by Texas Homesteader~
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Y’all know I love to make my own broth, right? I mean, when I found out how simple it was, and how cheap, and healthy – there was just no reason NOT make it. Just plunk some bones into a pot of water and then cook them until they’re broth. I don’t add veggie ends or seasoning of any kind. Just pure bone broth.
I typically pour that cooled and strained broth into plastic jars and store them in the freezer. But too many times I’ve failed to properly plan in advance & I’ve had to chunk frozen broth from the jars for my recipe. So now that the weather’s cooler and I don’t mind heat & humidity from the kitchen coming through the house, I figured I’d can it this time instead. Don’t be intimidated by a pressure canner, y’all. Canning broth is easy.
Broth Must Be Pressure Canned
Now to safely preserve your broth, it really needs to be pressure canned. Water-bath canning won’t do here. And food safety is important. But it’s simple: Hot broth poured into clean hot jars, canned at 10 lbs pressure for just 20 – 25 minutes.
See? I told you. Easy!
I have a large *Presto Pressure Canner that I use when I’m canning. It’s a large one that holds up to 7 quarts.
There are some who say electric pressure cookers such as the *Instant Pot can be used not only as a pressure cooker, but as a pressure canner as well. But still others caution against it. For me, I’d rather use an actual canner made specifically for food preservation to be on the safe side. Use your best judgement here.
Making My Broth
First I make bone broth using whatever bones I have accumulated & stored in the freezer. Most of the time it’s chicken bones. To make the Chicken Broth I simply chunk the bones into a pot, cover with water and add a splash of vinegar to draw the calcium from the bones. Then I just cook those bones into oblivion.
NOTE: I’ve recently begun making my broth using my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker instead. Heck there’s a ‘BROTH‘ button right on the side. I just fill the pan, put on the lid, press a button and walk away! LOL
When the broth is cooked I strain away the bones and place the broth in the refrigerator overnight. This allows the fat to rise to the top.
The next morning I simply skim the hardened fat away and my broth is done. Now to preserve it I can either place my broth in the freezer or can it. But today I’m canning it.
Preparing To Can Your Broth
I put the stock pot holding my chilled, defatted broth onto the stove and heat it to simmering. In the meantime I prepare for canning.
I bring out my 2-part canning lids and wash them. I put a small pot of water on to boil. When it’s hot I turn off the heat, remove the pan and place my canning lid flats into the water. This softens the seal and prepares them for canning. (Note: Don’t boil the lids!)
Then I wash and rinse my quart canning jars. They’re then placed in an oven at 220 degrees. This assures I’m not putting hot broth into a cool jar. So it reduces the chance of thermal shock and breakage.
Of course I put my canner on the stove as well. My canner’s instructions say to add 3 quarts of water to the bottom of the pot along with 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Then I drop in the canning trivet and start the water to heating.
I also bring out anything else I may need for canning. Things such as my jar lifter, hot pads, canning funnel, etc. Now all’s ready.
Canning My Broth
By now my homemade broth is simmering and ready to go into the jars. I carefully remove the hot jars from the oven and pour the hot broth into them. I’m sure to leave 1″ headspace as is recommended.
I wipe the rim of each jar to make sure no food particles are present that might keep the lid from properly sealing. Then I place the hot flat lid on top of the jar, using the screw band to finger tighten. Not too tight now, you want pressure to be released as it’s canning. Just finger-tight here.
The filled quart jars were put into my canner, and I placed the lid on the canner, locking it down. The weight isn’t yet on the vent as it needs to steam for 10 minutes first.
Broth Canning: 20 Minutes for Pints, 25 Minutes for Quarts
After that time is up I place the weight at 10 lbs pressure on the vent and wait for the pressure to build up enough to make the weight jiggle gently. Then I start timing. Broth is pressure canned for 20 minutes when canned in pint jars, 25 minutes when canned in quart jars.
When the canner has worked for 25 minutes I turn off the heat and allow the pressure to gradually reduce on its own (about 20-30 minutes). When no sound is heard as the weight is wiggled, it was finally safe to open the canner – always with the lid facing away from you to avoid steam burns.
After I remove the lid, I leave the jars in the hot canner for 10 minutes longer just to ease the transition from hot temperatures to room temp. I even hear some of the jars sealing during this time! After 10 minutes it’s time to remove the jars of broth and allow them to cool and seal.
Cooling The Broth
With my jar-lifter I carefully remove each jar & place them on a tea towel to cool (do not touch the lids or rings yet) I allowed the jars to cool overnight and in the morning I removed the rings & tested for a proper seal by pressing the tops of the lids gently. If they’re not sealed you’ll hear a plinky noise when you press. If you hear nothing, you’re good to go. Success – they all sealed!
Now all that’s left to do is wipe down the jars, label and store them in my pantry. They all stand at the ready to be used at a moment’s notice. See, I told you canning broth was easy!
Now I must note here that I’m sharing how I canned my broth and it worked great. But different canners require different procedures and even your area above sea level affect what weight you should use. For your specific circumstances be sure to consult your canner’s manual. And be sure you read the USDA’s recommendations on safe canning and follow their directions closely. Food safety is important!
~TxH~
Other Canning Posts
- Pressure-Canning Asparagus
- Preserving Fresh Corn In A Pressure Canner
- Canning Pears In Light Syrup – Water-Bath Canning
- Water-Bath Canning Homemade Apple Pie Filling
- Canning Cinnamon/Vanilla Applesauce
- Homemade Apple Cider
- Crazy Canning Lady: Successes & Failures
- Canning Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce
- Canning Jar Storage Solution
…And Many More
See ALL Our Food Preservation Posts
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Reference Links:
USDA’s Recommendations For Safe Canning
Ball Chicken Broth Canning Guide
