How to Pressure Can Bone Broth for Long Term Storage

Pressure canning is an incredible way to make perishable good shelf stable for years to come. One of my favorite ways to preserve the bone broth I make is to pressure can it. It doesn’t take up space in my fridge or freezer and I know it’ll be just as fresh, nutritious, and delicious as the day it was made.

If you want to learn how to make bone broth you can read this and make bone broth in 24 hours!

In order to pressure can bone broth for long term storage you will need mason jars with lids and bands, a funnel, a strainer, and a pressure canner.

Start by making your bone broth. When your broth is complete use a clean mason jar, funnel and strainer to pour the broth in the mason jar without getting the bone remnants in your final product. Some sediment might slip through, that’s ok. But you don’t want huge chunks of bone floating around.

When you’re filling your mason jars be sure to leave at least 1 inch of head space at the top of the jar. If you overfill it you risk it not sealing properly, so it won’t be shelf stable.

Once your jars are filled, take a paper towel and dry off the rim of the mason jars. Place the flat lids on. Place the bands on and hand tighten. Do not crank them shut. The trick is to tighten until you feel some resistance, then turn the band a quarter turn more.

Fill your pressure canner with hot water about 3 inches deep. Place your jars in the canner and be sure to leave space between the jars. Cover the canner. Let the steam build up and pressure can at 11 pounds of pressure for 20 mins for quarts, 25 mins for half gallons.

If you live in the mountains you will pressure can at a different number of pounds, so check what is appropriate for your altitude.

When time is up, turn off the heat and let the pressure come down on a slow release. Do not remove the weight and let all the air out at once. Once the pressure has been relieved, you can remove the lid. WEAR OVEN MITS OR GLOVES. There’s still steam inside that will burn your hands. The jars will be hot for hours, so be sure to leave them on a towel on your counter untouched so the air can create a vacuum seal.

When the jars begin to cool, you will hear a loud PING. That is the sound of the lid sealing! That’s how you know you’ve successfully preserved your bone broth and it is shelf stable.

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