How to Pressure Can Bone Broth in Canada (Beef, Chicken, Fish)

Bone broth (or stock — same thing under different branding) is the most-useful base ingredient in any kitchen. It improves every soup, every sauce, every braise. The “trendy” bone-broth movement of the 2010s rediscovered something every grandmother knew: long-simmered bone stock is the foundation of cooking.

Pressure-canning bone broth makes it shelf-stable — no freezer space required, ready in an instant for any recipe. The processing is short because the strained clear liquid is heat-penetration-friendly.

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What you need

For 4-6 × 1 L jars:

The broth ingredients (yields ~4-5 L)

• 2-3 kg bones — see “pick your bones” below
• 2 onions, halved
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 bunch fresh parsley OR 1 tsp dried
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (helps extract minerals from bones; cooks off)
• 6-8 L water (enough to cover bones generously)
• 1-2 tsp pickling salt per litre (added at canning step, not simmer step)

Equipment

• Large stockpot (at least 12 L) OR slow cooker (6-8 L) OR Instant Pot for pressure-simmering
• Roasting pan (for roasting bones first)
• Fine-mesh sieve
• Cheesecloth for final straining
• Bernardin 500 mL or 1 L jars (regular-mouth fine for clear liquid)
• Fresh SNAP lids and bands
• Pressure canner (Presto 23-quart or All American 921)
• Standard canning kit — jar lifter, headspace tool, funnel, ladle

Pick your bones

Chicken bone broth

• Whole chicken carcasses after roasting/eating — save in the freezer until you have 2-3 carcasses
• Chicken feet — best collagen source; sometimes available at Asian grocers or butchers
• Chicken backs and necks — sold cheap at most Canadian butchers
• Wings — okay but the meat is the better use

Beef bone broth

• Marrow bones — large round cross-cut bones from the femur; best collagen and marrow extraction
• Knuckle bones, joint bones — high in cartilage and gelatin
• Oxtail — premium; very rich
• Beef neck bones — common, cheap, excellent
• Soup bones at any Canadian butcher

Fish stock

• Fish frames — heads, spines, tails left after filleting
• Shrimp shells for seafood stock
• Don’t use oily fish (salmon, mackerel) for stock — flavour is too strong

Vegetable broth (no bones)

• Same vegetable base; no bones. Process the same. Use for vegetarian cooking.

Method

Step 1: Roast the bones (optional but recommended)

Roasting bones first dramatically deepens the broth’s flavour and colour:

1. Spread bones in a single layer on a roasting pan.
2. Roast at 200°C (400°F) for 30-45 minutes until deeply browned.
3. Add the vegetables to the pan in the last 15 minutes — they brown too.
4. Skip this step for fish bones — they don’t need roasting.

Step 2: Simmer

1. Transfer roasted bones, vegetables, and any pan scrapings to a large stockpot.
2. Add bay leaves, parsley, peppercorns, apple cider vinegar.
3. Cover with cold water by 5-7 cm.
4. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a low simmer (small bubbles, not rolling boil).
5. Skim foam that rises to the surface for the first 20-30 minutes.
6. Simmer for:
   • Chicken/poultry: 6-8 hours minimum, 12-24 hours for full extraction
   • Beef: 12-24 hours
   • Fish: 30-45 minutes only (fish bones go bitter if simmered longer)
7. Top up water occasionally if the level drops too much.

Step 3: Strain twice

1. First strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large clean pot. Discard bones and vegetables.
2. Second strain through cheesecloth-lined sieve for a crystal-clear final broth. Removes any small particles.

The clearer the broth, the better the canned result.

Step 4: Heat and skim fat

1. Bring strained broth back to a simmer in a clean pot.
2. Skim fat from the surface with a spoon or fat-separator. Some fat is fine; a thick layer impedes safe canning.
3. Add 1-2 tsp pickling salt per litre of broth (optional, for flavour).
4. Keep at a low simmer until jarring.

Step 5: Pack jars

1. Have your pressure canner with 7-8 cm of hot water and the rack inside.
2. Have hot jars ready.
3. Ladle hot strained broth into hot jars. Leave 2.5 cm (1 inch) headspace.
4. Run the headspace tool down each jar to release air bubbles.
5. Wipe rims with a clean damp cloth.
6. Apply fresh SNAP lids fingertip-tight.

Step 6: Process

1. Lower jars into the canner. Water level at 7-8 cm.
2. Lock the lid. Heat on high.
3. Vent for 10 full minutes. Critical safety step.
4. Apply the regulator. Bring to 10 PSI.
5. Process at pressure:
   • 500 mL jars: 20 minutes at 10 PSI
   • 1 L jars: 25 minutes at 10 PSI
6. Maintain pressure throughout.

Step 7: Cool and check

1. Turn off heat. Don’t move the canner.
2. Let depressurize naturally — 45 minutes typical for a broth batch.
3. Once at zero PSI, remove the weight, wait 10 minutes, unlock the lid.
4. Lift jars with the jar lifter. Cool 12-24 hours undisturbed.
5. Check seals. Label with date and broth type.

If a jar doesn’t seal: the 24-hour rule applies. Low-acid food has a much shorter refrigerator window.

Altitude adjustments

Altitude	Weighted gauge	Dial gauge
0 – 305 m	10 PSI	11 PSI
305 – 610 m	15 PSI	12 PSI
610 – 1,220 m	15 PSI	13 PSI
1,220+ m	15 PSI	14 PSI

Times stay 20/25 minutes; PSI changes. See Canadian altitude table.

Storage

• Cool, dark, dry place at room temperature
• Best quality 12-18 months
• After opening: refrigerate, use within 5-7 days
• Properly sealed broth often gels solid in the jar — that’s the collagen; warm to liquefy
• Inspect before opening

How to use canned broth

Direct from jar

• Sipping broth — warm, salt to taste, sip from a mug (the bone-broth-as-beverage use)
• Quick soup base — pour into a pot, add vegetables, noodles, beans
• Cooking grain — replace water with broth when cooking rice, quinoa, couscous
• Braising liquid — for beef, chicken, vegetables
• Reducing for sauce — simmer to halve the volume for concentrated demi-glace
• Risotto liquid
• Gravy base — combine with pan drippings
• Hot pot or Korean stew base

Recipes

• Chicken noodle soup: 1 jar broth + cooked noodles + shredded chicken + vegetables + dill
• French onion soup: caramelized onions + 1 jar beef broth + thyme + bread + cheese
• Risotto: 4 cups broth keeps the rice cooking for the full 25 minutes
• Vietnamese pho: spiced beef broth + rice noodles + thinly sliced beef + bean sprouts + herbs
• Asian noodle soup: chicken broth + ramen noodles + soft-boiled egg + vegetables
• Tortilla soup: broth + tomato + chili + chicken + tortilla strips + lime
• Italian wedding soup: broth + tiny meatballs + escarole + small pasta
• Stuffing for poultry: replace water with broth in stuffing recipes

Variations

Asian chicken broth (Pho-style)

Add to the simmer: 5 cm fresh ginger, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 star anise, 4 cloves, 1 tbsp fish sauce. Strain. Pack and process the same.

French herbs de Provence broth

Add to the simmer: 2 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp savoury, 1 tsp lavender. Strain. Use as a base for French-style dishes.

Mexican broth

Add to the simmer: 2 dried chilies (ancho or guajillo), 1 tsp cumin seed, 2 tomatoes. Strain. Use for tortilla soup or pozole base.

Vegetable broth

Skip bones entirely. Use 2-3 kg of vegetable scraps (saved in the freezer over weeks — onion ends, carrot tops, celery tops, mushroom stems, herb stems, garlic skins). Simmer 4-6 hours. Strain. Process 20/25 minutes the same way. Vegetarian.

Mushroom broth

Vegetarian version. 200 g dried mushrooms (porcini, shiitake) + onion + garlic + bay leaves + thyme. Simmer 2-3 hours. Strain. Process 20/25 minutes. Excellent for risotto.

Concentrated demi-glace

After the broth is canned, open and reduce a jar by simmering until it coats a spoon (about 50% reduction). Use for elegant sauces. Don’t reduce before canning — concentration changes the safety profile.

Common problems

• Broth is cloudy. Cosmetic; safe. Caused by aggressive boiling during simmer (use low simmer) or insufficient straining. For clearer broth next time, simmer low and strain through cheesecloth.
• Broth gelled solid in the jar. This is the goal — high collagen content. Warm gently to use.
• Fat layer on top. Some fat is expected. Skim off after opening if desired.
• Off smell on opening. If sour, putrid, or unusual: discard. Normal broth smells savoury and meaty.
• Liquid level dropped during processing. Common with broth. As long as seal is intact, safe.
• Bones still hard at end of simmer. That’s fine — bone broth doesn’t dissolve bones, just extracts collagen and minerals. Discard the bones.
• Jar didn’t seal. The 24-hour rule. Refrigerator window is short for low-acid broth.
• Bulging lid later. Discard immediately. Don’t taste. Botulism warning.

Yield expectations

• 2-3 kg bones + vegetables → 4-5 L of strained broth → 4-5 × 1 L jars OR 8-10 × 500 mL jars
• A full Presto-23 batch processes 7 × 1 L jars
• A typical Canadian household uses 6-12 × 1 L jars per year (more for cold-weather cooks)

Why home-canned broth is worth it

• Best base ingredient for any cooked food — improves everything
• Cost-effective — bones are cheap or free (save from previous meals); commercial broth is $4-8 per litre
• Quality control — no MSG, low sodium, real bones not bouillon
• Storage convenience — shelf-stable jars vs freezer space
• Heritage cooking — every cuisine starts with stock; canning makes it available
• Quick meal protein — bone broth + leftover chicken + noodles = dinner in 15 minutes

Bone-broth schedule for a Canadian kitchen

A practical broth-making rhythm:

• Year-round: save chicken carcasses, vegetable scraps, herb stems in the freezer (a dedicated “broth bag” or container)
• Once a month: make and can a batch
• Or: bulk session in October-November when you’ve got fall vegetables and time
• Inventory target: 8-12 × 1 L jars on the shelf at any time

Next steps

• How to pressure can chicken in Canada — companion shelf-stable protein
• How to pressure can beef stew in Canada — meal-in-a-jar
• How to pressure can salmon in Canada — fish protein
• How to pressure can vegetable soup in Canada — chunky soup companion
• Best pressure canner in Canada — equipment guide
• Pressure canning pillar — broader method
• Canning altitude adjustments — required reading