I’ve been canning for several years, but only using the water-bath method.  So that means I’ve mostly been making jams, relishes, chutneys, pickles, salsas and other high-acidic foods that are safe for water-bath canning.  For most other things you have to have a pressure canner.  Pressure canning is something I’ve started more recently and it allows you to do a ton of fun and tasty things!
I definitely have days when I appreciate the convenience of a quick and ready-made meal without having to resort to fast food. Â And the fact is, most things in a can just aren’t very good tasting or they have ingredients I prefer to avoid. Â Freezer meals, you say? Â I’m all for them, but they have their limitations: Â 1) There’s only so much room in a freezer and 2) You have to rotate them fairly quickly because most things just don’t taste good after a few months.
Enter the pressure canner.
This has got to be one of the greatest inventions EVER. Â Forget the canned foods at the grocery stores – can your own! Â It not only tastes a heck of a lot better, it’s a heck of a lot better for you! Â You have full control over what goes in it – and what doesn’t.
I’ve been pressure canning up a storm of foods lately – mostly soups, stews, and a variety of flavored beans – and I’ve gotta tell ya, it’s so satisfying to walk into your pantry or garage and see shelves stacked with homemade canned goods that you know will be there when you need a quick and tasty meal! Â Not to mention they’re perfect for emergency preparedness should you ever need to rely on food storage during a crisis, whether it’s simply the loss of a job and tight finances or some kind of natural disaster.
So today we’re going to hit it off with a favorite – Chili Con Carne!
Let’s get started!
The beans: Â Soak them in water overnight so they’re covered by at least 4 inches of water. Â The next day, drain and rinse and boil in fresh water for 30 minutes. Â Drain and set aside until ready to use.
Prepare the pressure canner: Â (Depending on which brand and model you use – follow the instructions for you pressure canner) Â Fill it with 4 inches of water, put the lid on (but do not put the weight on) and bring it to a boil while you’re finishing up the last steps of the chili-making process.
Now on to the chili:
Fry the beef in a little bit of oil until no pink remains.
Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Â Drain off as much fat as you can. Â (Too much oil will interfere with the canning process and prevent the jars from sealing properly.)
Add the seasonings and cook for another minute. Â *Remember, do not add any flour or cornstarch for thickening, it will interfere with the canning process.
Add all remaining ingredients.
Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Ladle the chili into hot sterilized jars leaving 1 inch headspace. Â Using a funnel is best to avoid spillage.
You can get this Ball Utensil Set for less than $10 which includes the funnel and jar lifter, both of which are musts.
Then use a wet paper towel or cloth dipped in vinegar and run it along the rim of the jar to make sure there is no sauce or oil (which will prevent the lids from sealing).
Tap the jars to remove any air bubbles (again, bubbles will interfere with the canning process and can cause the contents to leak out).
Place the lids on each jar and firmly (but not excessively so) screw on the rims. Â Follow the directions for your specific pressure cooker. Â I use and like the Presto 23-quart Pressure Canner. Â It’s good quality and big enough to hold quart- and gallon-sized jars and lots of pint-sized jars.
You’ll need to process pint jars at 10 pounds for 75 minutes.
Keep the jars stored in a cool, dark place. Â They’ll keep for at least one year.
Enjoy the convenience of wholesome, ready-made homemade food!
- 3 pounds dried kidney or pinto beans (or combination), soaked overnight then drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 3 pounds lean ground beef
- 3 large yellow onions, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons beef bouillon granules/powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 6 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 6 (14.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 3 cups water
- Place the soaked/rinsed beans in clean water in a large stock pot and bring to a rapid boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a very large stock pot (at least 12 quarts) and brown the ground beef. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 6-8 minutes. Drain off as much fat as you can. (Too much oil will interfere with the canning process and prevent the jars from sealing properly.)
- Add the seasonings and cook for another minute. *Remember, do not add any flour or cornstarch for thickening, it will interfere with the canning process.
- Add all remaining ingredients. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Ladle the chili into hot sterilized jars leaving 1 inch headspace. Using a funnel is best to avoid spillage. Then use a wet paper towel or cloth dipped in vinegar and run it along the rim of the jar to make sure there is no sauce or oil (which will prevent the lids from sealing).
- Tap the jars to remove any air bubbles (again, bubbles will interfere with the canning process and can cause the contents to leak out).
- Place the lids on each jar and firmly (but not excessively so) screw on the rims.
- Follow your pressure canner's instructions for processing. I use the Presto 23-quart Pressure Canner (you'll need one this large to process quart-sized jars). For this model you'll bring 4 inches of water to a boil, place the bottles inside and let it vent for 10 minutes. Then place the weight cap on it and process pint jars at 10 pounds for 75 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool until the temperature drops to zero. Remove the jars and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours, then store in a cool, dark place. Will keep for at least one year.
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Mina LaFortune says
Can i add carrots and celery to this?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mina, yes you can.
Jess says
How much room in top pf jars do you leave?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jess, leave 1 inch headspace.
Connie says
For those of you who are new to canning & don’t have hoards of produce to put up, look into an electric cooker/canner. I have one & I hardly EVER bring out my big pressure canner any more. I can do 3 quarts or 4 pints at one time & since I don’t have a garden, it works for me to do small batches. I’ll be making chili con carne today & it’ll make MORE than 3 qts., but I’ll can it in 2 or 3 batches. I’ve also made the switch to steam water bath canning & absolutely ADORE it.
Maureen Toms says
Please forgive me for addressing you as Mya, Kimberly.😊
Yes, I realize that they were pressure cooking the stock and I am going to try that.
But once the stock was prepared they directed to freeze it. None suggested pressure canning.
I wondered if going under pressure twice would overlook it and deplete the nutritional value.
Thanks for you reply.
I appreciated your directions.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
No problem, Maureen :) That’s a good question. I’ve heard it argued that pressure cooking actually retains nutrients over conventional stovetop/oven cooking, so that may be advantageous. But yes, cooking something twice likely does deplete its nutritional value even further.
Maureen Toms says
Hello Mya
I’m new to pressure canning. I wanted to be able to can soup stock.
Everything I’ve read tell how to make the stock in the pressure canner but then advise freezing the stock.
Do you know why people don’t seem to be canning the stock or finished soup?
Thanks for the tutorial on chili. I’m looking forward to doing that soon.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Maureen, I think you’re thinking of a pressure “cooker.” Some use pressure cookers to make the stock and then freeze it. But yes, you can absolutely can stock, it’s a terrific way to preserve it. For canning the stock jars you’ll use the pressure canner. If you do an online search for “how to can stock” and you’ll see multiple links with instructions. Happy canning!
Tammy Thompson says
I would like to use my 1/2 gal jars. How long should i pressure can?
Marti Olsen says
1/2 gallon jars are only intended for cold water bath method. For fruits & juices.Liquid does not stay in the pressure cooker long enough to reach the proper cooking time in the pressure cooker. I almost blew up my kitchen. Luckily I was watching the pressure cooker. I heard the change in it, saw brown liquid coming out around the pressure gage.I turned the stove off. The bottom of my pressure cooker is no longer flat. It is bowed out. I am as sad as you probably are now. Home pressure cooker don’t work for that size jar😣.
Lisa says
Can you reheat leftover chili next day and then pressure can?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lisa, from a bacteria standpoint it’s probably fine because that’s the point of pressure canning, is to kill any bacteria that may be present.
Mya Burgoon says
Do you can this in quarts or pints? It only lists pint measurements but your jars look like quarts!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mya, I do both. For quarts you’ll increase the pressure cooking time to 90 minutes.
Anonymous says
What do you use as a preservative?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
No preservative is needed, that is the whole purpose of pressure canning.
Brandon says
Can you advise on how many lbs. of fresh tomatoes to use and times using them if we are not using canned diced tomatoes/sauce?
Kristen says
I love canning, but have never canned meat. I use my pressure canner for beans, carrots, green beans, etc., but I always chicken out when it comes to meat recipes. I really need to get over that because your chili looks wonderful!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
I preserve everything that I can with a water bath canner. I’d love to try pressure canning for all of the cool stuff that I could put up for winter!
Erin says
I LOVE hot water bath canning but I have only tried pressure canning once – at a class. :-) I need to try it! Pressure canning really would expand my canning options.
Christie says
I have been to chicken to try canning. You have given me plenty of food for thought.
RL Johnson says
Christie: jump in and try – its AWESOME…. i made 26 pints of chili the last time i made it – but life has interfered for time to do another batch and BOY do i miss it. store bought just does NOT cut it! for me – home canned chili is the go too comfort meal – and pressure canning is EASY.. its wanting your attention & a careful planning but its NOT hard.. if you havent bought one yet – go for a bigger one.. i bought a 16qt the first time then realized that for the same amount of time i could be doing double batches!! – so i bought the 23qt = wasnt a complete waste tho lol – now i can do 2 pots at once haha…i call them my baby dragons whose hissing while they work is VERY soothing….
Kiano says
I’ve been so curious about preserving & canning after watching a documentary on Netflix about Scandinavian preserving, but the methods used were a but elaborate for me. Very cool to see a much simpler way to preserve