How to Pressure Can Pork

Marie Overton
Jan 8, 2021
2 min read

Updated: Jan 2

Canned meat has many reasons to recommend it. It allows you to take advantage of discounts on meat and buy in bulk, it frees up freezer space, the meat is incredibly tender and it is so convenient. It is so nice to be able to pull it out of the pantry fully cooked and use it in favorite recipes. It has been a real time-saver for my family. Canned pork shreds so nicely making for great pork sandwiches.

Canning meat requires a little bit of preparation. You will need a pressure canner. Also necessary are lids, lid rings, clean quart jars, a long plastic utensil, salt, a teaspoon, a cutting board and a sharp knife.

Person in an apron trims a raw pork slab on a wooden board, beside jars and a bowl of meat. Text "Mari" visible on the apron.

Canned pork can be done with any cut. Prepare the pork by removing fat and bone and slicing it into 1-inch thick strips.

Person in beige apron places raw meat into a glass jar on a kitchen counter with wooden cutting board. Apron displays "Maria."

Fill the quart jar with a jar funnel leaving 1 inch of head space.

Person adding salt to jars of raw meat on a granite countertop. Copper kettle on the side, kitchen setting, neutral colors.

Add 1 teaspoon salt in each quart jar.

Copper kettle pouring water into jars of raw meat on a granite countertop. Person wearing apron with "Maria" text visible. Kitchen setting.

Pour boiling water over the salt filling the spaces between the meat. Use your plastic utensil to release any trapped air bubbles.

Place the lid on and secure it with a lid ring to fingertip tight. Place your jars in the pressure canner and follow your manufacturer directions for canning.

At sea level, meat must be processed at 10 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes. Do not start the timer until after your target pressure has been achieved. If at any point the pressure falls below the target. The pressure must be increased and the timer restarted. After the 90 minutes have elapsed, remove the canner from the heat and allow all pressure to dissipate before you attempt to open your canner. After the pressure has all released remove the weight and then the lid and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

Three jars of canned food rest on a checkered cloth in a kitchen. Red canning tongs grip one jar. Apron seen in the background.

Place your jars on a heat resistant surface and allow them to cool for 24 hours. After 24 hours, check for if the lids have sealed which should be indicated by the middle of the lid being depressed down. Any that have not sealed should be refrigerated and used in the next 4 days. The sealed jars should be labeled with the date and stored in a cool, dry place. Home-canned products are good for up to 3 years. After that point, they start to lose their nutritional value.

Potted plant in a pink pot and four mason jars with canned pork on burlap, surrounded by small wooden sticks on a stone surface.

How to make adjustments to pressure canning pork based on altitude:

Barometric pressure is reduced at high altitudes, affecting the temperature at which water boils. This means boiling water and pressure canning methods must be adjusted to ensure safe processing. When using the pressure canning method of canning, additional pounds of pressure is required. The following altitude chart gives the requirements.