Fill jars with stew, making sure solid ingredients are covered with broth. Leave 1 inch headspace.
Remove air bubbles and check your headspace again. Adjust if needed.
Wipe rims of jar clean with damp towel or paper towel so any food will not interfere with the seal.
Add your canning lids and rings, finger tight. Place jar in the canner.
When all jars are filled, process according to the instructions and chart in the notes area below.
Processing with a Pressure Canner
Put the lid on the canner leaving the weights off. Bring to a boil. Watch for steam to start coming out the vent pipe in the lid.
Allow the steam to ‘vent’ for 10 minutes then put the weights on. Use the proper weight for your altitude (check the chart) This is when pressure will start to build.
When the pressure reaches your requirements, start your time. Process for the full time indicated, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain the correct pressure for the entire time.
When processing time is completed turn off the heat. Do not remove weights yet.
Cool Down Time
Let the canner sit undisturbed until pressure comes back to zero. Do not try to speed up the cooling process.
Remove the weight and wait 5 minutes.
Open the lid to allow steam to escape. (carefully don’t let it hit your face or arms!) Leave the lid setting on top of the canner slightly ajar and wait 5 minutes again.
Take the lid off the canner and remove your jars. Some bubbling still is normal. But you can wait longer if the contents appear to be bubbling so hard it is coming out of the jars.
Put the jars a few inches apart on a thick towel and allow them to cool to room temperature undisturbed. 12 hours is suggested.
When the jars are cool, remove the metal bands, check the seals, wash jars, dry completely, and store in a cool dark place.
Notes
Processing Instruction. Pay attention to the proper time for the proper equipment. Processing in a Pressure Canner.
Pints are processed for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Quarts are processed for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Step one - use the chart for the style of pressure canner you are using.
Step two - check the altitude adjustments for your altitude.
Dial Gauge – Watch the dial on your canner to determine pressure.
Altitude Weight (pounds pressure)
0-2000 11 lbs
2001-4,000 12 lbs
4,001-6,000 13 lbs
6,001-8,000 14 lbs
Weighted Gauge – Watch for the weight to ‘jiggle’ to determine pressure.