As a prepper, ensuring the long-term shelf stability of your food supplies is a paramount concern. One essential protein source that deserves your attention is sausage—an incredibly versatile ingredient that can elevate various meals, from breakfast to dinner.
Pressure canning is a valuable preservation technique that ensures food safety and extends the shelf life of various ingredients, including sausage. By canning sausage, preppers can eliminate the need for refrigeration, minimize waste, and maximize the efficiency of storage space.
Canning sausage is not only a convenient way to store protein-rich food but also ensures its longevity and safety. By following these clear and concise directions, utilizing the necessary equipment, and implementing proper safety precautions, you can be confident in preparing and preserving delicious sausage varieties for future use.
Equipment Needed
- Glass canning jars with lids and bands
- Pressure canner
- Wide-mouth funnel
- Jar lifter
- Magnetic lid lifter
- Spatula or bubble freer
- Skillet or griddle
Related: 7 Deadly Canning Mistakes Even Smart People Make
Sausage Canning Safety Precautions
- Ensure all equipment is thoroughly cleaned and in good working condition.
- Follow proper food handling and hygiene practices.
- Use only fresh, high-quality sausage.
- Discard any sausage that shows signs of spoilage before canning.
- Always follow approved canning methods and times for your specific altitude.
- Never consume canned food with an unusual odor or appearance.
Canning Sausage Links
If you do not buy sausage from a store for canning to preserve long-term, you will likely be using butchering bags like these – or your butcher will. They hold one pound of meat.
1. Prepare sausage links: Take a portion of raw meat, about the size of a half-dollar coin, and shape it into a link by gently squeezing it in your hand.
For more uniform links like those found in stores, you can roll them back and forth on a cutting board. The key is to make the links similar in size and weight.
2. Brown the sausages: You can brown the sausages in an air fryer or a cast iron skillet. The browning method won’t affect the canning process; just ensure they are thoroughly browned.
3. Prepare the canning jars: While browning the sausages, get your pressure canner ready. Preheat your oven to its lowest setting to warm and sterilize the canning jars. Typically, I use 200 degrees Fahrenheit and leave the jars in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
Now, I know some folks are adamantly opposed to putting canning jars in the over because they are afraid of them bursting or “blowing up” and hurting someone. If you have concerns at all, skip this step and clean the jars as you see fit.
4. Fill the jars: Once the sausages are browned, place them into Mason jars.
Related: Highly Nutritious Foods You Can Grow In Mason Jars
Wide mouth jars work well for links. Use tongs to transfer the browned sausages to the jars, allowing excess grease to drip onto a paper towel for a minute.
Fill the jars, leaving about 1 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles using a bubble freer or a plastic spatula. Wipe the jar rims with a clean, damp cloth, and then apply the lids, screwing on the bands until they are finger-tight.
5. Load the pressure canner: Place the filled jars of sausages into the pressure canner. You can add hot or boiling water beforehand or bring the water to temperature after putting the jars in. Never place a cold Mason jar into boiling water, as it might crack.
Different pressure canners have different mechanisms for locking. Ensure the lid is securely attached before processing.
Our pressure canner is vintage and has an old-fashioned metal locking ring that must be manually tightened after the lid is placed on the top of the pot to firmly attach them together.
6. Process the jars: Follow the recommended processing time based on your altitude and the manufacturer’s guidelines for your canner. for the recommended time according to your altitude and the manufacturer’s guidelines. Once processing is complete, turn off the heat and let the pressure naturally return to zero.
7. Cool and Check Seals: Carefully remove the jars using a jar lifter and place them on a towel-lined surface. Let the jars cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours.
Check the seals of the jars; any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and consumed within a few days. Properly sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place.
A root cellar is an excellent choice for this purpose, as it provides consistent low temperatures and keeps the jars away from light. If you don’t have one, here is a cheap and easy way to build a root cellar in your backyard.
Canning Crumbled Sausage
Cook crumbled sausage completely until browned. Remove excess fat by draining the sausage on paper towels. Allow the crumbled sausage to cool completely before canning.
To can crumbled sausage meat, simply follow the same instructions provided for the sausage links.
By following these step-by-step instructions and adhering to safety precautions, you can successfully can sausage links and crumbled sausage to add to your pantry.
During disasters when access to fresh ingredients is limited, canned sausage becomes a valuable lifeline. Experts agree that having a diverse range of preserved food options is essential for emergency preparedness. Canned sausage serves as a reliable, protein-rich ingredient that can sustain individuals and families during difficult times.
With its versatility and protein-packed nature, canned sausage can enhance a variety of meals, providing comfort and sustenance to individuals and families when resources are scarce. Start canning sausage today and enjoy peace of mind knowing you have a reliable protein source in your emergency pantry.
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I have ate canned foods, never did canning before. I was too little when my mom did canning. Now I will need to learn on my own. I have bought a water bath canner pot to start.
Am dealing with an egg bound hen, she was up an running around and yesterday she would not eat, very slow movements unfortunately. She laid down on the ground breathing her final breaths. I put her in one of the cubical nesting boxes for comfort. I will bury her today next her friends that past on before.
The is part of the lifecycle that sucks, the symptoms came on gradually that wish could have caught it sooner to take her to the vet. Asked God to take her into his arms for the final journey.
Sorry for the loss of your chicken.
I have lost a couple chickens, it happens.
We enjoy the time we have with them.
They are God’s little creatures he provides us for eggs and friendship.
Go in peace little one.
Sorry for your loss, chickens are amazing pets that give us eggs to eat.
Thank you Kim and Helen.
I just got done burying my hen, she is next to a couple other hens buried. The other two were gotten by a racoon. I used to let the hens free range until we started getting the predators back in our neighborhood. The predators weren’t around for about eight years.
I don’t know if I missed it, what are you filling the jars with just water? Nice article, will do this because we get a ton of discount sausage at the Amish grocer next to my mother in laws..
You do not have to put liquids in to can. I have canned banana bread. I bake them in small loaf pans and can them in wide mouth one quart jars. There not much one can not can! I can bacon and eggs…. I have read that you can not can eggs not so! I did pickle them first, but will can them plain too! I also canned the left over stir fry I had, it is just fine! Have fun canning!
10 pounds pressure in the canner for 90 minutes and you can can anything. I did chili yesterday. If you going to buy one get non electric. In case of power failure you can use fire. I did these two chili’s yesterday and will leave one sit for a month. The other I will check in March. I stored pemmican and hardtack for two years and it is fine. I rendered my own tallow and I used the last in Pemminock, (combined Bannock and Pemmican recipe) bread yesterday. I rendered tallow two years ago. Canning if done correctly will be good for years.
Do you have a recommendation for a non-electric canner? Thanks!!
I use beef stock and tallow I rendered myself. I just did sausage crumble Friday. When first starting at canning I suggest going small. Make 2 jars of sausage. Make two jars of carrots. Wait two weeks when you know it would be bad if left in the fridge. Open one and see if it is preserved. Wait two months and open the next. If good? Good! Now can leftover chicken soup or chili. I would suggest staring canning with simple jelly. That lasts a long time, and you get the hang of working with hot stuff.
This is a good starter for me to learn to do canning in these wack out times.
I spent most of my life working, eat, work, est eat dinner, sleep, go to work. Now that I am retired have some extra time to learn canning.
Got some thoughts on retirement, do other retirees think with Bidenomics we may have to go back to work?
Mean we finally get to retire out and all of a sudden our fixed incomes are barely paying the property taxes.
What are other retiree preppers doing to compensate?
Let us know here too.
The State and Federal governments hate Americans no longer represent us in the USA.
The unions demand a 40% increase in wages, the CA gov. Newscum gives burger flippers a wage increase to $20 something an hour. How can we afford a cheap hamburger anymore?
Illegals are receiving American citizen benefits, free food, clothing, education, housing and welfare at taxpayer’s expenses. Are illegals really getting our social security and medicare, medicaid also?
The American seniors on social security fixed incomes get a lousy 3.2% increase in social security benefits COLA for 2024. , they don’t care about us. We seniors are getting the big green weenie instead.
Seniors are loosing their homes to foreigners getting a free ride. American veterans are being kicked to the curb, they are loosing hotel residences in favor of illegals, yes foreigners.
We seniors have a hard time making finances and keeping up with our preps. We know everyone today has hardships too. A lot of us are not spring chickens to go back to work, the spirit is willing, the body can’t do it anymore. Were not happy loosing our homes to the greed going on in politics who no longer represent us voters. Nor the big finance banks that should have failed back in Obama’s president term. We bailed out several countries with foreign aid donations, gasoline hovers around $6 bucks on the West Coast. The average folk can’t afford to move to a cheaper State, but liberals can.
I too am wondering in retirement how long my retirement finances will last. Do have some food stored away for a rainy day.
My property taxes are getting a little steep. I don’t want to end up on the streets because of the Bidenomics we are all in.
I tried to go back to work after 20 years in forced retirement I had a mild heart attack 2 months in. I am young and didn’t get a Vax or catch that Covid according to my doctor I was healthy with the exception of knee injuries from the military. I am waiting for VA to be increased and include my grown daughter as a dependent because of her handicap. But the current Regime has been the cause of this mess.
This is going to be long-winded and a bit crass. I am in no shape to go back to work. I have abused my body swinging a hammer to survive since I was old enough to mow a lawn and carry a news-paper bag, (the canvass kind with papers in front and back). Been paying TAXES since I was 16, now 66. My SSI is under $1500.00 per mo. I agree that the Government doesn’t give a TINKERS DAMN about seniors or vets. All they care about is POWER AND MONEY, and will do whatever they can to get MORE. Here is where I get a bit crass. I think every senior and every vet needs to stand up to ALL the POLITICIANS (we outnumber them 600 to 1 by the way), and DEMAND that they FIX this screwed up economy within 90 days, or they are F I R E D !! NO, PENTION, NO BENEFITS, NO PERKS WHAT SO EVER. They can do this by announcing to the WORLD, that ALL FUNDING AND AID will be cut by75% until the Economic problems here in the United States of America are resolved. We have to help ourselves in order to be healthy enough to help others. On the immigration front, the problem is VERY SIMPLE. Check everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, (to avoid racial profiling). If they can’t prove that they are a citizen, or in this country LEGALLY, as in a Social Security Number, or Visa or Documentation proving they are working towards citizenship, DEPORT THEM IMMEDIATLY. Put them on a buss, a plane, a train, whatever and get them out of OUR COUNTRY. No Court date, No legal council, no NOTHING. They don’t have these RITES as they are NOT CITIZENS OF THE U.S.A. We CANNOT afford to feed and house and provide medical care to EVERY other countries people in the World.
Hate me if you want, for saying what I feel, but that is the ONLY way I see out of this mess WE have LET ourselves get into. Some might say that my approach is too far and too harsh. But isn’t the fix we the THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, are in NOW too HARSH?
This great country of ours was NOT built by Big Pharma, or Big Insurance, or even Politicians. This country was built on IDEALS and PRINCIPALES. IT WAS BUILT BY people from all over who LEGALLY immigrated here and WANTED to become CITIZENS. The were PROUD to be here. PROUD to become AMERICANS. They did not come to SUCK on the NEVER-ENDING Teat of society, like a great deal of them are doing now.
When you have an infection ie. politicians, you CURE it or CUT IT OUT. When you are INFESTED with PARASITES, you get rid of them ANY WAY YOU CAN.
Like I said, “hate me if you want”, but I have PROUDLY given to this country ALL my life. But now I am getting almost NOTHING back. Least of all RESPECT. JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER SENIORS AND VETS OUT THERE.
PS: Social Security was originally set up as an
!!!!! U N T O U C H A B L E !!!!! fund for the people who had worked and PAID INTO most of their lives, to take care of them when they got older. But the F-ING POLITICANS and the Government, found a way to get into it and siphon money out of it. They called it BARROWING. Yet they the politicians and the government has NOT paid back the FIRST PENNY THEY BARROWED FROM THAT “UNTOUCHABLE FUND”.
THAT IS WHY I FEEL AND SPEAK THE WAY I DO. It is OUR COUNTRY, we need to take it back N O W . Read the Constitution, we have the RITE and the OBLIGATION to do it.
L.W. McQueary
email / oldtroll57 at g mail dot com
I became disabled in 2016 at 56 years old. I worked full time and sometimes had a second job until I couldn’t. Our SS income is what we earned and paid for. When the government shuts down or we have a long term blackout, there won’t be any paychecks coming. I have a canner and I’m going to get to canning and preparing. BUT GOD has the answers and I believe we have to do our part and He’ll make a way. Thanks for sharing.
Mr McQueary is only saying what every retired citizen is feeling today. I hear from all my brothers the same thing, and their response is always the same: What can we do about it! I say we must start a coalition of patriots to vote out our so called leader’s from both parties, drain the DC swamp totally, then start again with term limits,severance pay only for their service, and no more life time benefits. If AARP can do it, why can’t we? Fed up!!!
I retired 6 months ago. I’m going to have to go back to work, thank you Bidenomics and America hating Democrats . I’m in good health, but not as strong as I once was, so limited. Looking for a simple brainless job, spent 50 years making decisions for many others so I’m kinda done with that.
Being forced to retire when way to young happened to me due to injuries I can say this. Peopke say it’s a new chapter. No. Make a new book. Find a hobby or volunteer somewhere to stay occupied. This is life now. Before was a different book. You can’t really go wrong working with young people. They tend to listen to us more than their parents age. There are good kids. The bad kids have no history and you might be the one to salvage them. Don’t sell yourself short. You don’t have to break your bank with power traveling. Go to State Parks. Take up photography. Learn compass coursing. You will be out and walking and not realize you’re are exercising and learning a useful skill. Start or join a group at church on this very thing. Keep active and have fun filling in your new book.
Quick Question. Maybe I missed it. Do you fill with liquid to 1-inch headspace after you add the sausage or no liquid? Thank you for the article.
Before answering I’d like to give a couple of pointers. #1 I put a little vinegar in with the water in the canner itself. This makes cleaning the jar easier because the lime or calcium deposits does not stick to the jar.
#2 When it is time to put the jars away in the root cellar I like to use a little extra protection from moisture and rodents. I melt candle wax (never use soy wax they will eat it and you could get rust on the lid) when the wax is hot I dip the lid in and make sure every part is covered. Let it cool. Sometimes it needs to be dipped again. This extra step could make all the difference.
Now to answer your question. There is always some grease in the sausage. I cover everything with water. MAKE sure you leave that 1″ space and get air bubbles out. Because of our elevation I can with 15 psi for everything just to make sure of killing any bacteria. I always use a weighted gauge canner. Those with the round top with numbers have to be calibrated every year. I also check the jars 30 minutes after after cooling. If the jars are not boiling inside and the lid has not popped I clean up the jars get rid of bubbles and put on a new lid and drop it back in the canner. If the jar still does not seal the cooled sausage goes in the freezer for another meal.
GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN WITH IT!
I have caned sausage and many other kinds of meat over several years. In my experience, sausage that is caned without grease comes out dry and not very palatable. I use some lard to top the jars off with when the grease that it is fried in does not produce enough grease to cover the sausage in the jars. Meat requires 1 1/2 hours at canning temperature. When canned with only the sausage and no grease in the jar the sausage is overcooked and renders out the grease in all of the meat and only the bottom piece has any grease on it. That makes the other pieces in the stack too dry.
When reheating to eat, I warm the jar in the microwave or hot water until the lard becomes fluid. Take the lid off first for warming in the microwave. This makes the sausage easy to remove from the jar Then I reheat the sausage patties in an iron skillet until heated throughout and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess grease. It comes out just like fresh fried.
As for the person that lost the chicken, when you have livestock you must be prepared to lose some. That is just a factor of life on the farm. The only people that never lose something is the people that have nothing to lose.
Yes I know we need to be prepared for loss.
It still hurts, just as much as it does for our cat or dog in their final time.
Loss of a human family member even if we are prepared still hurts too.
My Dad passed last year.
Thank you
Coyotes have been increasing in our area. They have gone after the neighbor’s chickens and the stray cats that we fed. We fed strays who were so well-fed that they left all but mice alone. Whenever I have the means, the coyotes will sorely regret it.
Did the article say if a liquid of some kind, tallow or crisco should be put in with sausage of just the meat?
Heating the jars in the oven???
Why not put them in the dishwasher under the sanitize cycle. Or clean your sink thoroughly and pour hot water on top of them, covering them with foil. That keeps the heat in keeps them hot until you use them.
Question: (Well, two actually.) 1) When canning crumbled sausage, can you add some of the grease to the jar? So you can make sausage n gravy down the road? 2) It says to fill the jar to 1/2 inch from the top. Are you adding water to that or is it just meat and air?
You can skip the paper towels and put it straight in the jar. However, when you open the jar later it will have most of the fat will be congealed at the top. You can then scoop it out and do what you like with it. You can fill the jar with water. I would also leave 1″ instead of 1/2″ to get a better seal. Hope this helps. 🙂
Buy Sausage? Why? I buy chicken (Boneless Skinless breasts) for less than $2.00 a pound at times. Pork in the form of boneless cuts of shoulder or loin are also available for the same price range… Note that either of these have minimal fat.
Takes me two days to turn it into my choice of Italian or Sage flavored sausage using herbs and spices grown or purchased in bulk from local or mail-order sources. (I’d make Chorizo, but my wife doesn’t like it.)
NO Nitrates or NITRITES either (bladder cancer survivor), Grinding by Cabella’s with refrigeration between steps.
Normally we freeze some of it as bulk for those types of recipes, and press patties and brown them before freezing for breakfast sandwiches
and the like.
Chicken Sausage was about $8.00 a pound this week at the store, and Pork was about $6.00 a pound.
True, you do have to add oil to the pan to cook my sausage as there is minimal fat, but then there is minimal waste at the end.
There is also minimal conversion of nitrite and nitrates to harmful cancer causing n-nitroso compounds.
Why not add gravy to the jar, made from the fry pan drippings? Save you needing to make gravy later when you no longer have the pan drippings. I mean you can buy canned gravy at the store.(but I could never figure out who would buy such an easy thing to make!)
You will have a very gooey mess coming out of the jar.
A friend of mine cans raw sausage. Not an approved canning recipe, but she has done this for years without issue.
When rendering her meat (they butcher their own hogs), she packs raw sausage into the jar, pressing it in but leaving a hole in the middle. She also skips adding sage as that can turn bitter when canned. She allows an inch headspace. Processes half-pints and pints 75 minutes, quarts 90 minutes. A pint fits about a pound of meat.
When she opens up the jar, she can use the fat that cooked out for gravy making. She starts with ambient temperature jars and water in the pressure canner.
I know people who also can ground beef. Some make patties and brown those, carefully fitting them into wide-mouth jars. Others can raw burger. With raw meat, liquid is not required, although cooked it browned meat typically does have liquid added.
I’ve canned leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and used turkey or chicken broth to pour over the meat, again allowing one-inch headspace. Same processing times as already mentioned, i.e., 75 minutes pints, 90 minutes quarts.
I used the broth in the jar to make gravy, and it was a treat to have it ready in ten minutes.
You do know they have been covid vaccinating pigs since 2018
Not safe to consume
Research the meat industry , food , all have been tainted , for the depopulation ,
Making people into sissys , not masculin , not strong, not able to stand
but easily conquered
The agenda : conquest, depopulation , you will own NOTHING and happy or dead
So True , Many Payed the price for freedom and so called retirement only to have it taken, given away, stolen by the Judas thieves in politics who to cover sin , and corruption sold you out , your country , your livelyhood , your future All for Money , Love of and future security of thier own money
Great Article on sausage :
key is presure cooking , compressed air vacume containers so bacteria cannot grow
if you follow the right principles in you will have a good product
research for the right way to the process
Just like Truth , only works one way , accountable, right , and in order ( not koas )
structured processing , the right equiptment and the right process
God is Holy , just , structured, in order , and always by truth , never deception or lies
Thanks for the information. I’m going to can some sausage.
I am with you all the way,every thing you said is the truth. Just can not seem to figure out why people are not coming together and doing what we have a right to do.I joined a group that provides us Americans a way to right the government through article 5 of our constitution our fore fathers provided it for us but, it is taking way to long just seems to crawl along. Im 73 and not to good myself if I was younger and able to get out and start making waves to get people to wake up I would,but maybe the problem is with the younger generation because they do not get taught what America is all about.
Well I could ramble on and on but will stop here I was just in such agreement with what you wrote and felt like giving you an online high five.
well site wont let me fill in my name so I can comment.