Chili with meat is a low-acid food. The only safe way to can it at home is in a pressure canner, using a tested recipe, the correct jar size, and the pressure that matches your altitude. A boiling-water bath cannot reach the temperature needed to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores, and an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker is not a substitute for a pressure canner.
The official USDA recipe for chili con carne is written for pint jars only, processed 75 minutes. There is no published quart time for that dense meat-and-bean mix. Follow the method below, then thicken the chili when you open the jar—not before it goes into the canner.
Why chili with meat cannot go in a water-bath canner
Meat, dried beans, onions, and peppers are all low-acid. In a sealed jar, botulism spores can survive ordinary boiling temperatures and later produce toxin in an oxygen-free environment. Pressure canning raises the temperature inside the jar to about 240°F (116°C), which is the range used to destroy those spores.
That is why processing time and pressure are not “suggestions.” They are the conditions under which the recipe was tested. Shortening the time, dropping the pressure, packing the jar fuller, or thickening the chili before canning can keep the center of the jar from heating through.
What you need before you start
Equipment
- A weighted-gauge or dial-gauge pressure canner (not a stovetop pressure cooker and not an electric multi-cooker)
- Canning jars rated for pressure canning, with new lids and clean rings
- Jar lifter, funnel, bubble remover or plastic spatula, clean cloths
- A large skillet and a stockpot
If you use a dial-gauge canner, have the gauge checked for accuracy. Many cooperative extension offices test gauges at no or low cost. A gauge that reads low will under-process the food.
Ingredients for the tested chili con carne recipe Yield: about 9 pints.
- 3 cups dried pinto or red kidney beans
- 5½ cups water (for cooking the soaked beans)
- 5 teaspoons salt, divided
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 1½ cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped peppers, any variety (optional)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 to 6 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 quarts crushed or whole tomatoes
Use lean ground beef when you can. Excess fat can interfere with seals and go rancid in storage. Drain the fat after browning.
The tested method, step by step
This is the National Center for Home Food Preservation / USDA chili con carne procedure. Do not skip the bean soak or the short simmer. Both steps control how the beans behave in the jar.
1. Soak and pre-cook the beans
Wash the dried beans. Cover them with cold water 2 to 3 inches above the beans and soak 12 to 18 hours. Drain and discard that water.
Combine the drained beans with 5½ cups fresh water and 2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer 30 minutes. Drain and discard that cooking water as well.
The soak and pre-cook keep beans from swelling hard against the glass during processing, which can crack jars. They also keep the pack from becoming denser than the recipe was tested for.
A quick-soak option used by many extension-adapted versions: cover beans with water, boil 2 minutes, take off the heat, stand 1 hour, then drain and proceed with the 30-minute simmer.
2. Brown the meat and vegetables
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the chopped onion and peppers. Drain off the fat thoroughly.
3. Combine and simmer—but do not thicken
Add the remaining 3 teaspoons salt, black pepper, chili powder, tomatoes, and the drained cooked beans. Simmer 5 minutes.
Caution: do not thicken. No flour, cornstarch, masa, cornmeal slurry, or tomato paste added only to make it “chili-thick.” A thick mixture slows heat penetration. The chili should look looser than a bowl you would serve. That is correct.
4. Hot-pack the jars
Keep jars hot until filling. Ladle the hot chili into hot pint jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
Work a bubble remover around the inside of each jar. Recheck headspace and add more liquid if needed. If you run short of liquid, top up with boiling water—do not pack the solids higher to fill the space.
Wipe the rims clean. Fat or chili on the rim is a common reason lids fail. Apply lids and screw bands fingertip-tight—not cranked down.
5. Process in the pressure canner
Add the amount of water your canner manual specifies (often 2 to 3 inches). Load the jars. Lock the lid and vent a strong, steady stream of steam for 10 minutes before putting on the weight or closing the petcock. Skipping the vent leaves air in the canner and can drop the temperature even when the gauge looks right.
Bring the canner to the pressure for your altitude and canner type. Start the timer only after that pressure is reached. Keep the pressure steady for the full 75 minutes. If pressure drops below the target, bring it back up and restart the timing.
When time is up, turn off the heat and let the canner return to zero pressure on its own. Do not run cold water over it or jiggle the weight to speed the drop. Wait a few more minutes, then open the lid away from your face. Rest the jars in the canner briefly if your manual says to, then move them to a towel with space between jars. Leave them undisturbed 12 to 24 hours.
Processing time and pressure for chili with meat
The USDA chili con carne recipe is tested as a hot pack in pints for 75 minutes. There is no published process for quarts of this recipe.
Dial-gauge pressure canner — pints, 75 minutes
| Altitude | Pressure |
|---|---|
| 0–2,000 ft | 11 lb |
| 2,001–4,000 ft | 12 lb |
| 4,001–6,000 ft | 13 lb |
| 6,001–8,000 ft | 14 lb |
Weighted-gauge pressure canner — pints, 75 minutes
| Altitude | Pressure |
|---|---|
| 0–1,000 ft | 10 lb |
| Above 1,000 ft | 15 lb |
Half-pint jars use the same 75-minute pint process. Do not shorten the time because the jar is smaller.
Look up your elevation if you are unsure. Using sea-level pressure at 4,000 feet under-processes the food.
Why this recipe is pints only
Beans and ground meat pack densely. Heat has to travel to the center of the jar and stay there long enough to treat the coldest spot. A quart is twice as deep. The USDA published heat-penetration data for pints of this mix and did not publish a quart time. Extension specialists who are asked about quarts of chili con carne give the same answer: use pints, or do not can that recipe in quarts.
That is different from canning plain ground meat in broth, which does have a quart time (90 minutes). Chili with a full load of beans is not the same product. Do not borrow the quart time from ground meat or from soup and apply it to a thick chili con carne pack.
What you can change—and what you cannot
Home canners often want their usual weeknight chili in a jar. Some changes stay inside safe practice. Others do not.
Usually acceptable
- Changing dry spices: chili powder amount within the stated range, cumin, oregano, cayenne, smoked paprika
- Reducing salt
- Using a different lean ground meat (turkey, venison, or a lean beef-pork mix) if you still drain fat well
- Using less dried beans than the recipe calls for (a looser pack heats more easily)
- Swapping pinto and kidney beans, or using another common dry bean after the same soak and pre-cook
- Using canned beans in place of the dried-bean prep: about 8 to 9 cups drained cooked beans is the common equivalent for this batch. Still do not thicken.
Not safe for this method
- Water-bath canning
- Canning in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
- Quart jars of this meat-and-bean chili
- Flour, cornstarch, masa, or other thickeners in the jar
- Adding rice, pasta, dairy, or flour-based roux
- Packing jars tighter than 1-inch headspace
- Skipping the bean soak/pre-cook when you start with dried beans
- Canning a leftover pot of already-thick restaurant-style chili “as is”
- Cutting processing time because the chili is already hot or “already cooked”
If you want a very different chili—chunked steak, extra vegetables, no tomatoes, or a quart-size meal—look for a separate tested recipe for that style, or can the components separately (plain ground meat, plain beans, tomatoes) and combine them when you cook.
Common problems and how to avoid them
Jars don’t seal. Fat on the rim is the usual cause. Drain meat well and wipe rims with vinegar if they look greasy. Bands that are overtightened can also prevent a good seal.
Siphoning (liquid loss). Sudden pressure changes and overfilled jars cause this. Vent fully, keep pressure steady, and let the canner drop naturally. A little liquid loss is common; as long as the jar sealed and the food was processed the full time, it is a quality issue, not an automatic discard—inspect carefully.
Chili looks thin in the jar. That is by design. Reduce it on the stove when you open it.
White fat cap on top. Some fat will rise during processing. Use leaner meat next time. A thin layer is normal; a thick grease layer points to meat that was not drained.
Cloudy liquid or rising bubbles after storage. Treat that as spoilage. Do not taste it.
After the canner: seals, storage, and when to throw a jar out
When jars are fully cool, remove the rings. Press the center of each lid. It should be concave and not flex. If a jar did not seal, refrigerate it and eat it within a few days, or freeze it.
Wash the jars, label them with the contents and date, and store them in a cool, dark place with the rings off. Rings left on can hide a seal that fails later and trap moisture that rusts the lid.
Home-canned meats and chili are generally best used within a year for quality. They can remain safe longer if the seal holds and storage stays cool and dark, but flavor and texture decline.
Before opening, check every jar:
- Lid still sealed and concave
- No spurting liquid, off smell, mold, or unusual cloudiness when opened
- No bulging lid
If anything looks or smells wrong, discard the contents without tasting. Botulism toxin has no reliable taste or smell warning.
How to serve canned chili so it tastes like chili
Open the jar and heat the chili in a saucepan until it boils. Then adjust it the way you would a fresh pot:
- Simmer uncovered to reduce
- Stir in a spoonful of masa harina or crushed tortilla chips after it is boiling
- Add fresh onion, cilantro, lime, cheese, or pickled jalapeños at the table
- Use it as a base for chili dogs, baked potatoes, or nachos
Boiling after opening is good practice for home-canned low-acid foods. It will not fix a jar that was under-processed, but it is the right way to reheat a sound jar.
Frequently asked questions
Can I can chili in quarts if I process it longer? Not with the USDA chili con carne recipe. There is no tested quart time for that pack. Use pints, or choose a different tested product that includes quarts.
Can I water-bath can chili if I add extra vinegar or lemon juice? No. Adding acid to taste does not turn a meat-and-bean chili into a high-acid food you can water-bath. Pressure canning is required.
Is an Instant Pot with a “canning” button safe? No. Electric multi-cookers do not have the documented heat-distribution data, venting procedure, or altitude-adjusted weighted/dial control that tested pressure-canning processes assume.
Can I can my family’s thick leftover chili? Only if that leftover pot matches a tested canning formula—thin enough, no thickener, correct ratios—and you still process it as directed. A cooled, thickened pot of Sunday chili is a freezer project, not a canning project.
Do I have to use beans? The official chili con carne recipe includes them. You can reduce beans. If you want meat-only chili, you are no longer following this recipe; can browned ground meat in broth or tomato juice using the ground-meat directions (pints 75 minutes, quarts 90 minutes) and build chili when you open the jars.
Can I use venison or turkey? Lean game and poultry are commonly substituted in practice if fat is drained. Venison is often mixed with a little pork fat when ground for palatability, then drained after browning. Stay within the same general proportions and do not add extra low-acid fillers.
Why vent the canner for 10 minutes? Air left in the canner lowers the temperature at a given pressure reading. The 10-minute vent is part of the process, not optional setup.
Pressure canning chili with meat is not a place to improvise on time, jar size, or thickness. Use the tested pint recipe, match pressure to your altitude, keep the pack loose, and finish the flavor in the saucepan when you open a jar. That is how you get chili that is both convenient and safe to keep on the shelf.