Perfect Mississippi Pot Roast Pressure Canning Recipe
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Ok guys. I’m going to start with this. I have no idea why this is called Mississippi pot roast…Mississippi roast… whatever they say. I don’t even know if people in Mississippi make this. But this gal in Ohio does. So call it what you might, but I’m just going along with what the other people of Pinterest are calling it without questioning why because this isn’t an original recipe. But what I do know is it is DELICIOUS. There’s something about the homemade ranch seasoning with the pickled peppers and that little bit of sour, garlicky, with beef that just does it for me. I make it in the crack pot (slow cooker Mississippi pot roast) frequently, so why not jam that recipe in a jar?! Duh. I mean, who could be upset about having a good ole traditional pot roast jammed in a jar ready to just dump, heat, and eat?! This couldn’t be a more simple recipe. Honestly. McDonald’s whoooooooo. We don’t need the drive thru anymore for easy meal convenience any night of the week! And home canning makes that possible.
Some changes I make to the “traditional” recipe is that I make my own ranch seasoning AND I use my home canned pickled banana pepper rings, not pepperoncini peppers. I don’t even know what those are. LOL I also leave out the little poison seasoning packet of au jus stuff and just leave it more natural with my own home canned beef broth. We have become so attuned to hyperpalatable food that it needs all these packets because we don’t like the bland taste of real food. Once you quit though, those seasonings just don’t taste right anymore and real food and its flavors is where it’s at. So if you’re expecting this to taste like the highly processed packets you’ll see other blogs make, get outta here. We raise our own beef and I’m doing that steer justice and it’s not by smothering that meat in quite literal poison (ahem… in my opinion).
Hot Pack vs Raw Pack
This one is really about personal preference, but knowing me, I’ll give my opinion. Beef raw packs beautifully BUT if you do sear it you tend to get tons more flavor. That and searing it off does help remove some of the fat so you don’t have that big, gross fat blog at the top of your jars. This past steer we raised was a chonky happy boy and his roasts are verrrrrry marbled. Which is delicious because FAT IS FLAVA YALLLLL, but also unsightly and a little overwhelming when I raw packed it into quart jars. So I have been hot packing this beef just for that reason.
One giant positive for hot packing is that the meat is at minimum partially cooked and does lend toward a better texture and flavor overall, but it also doesn’t stick to the sides of the jars. If you’ve ever raw packed meat, you’ll know it doesn’t look very pretty on the shelves, doesn’t always create enough broth in the jar to cover the meat, and it leaves a film on the sides of the jars that is an absolute joy (sarcasm) to scrub off… especially if you’ve misplaced your jar scrubber and it’s a small mouth. In general, canned meat is a bit gross looking but I have found that hot packing does create a better looking product overall and as humans, we eat with our eyes first. So if you’re new to canning, maybe try a bit of both to see what you’ll reach for and which texture and flavor in the end product you like best. For me and my family, it’s always pre-cooked.
Ranch Seasoning
I make my own by mixing some herbs (parsley, dill, basil) with salt and heavy on the onion powder and garlic powder by just eyeballing it. I wish I had an exact recipe for you but I don’t. I can’t be bothered to measure and I learned how to measure with my heart and eyeballs so I don’t gotta wash the measuring spoon. Add a small palmful of parsley, dill, and basil and a hefty palmful or two of onion, garlic, and salt. It’ll work out! You can also buy the pre-mix stuff at the store or make whatever mix you have on hand or want to use. Just be aware that many of the store brands, like Hidden Valley, do have powdered dairy in them that would make this recipe rebel canning. Which you know, is totally fine if you’re good with it!
Now onto canning my Mississippi pot roast recipe!
Equipment You Might Want:
- Cast Iron Pan
- Canning Jars (Pint or Quart)
- Canning Lids & Screw Bands
- Canning Funnel
- Jar Lifter
- Pressure Canner
Ingredients:
This recipe is PER QUART JAR.
- 2 lb roast or beef cut of choice
- 1/2 cup pickled banana pepper rings
- 3 tablespoon pickled banana pepper juice
- 1/2 Tablespoon ranch seasoning (or ranch dressing mix; dry)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cup of beef broth (hot pack method only)
Step 1: Prep
This recipe is PER QUART JAR, meaning the ingredients called for above will fill ONE quart jar or TWO pint jars. Adjust and resize accordingly.
Hot Pack Method
Preheat cast iron pan over medium low heat with a little olive oil if your cut is lean.
Dump beef broth into a sauce pan to heat while you work. Plan on
Trim excess fat off of beef roasts, remove bone, and cut into 1-2 inch cubes.
When cast iron pan is heated, sear meat cubes on all sides til browned, adding meat directly to jars as you work. Halfway through filling the jar add 1/4 cup (half of them) banana pepper rings and then add more seared beef to fill to just below 1 inch headspace. I like to try and layer the banana pepper rings alternated with the beef roast so everything is mixed in the jar.
Once all meat is seared and browned and in jars, to EACH QUART JAR, add to the top of the meat:
- ​1/2 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons pickled banana pepper juice
Add hot beef broth and fill jar to 1 inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add more broth if needed to maintain headspace. Go to step 2.
Raw Pack Method
Trim excess fat, debone, and cube up meat into 1-2 inch pieces.
Add cubed meat to a large bowl. To that mixing bowl, add in the banana peppers, ranch seasoning, and garlic. Toss to coat the meat mixture and disperse the seasonings evenly.
To your quart jar, add 3 tablespoons of banana pepper juice, but do not add any more liquid.
Pack into jar to 1 inch headspace. I press the meat down a bit but I don’t get super aggressive about it.
Step 2: Canning
Prepare your pressure canner as we will be pressure canning since this is a low acid recipe. If you wanna water bath this, by all means do, but find your own times.
Wipe jar rims thoroughly with a vinegar soaked cloth.
Add a lid and secure with a screw band.
Pressure can quart jars for 90 minutes and pint jars for 75 minutes (meat times) at your elevations recommended weight for canning low acid food.
Once processing time is complete, allow canner to depressurize and then remove jars from canner to a heat proof surface lined with a towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
Step 3: Storing
Once jars have cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Room temperature is fine as long as jars are not exposed to extreme temperatures but cool and dark is the most ideal.
Shelf life is ’til you eat it. Aim to rotate canned goods out every 2 years for best flavor and nutritional value but they will last much longer if needed. Don’t go throwing out 2 year old home canned beef chuck roast cause you think it expires after 2 years. I’ll know and I’ll find you.
Any jars that did not seal may be reprocessed but it’s better just to toss in the fridge and eat it soon or freeze so the meat doesn’t get completely overcooked.
Step 4: Preparing
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of flour, whisking to combine and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes while whisking.
Dump in the contents of 1 quart jar, stirring to mix in the roux. (If you don’t want to make a roux, just thicken it with a cornstarch slurry using about 1-2 tablespoons).
Allow to simmer until heated and thickened into a lovely savory gravy. While it heats, break apart the beef chunks so it’s more like shredded beef. Taste and add salt and pepper to adjust the seasoning and salt levels to your preference.
Serve over mashed potatoes or by itself with a big ole hunk of bread or with one of your favorite sides.
And that, friends, is how we get a delicious pot roast in a jar! Easy peasy.
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pan
- Canning Jars (Pint or Quart)
- Canning lids & screw bands
- Canning Funnel
- jar lifter
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef roast cut of choice
- 1/2 cup pickled banana pepper rings
- 3 tablespoon pickled banana pepper juice
- 1/2 Tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cup of beef broth hot pack method only
Instructions
- This recipe is PER QUART JAR, meaning the ingredients called for above will fill ONE quart jar or TWO pint jars. Â Adjust and resize accordingly.
Hot Pack Method
- Preheat cast iron pan over medium low heat with a little olive oil if your cut is lean.
- Dump beef broth into a sauce pan to heat while you work.
- Trim excess fat off of beef roasts, remove bone, and cut into 1-2 inch cubes.
- When cast iron pan is heated, sear meat cubes on all sides til browned, adding meat directly to jars as you work. Â Halfway through filling the jar add 1/4 cup (half of them) banana pepper rings and then add more seared beef to fill to just below 1 inch headspace. Â I like to try and layer the banana pepper rings alternated with the beef roast so everything is mixed in the jar.
- Once all meat is seared and browned and in jars, to EACH QUART JAR, add the ranch seasoning, garlic, and banana pepper pickling juice to the top.
- Add hot beef broth and fill jar to 1 inch headspace. Â Remove any air bubbles and add more broth if needed to maintain headspace.
Raw Pack Method
- Trim excess fat, debone, and cube up meat into 1-2 inch pieces.
- Add cubed meat to a large bowl. Â To that mixing bowl, add in the banana peppers, ranch seasoning, and garlic. Â Toss to coat the meat mixture and disperse the seasonings evenly.
- To your quart jar, add 3 tablespoons of banana pepper juice, but do not add any more liquid.
- Pack into jar to 1 inch headspace. Â I press the meat down a bit but I don't get super aggressive about it.
Canning
- Wipe jar rims thoroughly with a vinegar soaked cloth.
- Add a lid and secure with a screw band. Â
- Pressure can quart jars for 90 minutes and pint jars for 75 minutes (meat times) at your elevations recommended weight for canning low acid food.
- Once processing time is complete, allow canner to depressurize and then remove jars from canner to a heat proof surface lined with a towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
- Once jars have cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Â Room temperature is fine as long as jars are not exposed to extreme temperatures but cool and dark is the most ideal.
- Shelf life is 'til you eat it. Â Aim to rotate canned goods out every 2 years for best flavor and nutritional value but they will last much longer if needed.
- Any jars that did not seal may be reprocessed but it's better just to toss in the fridge and eat it soon or freeze so the meat doesn't get completely overcooked.
Preparing
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Â Add 2 tablespoons of flour, whisking to combine and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes while whisking. Dump in the contents of 1 quart jar, stirring to mix in the roux. Â (If you don't want to make a roux, just thicken it with a cornstarch slurry using about 1-2 tablespoons). Allow to simmer until heated and thickened into a lovely savory gravy. Â While it heats, break apart the beef chunks so it's more like shredded beef. Â Taste and add salt and pepper to adjust the seasoning and salt levels to your preference. Serve over mashed potatoes or by itself with a big ole hunk of bread or with one of your favorite sides.
