Jar Meat and Rice
A pint of home-canned beef poured over instant rice. Shelf-stable protein without a cooler.
- calories
- 640
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 58
- protein
- 44 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 12 min
- water
- 400 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Home-canned beef or chicken | 1 pint jar | pressure-canned, already cooked through; a store-bought can works the same way |
|---|---|---|
| Instant rice | 1 1/2 cups dry | |
| Bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp | |
| Onion flakes | 1 tbsp | |
| Black pepper and garlic powder | 1/2 tsp each | |
| Cooking oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Open the jar and pour off the liquid into your pot. Keep it. It is stock, and it counts toward the water you would otherwise boil.
- Add water to reach about 400 ml total, plus the bouillon, onion flakes, pepper, and garlic. Bring it to a boil over the fire or stove.
- Stir in the rice, pull the pot off the heat, and cover it for five minutes.
- Fork in the meat and the oil. It is already cooked, so you are only warming it. Two minutes back over low heat is plenty.
Home-canned meat is the point here. It is pressure-cooked in the jar, sealed, and safe on a shelf, which means real meat protein at camp with no cooler and no ice budget. Glass is the tradeoff. This is a car-camping or basecamp recipe, not something you carry far.
Do not throw out the liquid in the jar. That is concentrated stock, and using it as part of your cooking water is what keeps the rice from tasting like plain rice with meat on top. The oil at the end matters too: canned meat is lean and the fat has to come from somewhere.
Packing
The jar is the heavy part and the fragile part. Wrap it in a towel and set it upright in the bottom of a bin, not loose in a pack. Rice and seasonings go in one bag.
Variations
- Swap in instant mashed potatoes for the rice and thin the stock less.
- A packet of gravy mix stirred into the jar liquid makes it closer to a stew.
- Canned pork does the same job and takes chili powder well.
https://thesurvivalmom.com/canning-your-own-meat