Canned Steak and Onions,

by tabletophomestead

And sometimes mushrooms, too.  Several have asked for my recipe for the steak I’ve been canning.  The pictures aren’t the best, but here’s pretty much how I do it.  I’m not much of a recipe person and usually just wing it, so if anyone has questions just let me know.

As I posted earlier, I’ve been checking the local grocery for their quick sale meats.  Pretty much anything I can find for less than $2.00/lb I’ve been buying up and canning.  This week I found chuck tender steaks.  I can these and most everything anymore in wide mouth pints, as it’s usually just Doodad and I for meals.

In canning any meat, in my opinion, a better appearance and flavor come from browning the meat first.  In the case of beef I like to sear it in a cast iron skillet.  This can be kind of a scary process if you’ve never done it, because you’ll think you’ve made a huge, sticking mess.  Patience is the key.  Get your skillet good and hot, almost smoking, and use just a little bit of oil.  Add the steaks in a single layer.

This is where the patience comes in.  When you put the meat in the skillet it will stick immediately.  Take a deep breath and resist the urge to mess with them.  In a few minutes they’ll come loose.  I promise.  These are small steaks, but some were just a bit too big to fit in the jars and had to be trimmed up.  In hindsight I’d have trimmed them before browning.

When the meat turns loose from the pan, flip it over and repeat the process on the other side.  Try not to disturb it too much so it doesn’t release all its juice and steam instead of sear.   Removed the meat from the pan when it’s well browned on both sides and set it aside.

Add sliced onions to the pan along with a bit of salt and turn the heat down.  Brown the onions and add some sliced mushrooms if it suits you.  When the onions are brown and the mushrooms start to wilt, add about 1/2 cup of water, stirring well to bring up all the nice brown stuff from the bottom of the pan.

Pack clean jars with the steaks, topping off with some of the onions and mushrooms.  Save all the juices from the skillet and the set aside meat.  Extend the juices with boiling water so that you have about 1/2 cup for each jar of meat.

Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each jar (1 teaspoon for quarts) along with the reserved and extended juices.  Top each jar off with boiling water up to 1″ headspace.  Wipe the rims well.  I usually wipe them twice when canning meat and use vinegar for the last wipe to cut any grease that might be present.  Close the jars with clean, hot lids and rings and pressure process at the recommended pounds for your altitude for 75 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts.