Am thinking about pressure canning more meat (that’s in the freezer).
How long does canned meat last? Different canning forums say different times.
Seals are all still good, on meat I canned two years ago.
I draw the line on canning meat but that’s just me. Granny’s chili would last several years.
I have eaten home-canned venison and elk that was over 10 years in the jar, and it was fine. If a seal fails, you’ll know it.
Just like canned foods from the store. Indefinitely but quality and flavor will degrade over time. One year is very safe, two years no problem. I personally wouldn’t go much further than that but that’s just me.
Official USDA answer
Properly canned food stored in a cool, dry place will retain optimum eating quality for at least 1 year. Canned food stored in a warm place near hot pipes, a range, a furnace, or in indirect sunlight may lose some of its eating quality in a few weeks or months, depending on the temperature. Dampness may corrode cans or metal lids and cause leakage so the food will spoil.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/questions/FAQ_canning.html#5
Nothing about safety, just quality. Temp and humidity matter. Cool and dry is best. I’ve heard of people doing this; Can food, allow to cool, remove rings, wash jars, melt some wax and dip the top of the jars in the wax about 1/4 - 1/2 inch or so. Enough to seal the lid. Then you can store in a root cellar where it’s cool and humid/damp.
Store bought canned foods
Store commercially canned foods and other shelf stable products in a cool, dry place. Never put them above the stove, under the sink, in a damp garage or basement, or any place exposed to high or low temperature extremes. High acid foods such as tomatoes and other fruit will keep their best quality up to 18 months; low acid foods such as meat and vegetables, 2 to 5 years. If cans are in good condition (no dents, swelling, or rust) and have been stored in a cool, clean, dry place they are safe indefinitely.
https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/How-long-can-you-keep-canned-goods
General consensus is that “properly” home canned foods have just as much storage life as commercially canned. As per above, “stored in a cool, clean, dry place they are safe indefinitely”.
I’ve kept stuff for years.
I know the canning lids say they only last for a year and a half, but short of a bad seal or the lid rusting from humidity, you can get many years out of them.
If you want more advice for pressure canning meat, I have been doing it for years with nomproblem.
As long as the seals are good, the meat is ok to eat. After 18 months, some of the nutrition may be decreasing a bit. Even 10 years is ok, but I personally try to rotate 3-6 years.
I have chicken that I canned in 2015 that got pushed to the back and overlooked, so I’m going to use that up in the next several months. I made a stove top stuffing casserole the other day and it was all good.