Meals in a Jar (23 page)

Beef Pot Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust Ready-Made Meal Assembly (serves 8)

In each of 16 Mylar bags, tote bags, or vacuum bags, seal:

• 1 jar or pouch beef stew mix

• 1 packet thickener

• 1 packet gravy

• 1 bag Cheddar Cheese Crust (
page 127
)

Label each bag:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt together the flour and shortening or ghee from the thickener packet, and stir and cook for 3 minutes to make a roux. Open the beef and drain the liquid into a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl. Stir in the gravy mix and enough water to equal 4 cups. Add the gravy mix liquid to the roux. Over medium-high heat, stir and cook until thickened. Stir in the beef and vegetables, cook until heated through, and remove from the heat. Prepare the cheddar cheese crust according to the package directions. Transfer the beef filling to one 9 x 13-inch baking dish or multiple smaller dishes. Roll out the pie crust and use it to top the filling. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8
.

Beefy Noodle Casserole Ready-Made Meal Assembly (serves 8)

In each of 16 Mylar bags, tote bags, or vacuum bags, seal:

• 1 jar or pouch beef stew mix

• 1 vacuum bag containing 1-1/2 cups dehydrated mushrooms or peas

• 1 packet thickener

• 1 packet gravy mix

• 1 vacuum bag containing 3 cups egg noodles and 1 tablespoon salt

Label each bag:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. Add the noodles, salt, and mushrooms or peas, and cook about 8 minutes. Drain and reserve. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt together the flour and shortening or ghee from the thickener packet, and stir and cook for 3 minutes to make a roux. Open the beef and drain the liquid into a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl. Stir in the gravy mix and enough water to equal 4 cups. Add the gravy mix liquid to the roux. Over medium-high heat, stir and cook until thickened. Stir in the beef and vegetables, cook until heated through, and remove from heat. Mix the noodles and beef mix together. Serve as is, or pour into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8
.

Saucy Beef and Vegetables with Polenta, Mashed Potatoes, Rice, or Biscuits Ready-Made Meal Assembly (serves 8)

In each of 16 Mylar bags, tote bags, or vacuum bags, store:

• 1 jar or pouch beef stew mix

• 1 packet thickener

• 1 packet gravy mix

• 1 sidekit Polenta (
page 121
), Mashed Potatoes (
page 122
), Rice (
page 120
), Biscuits (
page 126
), or Naan Bread (
page 131
)

Label each bag:

Prepare the sidekit according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt together the flour and shortening or ghee from the thickener packet, and stir and cook for 3 minutes to make a roux. Open the beef and drain the liquid into a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl. Stir in the gravy mix and enough water to equal 4 cups. Add the gravy mix liquid to the roux. Over medium-high heat, stir and cook until thickened. Stir in the beef and vegetables, and cook until heated through. Serve on top of or alongside the sidekit. Serves 8
.

Best Ever Baby Back Ribs

This recipe is easy and yields hugely flavored ribs and a delicious barbecue sauce.

Makes 4 (6 to 8-serving) quarts

Ingredients

4 racks baby back ribs

seasoning salt

water, as needed

2 cups prepared barbecue sauce

pork drippings plus water to make 2 cups

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously season the ribs with seasoning salt, wrap well in foil, and bake for 1-1/2 hours on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully unwrap the ribs, reserving any juices. Cut between the bones and pack the ribs in canning jars or retort pouches. Add water to the reserved juices to make 2 cups total, and add in the 2 cups of barbecue sauce. Divide the ribs among 4 quart-size jars or retort pouches and add the sauce, dividing it up between the jars or pouches. Seal the jars or pouches and pressure-can for 90 minutes.

Ready-Made Meal Assembly

In Mylar bags, tote bags, or vacuum bags, store:

• 1 or 2 quarts ribs

• 1 sidekit Polenta (
page 121
), White Rice (
page 120
), Mashed Potatoes (
page 122
), or Buttered Noodles (
page 120
)

Label each bag:

Prepare the polenta, white rice, mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles according to the package directions. Heat the ribs on a hot grill, basting with sauce, for about 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve alongside the sidekit. Serves 6 to 8
.

Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is my go-to recipe for entertaining a crowd in the summertime. It basically cooks itself. Just season it and slow-cook it low and slow until it is fall-off-the-bone tender. I use an 18-quart Nesco roaster oven, which is a table top, plug-in appliance with a large roasting pan and lid. It is meant for slow, moist cooking and it renders the pork incredibly tender and flavorful. We cook it here with ingredients that cook up into a barbecue sauce, or you can use commercially prepared barbecue sauce thinned with water.

Makes 16 (6 to 8-serving) meals

Ingredients

30 pounds pork (about 2 whole pork shoulders)

7 large onions, chopped

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup lemon juice

5-2/3 cups water

15 ribs celery, chopped

1-1/4 cups Worcestershire sauce

1 cup brown sugar, packed

15 cups ketchup

1/2 cup prepared mustard

1 cup chili powder

6 teaspoons black pepper

salt

Instructions

Preheat an electric roaster to 350°F or use the oven and 2 large roasting pans or slow cookers set on high. Pat the pork dry and generously season with salt and pepper all over. Preheat one or two skillets over high heat, coat with oil, and brown the pork on all sides. Add the pork to the roasting pan(s) and combine the remaining ingredients in a very large bowl to make the sauce. Pour the sauce over the pork and roast for 4 hours. Cut the pork into large cubes, and use a canning funnel to add the pork to 16 sterilized quart-size jars or pouches. Divide the sauce among the jars or pouches, leaving abundant headspace (1 to 2 inches). Wipe the rims or edges to be sealed, add the lids and rims, or heat-seal the pouches. Pressure-can for 90 minutes.