Mongolian Beef Meal in a Jar Pressure Canning Recipe
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If you want to have a quick and delicious meal on hand when you’re craving takeout, have barely any time to make dinner and need convenience, or just really need something delicious and unique, this Mongolian beef recipe is one for you. It’s an easy canning recipe that is as simple as adding all the ingredients to the jar and letting the canning process work its magic. Thicken the sauce after you open the jar and serve over a bed of rice or noodles and steamed broccoli and you’ll have yourself a filling and tasty meal in minutes while skipping out on the expensive takeout and the crazy ingredients. The perfect blend of sweet, salty, and spice from the fresh ginger is exactly what I’m looking for! Get to working canning meals in jars so you can have a ready-made meal at your fingertips whenever you need it, saving you money, time, and your health!
What is Mongolian Beef?
Mongolian beef is a pretty popular Chinese-American stir fry type dish that has soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, etc. in it. The more I research, I think it is from Taiwanese inspiration and not even Mongolia, but regardless, it’s delicious and I can appreciate it. This meal in a jar recipe is absolutely not authentic, but is inspired by the take-out versions I’ve enjoyed. The beef used is normally a thinly shaved beef, commonly flank steak, that is stir fried until crispy along with veggies. The sauce is sweet and sticky and usually a little spicy with chili peppers, but since we’re weenies in this household, we use bell peppers and some red pepper flakes. The kids and I can’t take the heat.
What Beef Cut Should I Use for Canning?
My preference when canning beef is to use a cut of beef that holds up well to pressure cooking and tenderizes best when doing so. The aim is very tender beef here. I prefer to use roasts, chuck or round, in recipes like this because they hold up nicely to canning but then also are delicious tossed in a hot skillet and stir fried to get a bit crispy on the edges when serving. You can also use the authentic cut of flank steak, or even the nicer steaks (although canning ribeyes is a sin in my eyes… my Mother does it :D). Do what works for you!
Let’s get to canning!
Equipment
- Pressure Canner
- Quart Canning Jars, Lids, & Rings
- Jar Funnel
- Jar Lifter
Ingredients
- Beef cut of choice (chuck roast, flank steak)
- Bell peppers
- Carrots
- Onion
- Soy sauce or coconut aminos
- Brown sugar
- Water or beef broth
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh garlic
- Beef boullion
Step 1: Prep the Ingredients
Trim and cube up 4 pounds of your choice of beef cut. Remove any bones and excess fat.
Slice up 5 bell peppers (you can use thin slices or dice them.. whatever shape you enjoy in a stir fry. The last time I canned this I actually used dehydrated bell pepper slices. They work perfectly with canning and rehydrate beautifully).
Peel and slice 4 large carrots.
Chop up 1 large onion.
Set all aside.
Step 2: Prepare Jars
Wash 4 wide mouth quart jars and canning lids in hot soapy water.
Evenly distribute the beef, bell peppers, carrots, and onion between the 4 jars. Fill jars to 1 inch headspace, packing pretty tightly if needed.
Step 3: Make the Sauce
I use the canning process to make the sauce for me instead of preheating it, which means when canning I start with a cold canner and I heat the pressure canner slowly. If you’re using an electric canner, like the Nesco I use and have linked in this blog, measure out the sauce and preheat it prior to placing in the canner just to prevent siphoning. With electric pressure canners, there is no way to control how quickly they heat up, so the extra step is helpful. I’ll give you measures for both below.
1. Sauce in the jar method: If you are heating the jars slowly in a manual pressure canner (not electric), add TO EACH QUART JAR:
- 1/3 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup water or beef broth
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp beef bullion, optional
2. Preheating sauce method: If you are using an electric pressure canner or just would like to heat the sauce before canning, to a pot add:
- 1 1/3 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/3 cup water or beef broth
Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, remove from heat.
While the sauce heats, to EACH QUART JAR, add:
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon beef bullion (optional)
Ladle the sauce into each jar spreading evenly over 4 quart jars. It may not fill it to 1″ headspace, so feel free to add extra broth if you’re worried about it.
Step 4: Pressure Canning
Wipe the rims of each jar with a vinegar dampened cloth, being thorough.
Add lids and secure with bands.
Place jars in your pressure canner and pressure can quart jars for 90 minutes at your elevations recommended weight.
After processing time is complete, turn off heat and allow canner to completely depressurize before removing jars and setting aside to cool for 18-24 hours.
Step 5: Storing
After cooling, remove rings and test seals. Any jars that did not seal can be reprocessed, placed in the fridge to eat soon, or contents dumped into a freezer safe container and frozen.
Wash jars and label. Store in a cool, dark area away from direct sunlight.
Aim to use home canned foods within 2 years for best nutritional value but they will last much longer if needed. If the seal is good, they’re good.
Step 6: Serving
To serve, strain liquid from beef mixture. Add beef to a preheated cast iron or large skillet with a small amount of tallow melted in it and stir fry to heat through and get a little crispy on the edges. You have to make sure the liquid is strained off well to get this.
Into a small sauce pan, add the canning liquid/sauce mixture and add 1-4 tablespoons of corn starch, more if you want a thicker sauce, and over medium heat while whisking, bring to a simmer and cook until thickened.
Once the beef is heated and the edges are crispy, pour the sauce over top and stir to combine.
Serve over rice or noodles with a side of steamed broccoli. Top with freshly chopped green onions and sesame seeds. Take out who?!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and consume within 1-2 days.
Equipment
- Quart Canning Jars, Lids, & Rings
- jar lifter
Ingredients
Evenly distribute between 4 quart jars:
- 4 pounds of your choice beef cut cubed
- 5 bell peppers sliced
- 4 large carrots peeled & sliced
- 1 onion diced
Sauce Ingredients, ADD PER QUART JAR
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp beef bullion
Instructions
- Using 4 prepared quart jars, layer in the beef, peppers, carrots, & onion, being sure to distribute evenly between jars.
- Add the sauce ingredients to each jar. The sauce recipe listed in the ingredients is measurements for each quart jar.
- Wipe rims thoroughly with vinegar soaked cloth, then add lids and bands.
- Pressure can quart jars for 90 minutes at your elevations recommended pressure. Be sure to heat your canner and jars slowly since this a cold pack recipe to prevent jar breakage and/or siphoning. See written instructions in blog for more info on this.
- Allow to cool for 18-24 hours before removing bands, checking seals, labeling, and storing.
Would this work if I used meatballs instead of beef cuts?
it absolutely would!!!
Would this work with ground beef?
Yes it would, just be sure you like the texture of canned ground beef! I like to dump a jar and fry it hard before serving it, otherwise it does take on a kind of mealy and soft texture. I would test one jar before jumping all in on a canner load :)
Sounds good. I’ll give it a try!
Could I use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of beef?
absolutely!!