This is a delicious, Tex-Mex style meat mix that lets you have tacos ready in a flash for meals or parties.
The prep work for canning is also really fast: the entire mixture is raw pack.
This recipe comes from the Ball All New book (2016).
Like many Ball recipes, the sodium in this can be a bit high (at least 664 mg per serving), but you can reduce the salt, which is just there for seasoning.
You may wish to double or triple this recipe to get a full canner load: if so, just do your calculations on paper first before proceeding so that you aren’t trying to do mental gymnastics in the thick of things.
The recipe
Jar size choices: Half-litre (US pint / 16 oz) OR litre (US quart / 32 oz)
Processing method: Pressure canning only
Yield: 2 x litre (US quart) jars
Headspace: 3 cm (1 inch)
Processing pressure: 10 lbs (69 kPa) weighted gauge, 11 lbs (76 kpa) dial gauge (adjust pressure for your altitude when over 300 metres / 1000 feet.)
Processing time: Half-litres (pints) 75 minutes; litres (quarts) 90 minutes
If you don’t have a pressure canner, you can freeze this in plastic containers or straight-sided jars with no shoulders. (Water-bath canning is not acceptable for safety reasons.)
Chipotle Beef for Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oregano (dried)
- 2 teaspoons salt (OR non-bitter, non-clouding salt sub)
- 50 g coriander (aka cilantro, fresh, chopped. ½ cup / 2 oz)
- 8 cloves garlic
- 2 chipotle chiles (in adobo sauce)
- 200 g onion (sliced. 2 cups / 8 oz. Measured after prep. 2 medium onions)
- 1 kg stewing beef (chuck, round, or brisket) (2 lbs)
- Beef broth (hot)
Instructions
- Put the oregano and salt in a large bowl or pot.
- Wash and chop the fresh coriander. Add to bowl.
- Wash, peel and slice the garlic. Add to bowl.
- Finely chop the chiles, add to bowl.
- Mix the contents of the bowl.
- Wash and peel onions. Slice, and add to bowl.
- Put a kettle or pot of water on to boil for you to make your beef broth from, if you are using bouillon cubes, powder or liquid. If you're using home-made, start heating it in microwave. Mind the surge when you remove it.
- Trim excess fat off beef. Cut into 5 cm (2 inch) chunks. Add to bowl.
- Using your clean hands or a very sturdy spoon, mix the contents of the bowl.
- Jar size choices: half-litre (1 US pint) or 1 litre (US quart.)
- Pack the warmed jars firmly (but not overly tightly) with mixture.
- Leave 3 cm (1 inch) headspace.
- Top up the jars with hot beef broth (or even just plain boiling water is fine.)
- Debubble; adjust headspace.
- Wipe jar rims.
- Put lids on.
- Processing pressure: 10 lbs (69 kPa) weighted gauge, 11 lbs (76 kpa) dial gauge (adjust pressure for your altitude when over 300 metres / 1000 feet.)
- Processing time: half- litre (1 US pint) 75 minutes; 1 litre (US quart) 90 minutes.
Nutrition
See also if applicable: Dial Gauge Pressures.
Reference information
How to pressure can.
When pressure canning, you must adjust the pressure for your altitude.
For salt substitute, Herbamare Sodium-Free was used.
Recipe notes
- As this is a raw pack, there will be shrinkage during processing. Thus they want you to pack the jar “tightly.” But that doesn’t mean squish it down, either.
- To be clear, you don’t heat or pre-cook the mixture before packing it in jars. This is a raw pack. Ball says, “These easy raw pack recipes are an innovative way to create delicious ready-to-eat meals for your pantry all year long. Raw ingredients and seasonings are combined, packed in the jar, and covered with hot broth; all of the cooking takes place right in the jar! Note: To ensure proper pressure and temperature is achieved for safe processing, you must process at least 2 quart or 4 pint jars in the pressure canner at one time.”
- The chili peppers they mean are the ones that come in tins. They have a smoked taste that is wanted in this recipe. If you can’t find those, use another milder pepper such as jalapeno. As for the smokey taste you could use a few drops of liquid smoke, or, a teaspoon or so of dried, ground chipotle powder or smoked paprika.
Usage notes
Ball says, “Drain contents of jar and shred meat (reserve broth.) Sauté a sliced onion in oil until soft; add beef and 125 ml (½ cup / 4 oz) of broth; simmer 10 minutes. Serve in warmed tortillas with taco toppings.”
Garnish the tacos with one of your home-canned salsas, if desired.
Chipotle Beef shown here served in corn tortillas, along with home-canned salsa and home-canned black beans on rice.
Recipe source
Butcher, Meredith L., Ed. The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. New York: Oxmoor House. 2016. Page 275
Modifications: none
Nutrition
Serving size: 1 cup (250 ml)
Regular version
Per 1 cup (250 ml): 232 calories, 664 mg sodium
Note: does not include any possible sodium from the broth. Allow for that in your mind as well if that matters to you, unless you made your own from scratch salt-free
No-added salt version
Per 1 cup (250 ml): 232 calories, 83 mg sodium
* Nutrition info provided by https://caloriecount.about.com
Nena
Can you use venison instead of beef ?
Martha
Can you substitute Pork or Chicken chunks for the beef?
Bob
I have made this with 2 pounds but we would like more meat per jar. Is this a problem?
Thank you.
Spencer
I have made this and also chicken and beef fajitas in a jar. They are all good, but I wasn’t sure what to do with the liquid in the jars. I just bought a box of Brown Minute Rice. I combined the juice with equal parts rice and it cooks quickly. I dumped it back in with everything else and it worked great. Very easy and worked well rolled in a tortilla.
Heidi Roat
We make nachos with this and canned black beans. This always makes me extremely grateful I took up pressure canning.
Menolly
I’d like to try this next week. Can we use better than bouillon beef base instead of cubes? (1tsp per cube)
Healthy Canning
Yes.
Maddy
Absolutely delicious! And very easy to make.
But I do need to add that it’s important to either get the meat to near room temp before jarring it, or make sure the water in your canner isn’t near boiling when you place the jars in. I had a jar split right when I put it in. When I felt the other jars, I realized they were actually a slightly cool temperature (despite me adding boiling broth) because the meat I used was staight from the fridge.
I ended up dumping the water and starting again with water that was only as hot as the tap would get it. I let the remaining jars heat with the water. I usually like to preheat my water, so I just figured I’d comment this so others know. Maybe I’m just too much of a novice and this is obvious information though!
Deborah Grantham
Can I sub hamburger for the chunks?
Healthy Canning
You could need to ask Ball directly; they released the recipe for chunks of beef.
Tanya
Delicious and easy to make. Great recipe!!
Michelle
I’m a new UK canner. This is the first thing I’ve canned that has meat in it. I was a bit “Oh, okay.” when I took the jars out of the canner but I should’ve had more faith because it is absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe which I will DEFINITELY be making again.
Carolyn
I’m going to make this.