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Let’s can MEATBALLLZZZZZ.  

Yayayayayayayayayaya.

Ok.  I’m sure you couldn’t tell, but your girl loves a good ball o’ meat.  It’s another one of my comfort foods along with some good ole pohtaytahs.  Spaghetti and meatballs.  YES.  Swedish meatballs.  ABSOLUTELY.  Meatballs in some barbecue sauce and fruit concoction.  MORE.  Italian meatball subs.  BRING IT.  Like all the things.  

​When I first tried this out, obviously I knew that it is an approved method to can meat in the ball shape.  What I didn’t like is that just plain balls of meat are fragile, and THEY AREN’T MY MEATBALLS.  They’re just balls of meat.  :D

My pal Jen reminded me I hadn’t gotten my meatball canning recipe up NOR have I canned them in a while.  That needs to change soon once I get all 5 billion pounds of my SPROUTING POTATOES dealt with.  So, here’s the recipe, go can them.  Because Jen said so.  Everyone say, HIIII JEEEENNNNNNNN.

Rebel Canning

This recipe is considered rebel canning because the ingredients, outside of the meat, are not approved for canning, and meatballs made with bread crumbs and eggs and milk were never tested for canning.  Because why would they do that?  That’s oddly specific and not a good use of their limited funding.  So, let’s just test a plain ball of meat.  It has nothing to do with my recipe being unsafe or causing botulism, so don’t even start with that.  But, now ya know, this recipe is rebel, so use yer brain and make the choice… is it something I’m comfortable with doing or no?  Because if you’re not, don’t do it.  You will have wasted your time, money, and energy into canning something you’re afraid of and that’s wild work.  When I share a recipe, that is not me threatening you to make it or else.  It’s me saying, hey I like this, here’s how I do it.  Be your own person and stop blaming others for your decisions.  As with all home canning, do your own dang research and come to your own conclusions about how you want to can in your own home.  And if you’re one of those fear mongering botulism weirdos… stahp it.  Mercy.

Why?  Just Freeze Them!

I started batch making and canning my own meatballs when my freezers were full to the tit with pork and beef raised on our farm and I needed to move some to shelf stable.  Making meatballs AND PUTTING THEM BACK IN THE FREEZER does not help that situation.  So, I made meatballs for dinner one night and threw some in a jar and canned them.  Let them fester on the shelf a bit, then tried them. We loved them!  I then started doing bigger batches and haven’t looked back.  No reason dealing with frozen meatballs when you can pop a jar.  But, as always, if you’re a freezer lover, freeze them.  Nobody is making you can them just like you can’t make me freeze them because you’re not my real Dad.  I wish I got $1 for every time I got a comment saying “just freeze it, you’re wasting your time.”  I would be a very rich person.  They don’t know what they don’t know, I suppose.

Can I Use Store Bought Frozen Meatballs?

Probably, but homemade meatballs are so much better!  But, if you came across a crazy sale at the grocery store or were given some, you can can those as well using the guidelines here.  Just know you’re in rebel canning territory and some of the ingredients in those store bought meatballs are less than desirable.  But you do you, and if it works for you, it works for me!  I’m just over here thrilled as all get out you’re canning!

How to Use Home Canned Meatballs For a Quick Meal

• Pasta meals:  homemade pasta sauce, spaghetti, swedish meatballs over egg noodles (make the gravy with the broth in the jar)
• Subs:  brown the meatballs and serve on homemade fresh milled sub buns smothered in parmesan cheese
• Appetizers:  brown and then warm in the slow cooker with barbecue sauce and pineapple
• Spaghetti Oh’s:  pop a jar of mock canned spaghetti Oh’s and brown a pint jar of meatballs and mix together for a really delicious and easy lunch or dinner on a busy weeknight.

Be creative and try different sauces.  Use different types of chopped meat.  All the things.  Meatballs are forgiving, can up well, and make a lot of different meals and are quick additions to add protein to a lot of different recipes.  

Let’s make some meatballs!!

Equipment You Might Want:

• Baking Pan
• Wide mouth canning jars
• Lids & Screw Bands
• Jar Lifter
• Pressure Canner
• Water Bath Canning Pot

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs ground beef, thawed
• 3 lbs ground pork, thawed
• 3 eggs
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Beef Broth

Step 1:  Mix & Bake

Start by preheating oven to 425F.

Into a large bowl, add ground meat, eggs, garlic, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, onion, salt, and pepper.  Mix until combined well.  If you are unsure of the seasoning, fry a small amount in a cast iron pan and taste it to see if it’s where you want it.  

Prepare a baking sheet by brushing with olive oil or avocado oil.  We’re baking them at 425F, so you’ll want to use an oil with a higher smoke point, instead of my usual tallow.  You can also line the sheet with parchment.

Form into meatballs with about 2-3 Tbs of meat in each one.  I use a cookie scoop to measure and then form from there.  Roll out into round balls and place onto the prepared baking sheet.

Place meatballs in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or til lightly browned.  They don’t have to be completely cooked through, but browning them helps them to hold their shape after canning.  Remove the browned meatballs from the oven and set aside to fill jars.

Step 2:  Fill Jars

Add 1 quart beef broth to a saucepan to heat while you fill jars.

Using wide mouth quarts or pint jars, pack meatballs into jars using tongs, or your fingers if you’re stupid like me (LOL).  Tap the bottom of the jar on your hand to settle them and add more meatballs if you can, keeping them below 1-inch headspace.

Add hot beef broth to 1-inch headspace, remove air bubbles, and add more to maintain headspace as needed.  I do prefer to add liquid to my jars of meatballs to keep them from drying out, but do know some that prefer to dry pack their meatballs (which is rebel canning for already cooked meat).  

​Wipe jar rims with a damp cloth; add a canning lid and secure with a screw band.

Step 3:  Pressure Canning

Place jars into your pressure canner and process pint jars for 75 minutes and quart jars for 90 minutes at your elevations recommended weight for low acid food.  This weight depends on two things: your elevation and type of pressure canner you have (weighted or dial gauge).  

When processing time is complete, shut off heat and allow canner to completely depressurize before removing jars to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours on a heat proof surface lined with a towel.

Rebel:  Meatballs can be processed in a boiling water bath for 3 hours, adjusting the time for your elevation.

Step 4:  Storage

After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.  Proper storage temperatures are around 55-70 degrees F. 

Any jars that did not seal can be reprocessed, but I’d recommend just transferring them to an airtight container and eating them soon.  I almost get giddy over a jar not sealing, because oh darn I have to eat meatballss…… haha.

Shelf life is ’til you eat them.  If the seal is good, they are good.  Look at the food and smell it.  If it’s fine, go ahead and eat it.  

Aim to rotate canned foods out every 2 years if possible for maximum nutritional value and flavor.  But they’ll last far longer than that if you need them to.

To use:

Drain off broth and dump meatballs into your air fryer at 425F for 10-15 minutes, or til browned and the outsides are crisp.  Then use as normal.  Heating them in the air fryer or oven and browning first is helpful for texture and flavor, especially if you don’t like the mealy texture of canned meat.  Frying them up first brings them back to life!

Notes:

Use seasonings of your choice in these meatballs.  I will mention one year I added some fresh basil to these before I canned and they tasted very medicinal, so just err on the side of less is more, as mild seasoning means it won’t overpower the sauce you use with them.

If you don’t have fresh onion or garlic, you can use onion powder and garlic powder and it works just fine!

You can make all pork meatballs, all beef, or even use ground poultry (ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pheasant, ground parakeet (just seeing who actually reads my recipes teeheee)), venison, whatever critter you want to make into meatballs!

Enjoy an easy dinner with your home canned meatballs!

Easy Pressure Canning Homemade Meatballs Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Canning Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 quarts

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

• Baking Pan
• Wide Mouth Canning Jars
• Lids & Screw Bands
• jar lifter
• Pressure Canner
• Water bath canning pot

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ground beef thawed
• 3 lbs ground pork thawed
• 3 eggs
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
• 1 onion minced
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Beef Broth

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Start by preheating oven to 425F.
• Into a large bowl, add ground meat, eggs, garlic, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, onion, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined well. If you are unsure of the seasoning, fry a small amount in a cast iron pan and taste it to see if it’s where you want it.
• Prepare a baking sheet by brushing with olive oil or avocado oil. We’re baking them at 425F, so you’ll want to use an oil with a higher smoke point, instead of my usual tallow. You can also line the sheet with parchment.
• Form into meatballs with about 2-3 Tbs of meat in each one. I use a cookie scoop to measure and then form from there. Roll out into round balls and place onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Place meatballs in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or til lightly browned. They don’t have to be completely cooked through, but browning them helps them to hold their shape after canning. Remove the browned meatballs from the oven and set aside to fill jars.
• Add 1 quart beef broth to a saucepan to heat while you fill jars.
• Using wide mouth quarts or pint jars, pack meatballs into jars using tongs, or your fingers if you’re stupid like me (LOL). Tap the bottom of the jar on your hand to settle them and add more meatballs if you can, keeping them below 1-inch headspace.
• Add hot beef broth to 1-inch headspace, remove air bubbles, and add more to maintain headspace as needed. I do prefer to add liquid to my jars of meatballs to keep them from drying out, but do know some that prefer to dry pack their meatballs (which is rebel canning for already cooked meat).
• ​Wipe jar rims with a damp cloth; add a canning lid and secure with a screw band.
• Place jars into your pressure canner and process pint jars for 75 minutes and quart jars for 90 minutes at your elevations recommended weight for low acid food. This weight depends on two things: your elevation and type of pressure canner you have (weighted or dial gauge).
• When processing time is complete, shut off heat and allow canner to completely depressurize before removing jars to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours on a heat proof surface lined with a towel.
• Rebel: Meatballs can be processed in a boiling water bath for 3 hours, adjusting the time for your elevation.
• After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Proper storage temperatures are around 55-70 degrees F.
• Any jars that did not seal can be reprocessed, but I’d recommend just transferring them to an airtight container and eating them soon.
• Shelf life is ’til you eat them. If the seal is good, they are good. Look at the food and smell it. If it’s fine, go ahead and eat it.
• Aim to rotate canned foods out every 2 years if possible for maximum nutritional value and flavor. But they’ll last far longer than that if you need them to.

To use:

• Drain off broth and dump meatballs into your air fryer at 425F for 10-15 minutes, or til browned and the outsides are crisp. Then use as normal. Heating them in the air fryer or oven and browning first is helpful for texture and flavor, especially if you don’t like the mealy texture of canned meat. Frying them up first brings them back to life!

Notes

Use seasonings of your choice in these meatballs.  I will mention one year I added some fresh basil to these before I canned and they tasted very medicinal, so just err on the side of less is more, as mild seasoning means it won’t overpower the sauce you use with them.

If you don’t have fresh onion or garlic, you can use onion powder and garlic powder and it works just fine!

You can make all pork meatballs, all beef, or even use ground poultry (ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pheasant, ground parakeet (just seeing who actually reads my recipes teeheee)), venison, whatever critter you want to make into meatballs!