Home Canning Recipes: Soups, Meat & Fish

Jam and pickles get most of the attention, but the jars that matter most on a busy weeknight are the savory ones: a quart of beef stew, a pint of chicken, homemade stock ready for soup. Home Canning & Preserving Recipes is built around exactly those foods. Its 66 recipes focus on hearty, protein-rich meals you can put up in a pressure canner and open when you need dinner fast.

Home canning recipes for a savory pantry

Chapter one covers the basics. It explains the difference between a water-bath canner, used for high-acid foods at boiling temperature, and a pressure canner, which reaches the roughly 240°F needed to safely process low-acid foods such as meat, poultry, fish and most vegetables. You will find guidance on choosing jar sizes, preparing jars and lids, removing air bubbles, wiping rims, cooling jars naturally and checking seals, plus three core safety rules: use the correct canner, use the best ingredients and stick to the recipe.

Six recipe chapters

Stocks, soups, broth and stews: beef stew with vegetables, Thanksgiving turkey soup, chicken corn soup, beef bone stock, roasted vegetable stock and more.
Salsas and sauces: canned chili, chili con carne and ground beef in tomato sauce.
Poultry: canned chicken in jars, canned turkey, rosemary chicken and chicken cacciatore.
Red meat: canned beef cubes, canned lamb, pot roast in a jar, beef paprika and Italian beef.
Pork: canned pork, ham, pork carnitas and BBQ pulled pork.
Fish: canned salmon, tuna, trout, shad and oysters.

A measurement conversion table rounds out the book.

A note on safe practice

Low-acid foods can harbor Clostridium botulinum spores that survive boiling, so every meat, poultry, fish and vegetable recipe here belongs in a pressure canner, with pressure adjusted for your altitude. Home canning science is refined over time, so compare each recipe with the current USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning or the National Center for Home Food Preservation, and add dairy, flour or other thickeners when you reheat, not before canning.

What's inside

Canning basics: water-bath vs pressure canners and when to use each
Choosing quart, pint, half-pint and 4-ounce jars
Core safety tips: correct canner, quality ingredients, following the recipe
17 stocks, soups, broths and stews, including beef bone stock and roasted vegetable stock
Chili and meat sauces such as chili con carne and ground beef in tomato sauce
Poultry recipes including canned chicken in jars and canned turkey
Red meat recipes: canned beef cubes, canned lamb, pot roast in a jar and beef paprika
Pork recipes: canned pork, ham, carnitas and BBQ pulled pork
Fish and seafood: canned salmon, tuna, trout, shad and oysters
A measurement conversion table

Who it's for

Canners ready to move beyond jams into meats, soups and stocks
Hunters, anglers and livestock keepers preserving their own harvest
Households building a shelf-stable pantry of ready meals
Anyone who owns a pressure canner and wants more recipes to use it

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a pressure canner for these recipes?

For almost all of them, yes. Meat, poultry, fish, stocks and soups are low-acid foods, and USDA guidance says they must be processed in a pressure canner to reach temperatures that destroy botulism spores. A water-bath canner is only suitable for high-acid foods such as fruit, jams and properly acidified pickles.

How does this book differ from Pressure Canning for Preppers?

This cookbook concentrates on savory meats, poultry, fish, stocks and soups. Pressure Canning for Preppers is larger, with 109 recipes including vegetables, beans and legumes and fruit preserves, deeper chapters on botulism and altitude, and a separate printable altitude and conversion chart. Many canners use both.

Should I adjust processing for altitude?

Yes. At higher elevations water boils at a lower temperature, so pressure canners need more pressure to reach the same heat. Current USDA guidance for weighted-gauge canners generally uses 10 pounds up to 1,000 feet and 15 pounds above that, with dial gauges rising in smaller steps. Always confirm with an official chart for your food and elevation.