Canning

[Spring]

I was intrigued by what Butcher wrote in another post re: Canning venison.

I don't know the first thing about it. I do know a buddy of mine used to can salmon. It was absolutely delicious.

I need an education. I could search the net or pick up a cookbook to find more but I'd rather ask here.

What is this canning stuff all about?


Cheers!

[GaryL]

Thanks for the info..bstout think I will try doing that..Now have to buy a

[patmax]

Here is the info from one of the other post, I'm going to try it too. Thanks, bstout and John G:
http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/phpBB2 ... ng+venisonJohn G - quote

I have been following this forum for some time now and finaly decided
to register. This site has answered a lot of my questions about my newly
accuired exocet. Keep up the good work guys!
I have processed deer myself all my life. I also like deer canned. It has a shelf life for several years, and can be used for many things. Everybody
says my girlfriends beef and noodles are out of this world. If they only knew? I like it right out of the jar. The recipe is as follows;
Select size of jars: Qts or Pints.
Use lean cuts of meat. Cube into 1" to 2" cuts. Fill jars with meat, do not pack tight. Fill half way with water. Use a butter knife to remove air. Add
a small cube of beef suit to top for flavor and to help sealing process.
Add 1 Tsp Salt to Qt jars or 1/2 Tsp salt to pint jars. Put lids and rings on
jars and snug. Do not tighten real tight! Using a large Pressure Cooker,
put 2 qts water in canner with a couple ounces of venigar to prevent
staining canner.
Bring to 12 Lbs pressure and maintain for 90 minutes for Qts. or 75 minutes for pints. turn heat off and let preasure come down on its own.
this may take 45 minutes to an hour. Remove jars and finish tighting rings. let stand and cool. when you here the pop from the lids sealing,
time to store on shelf.
I have to replenish my shelves about every other year.
Enough said. any questions feel free to contact me.
Thanks again.

bstout - quote

Canned venison is tasty and very handy. My wife and I both work and when we get home neither of us feels like cooking. We grille with the Weber every Sunday afternoon (all year) in an attempt to have left overs that can be nuked through out the week. Since there is just the two of us we can venison in pint jars. We cut the meat into one inch cubes and I mean any part of the venison will do. The canning process will take out any game flavor (also tenderizes the daylights out of it) so you can use the toughest part of the critter and it'll can just fine. We place the meat into pint jars leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space from the top. Put about 1/4 teaspoon salt on top (or nothing at all) of the meat and put the lids on and screw on the rings loosely. We've never added water. The juice comes out of the meat and fills the jars. Make certain the tops of the jars are clean before you put the lids on. We place the pint jars into the pressure cooker with enough water surrounding the jars about 1/3 up at 5 pounds for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Take the cooker down and remove the jars. As they cool they'll seal and you will hear each lid go "Klink" loudly as they cool and seal then you can remove the rings. Check each lid by pushing down on it to make sure it is sealed after its cooled. It should not push down or pop up if they are sealed. You can store it in the cupboard. We open a pint and you hear the air rush in telling you its okay and was sealed. Pour it into a microwave safe container and nuke it for about 1 1/2 minutes and then do a spud or some carrots or beans and away you go. It makes great open faced sandwiches or pour over top of mashed tator's.

[The Butcher]

The guys nailed it on the head. I cut the venison in about 1-1/2" cubes. It must be absolutly fat free, and I try to cut out all sinew. I add 1 tsp of salt, fill jars to 1" headspace, and cook at 10 lb of pressure, for 90 minutes. in a pressure canner-cooker. I have also had some luck, adding a beef bullion cube to each jar. I also have added some cajun spice, and a little onion soup mix, to make flavored meat, It works really well, and you can season to your taste. I'll add more later. Butcher

[GaryL]

Please do Butcher Quote"I'll add more later. Butcher" I is going to try it out this year..never done it but am going looking for a pressure cooker tomorrow. Thanks all for the info...

[The Butcher]

Ok, Gary, you will not be sorry. I really make sure the meat is clean and lean. Deer fat as I'm sure you know, is ransid tasting, and I don't want the meat cooking in that. As stated before, I add no water the meat, will make it's own broth. I have fried the cubes before hand, and then put in the jars, if you do it that way, you do not have to pressure can as long, but you do have to add broth to fill the jar.

I have found it best to just put the 1 tsp of salt, 1 beef bullion cube, in the bottom of the jar, fill with meat to 1" of headspace, put on the lid, and cook. As stated before, make sure the mouth of the jar is clean. That is about all there is to it.

My motto for canning is, if it is quality meat going in the jar, it will be super quality coming out. As someone else said, the older deer or tougher cuts will be very tender and tasty. Just to let you know, the meat will take on a reddish color, and does not look so great in the jar. I assure you, once you start canning the deer, that is the way you'll store most of it.

Now for some of the uses of the canned meat. I like it cold right out of the jar, on a hamburger bun, with horseraddish. Any beeftip and noodle recipe, or beef stroganoff it is good also. I like it best in stew or soup. If you use it in soup and stew, make your soup or stew first, and add the canned meat, right before you serve. The meat is already done, and is very tender. If you add it when you start cooking, there will be no chunks left by the time you are done. Let me know how it turns out. By the way, good deals can be had on pressure canners, on ebay, or better yet, ask all the old farmers wives if they still can. Most have canners they no longer use. Good luck, and if you have any questions, feel free. Butcher

[GaryL]

Read that Butcher, will sure give it a try...I just found a couple of old cook books I had and the one is named "The Settlement Cook Book" dated 1938. It has all the information on pressure cooker and yep, sure enough how to use one. also states how too cold pack and hot pack..very interesting..

[GREY OWL]

I've tried that canned venision once, and found it very good. The part I like is that it keeps for so long. I'll check into it also for this fall. Just one more way of preparing venision.


Grey Owl

[GaryL]

[Spring]

Thanks for the info. This is exactly what I needed to know.


Cheers!

[The Butcher]

for anyone interested, I went to ebay, and they have the exact canner I use, 22 qt Mirro, for a buy it now price of $64.99 US. I like the bigger canner, because you can double stack inside the canner. The item # I looked at was 4350673700 The seller had a bunch listed. It also comes with a decent book on canning. This is as good deal on this canner. I bought mine local, about 8 years ago, and paid about a hundred bucks. I'd check with old farmers wives first. Sometimes folks get sick of canning. Butcher

[ranger66]

We also bottle our venison, and its suppose to keep for a long time but it don't keep too long in my place, we bottled half a deer(nice size doe) and we got 26 bottles between two of us. Makes for a nice quick meal with mashed taters, or fries, I usually put mine in a pan with some prefried onions and heat. Rabbit is also good done this way. We don't have a pressure cooker we just get a large pot and fill it with water to the required level and boil for approx. 2-2 1/2hr maybe a bit longer. I wonder what goose would be like done this way?