to eat it like the kind you buy in the store. Dairy has bacteria that doesn't get destroyed by canning.

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  7. I'm a bit baffled by the comments that this is a complicated recipe to try for beginners. What type of recipe would you suggest that is less complicated. I'm not trying to be snarky, I just don't see the complicated part and am trying to get into your mode of thinking.

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  8. I was wondering if anyone knew how long to pressure can beef stock at 15 lbs? My canner only has one gauge and it is 15. Thanks for any input!

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    1. If your pressure cooker has only a 15# weight and especially if it has a long handle, I would suspect that it is a pressure COOKER, not a canner. Your pressure CANNER should have a capacity of at least 10 1/2 quarts (most are 16 or 20 quart size) and have a gauge or weight that reads 5-10-15 lbs.
      Clemson University says: "Small pressure saucepans are not recommended for home canning." Pressure cookers don't take enough time to come up to pressure and release pressure to be safe for canning...times are not adequate for safe processing. Even if you can get a few jars in your pressure cooker, don't use it for canning.
      Sue

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    2. Look up a pressure canning altitude chart to find out the correct canning pressure for your altitude. You don't adjust time for pressure canning, just the pounds of pressure according to your altitude. If you find yourself needing a different weight (or other parts) for your canner they are usually available from the manufacturer.

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  9. Just a quick tip for those of you wanting to roast the bones.. to increase the deep color and heightened flavor brush them with tomato sauce or paste before roasting..the natural sugars in the tomato wind up being the equivalent of 'caramel color added' and it won't hurt the canning as long as it's done sparingly. Cheers - Mike

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    1. Great idea Mike...I usually add tomato paste to my canned beef recipes for the same reason.

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  10. I don't have a pressure canner for beef stock. Is it absolutely neccessary to pressure can beef stock. If it is then I will just freeze it for this year. We just bought 1/4 cow and great bones. followed Martha Stewarts recepie for the stock. It smells and look great. Just want to preserve it correctly so we don't die over it!

    Margie November 21, 2014 4:24PM

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    1. I agree with Myrna...it is not safe to water-bath stock; freeze it instead.
      Sounds like a great recipe.

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  11. It is necessary to use a pressure canner for any meat stock. I freeze mine a lot of the time and it works fine, Just handier to have it canned and not have to thaw it. I would not water bath it.

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  12. I have six quarts of beef stock I canned in my pressure canner two years ago. How long can I keep them to use? They have been stored in a closet where the temp usually is around 60-65 deg.

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    1. I would start using that great stock soon. It will still be safe, but quality does deteriorate over time. The idea is to rotate your canned goods and enjoy the convenience.
      It’s soup season...make a warming batch to enjoy.

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  13. Glad I found this!! I just assumed I could water bath my beef stock and while it was boiling I came across this!! Ekkkkkk! What do I do with the already "canned" stock? Can I let it cool then just stick it in the fridge and use asap??

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    1. If you don't have a Pressure Canner you can freeze it right in the jars.

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  14. Is this a very concentrated stock? Seems like a lot for just 4 pints.........

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    1. Actually, the original recipe is 6# of bones with the remaining ingredients doubled and they get only 4 pints! This is a nice stock; you can use 3# of bones with this size recipe and it's still ok. If I'm going to go to this much trouble, I want something better than I can buy packaged.
      I usually can several batches when I have my equipment out.

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    2. I pressure can very concentrated stock in 1/2 pint jars. It saves freezer AND shelf space, and I can dilute it if the dish I’m preparing doesn’t do that enough.

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