Do any of you pressure can game meat?

I need to clean out my freezer and also make space for lamb and pork this fall. I decided to can all the venison up that was in the freezer. I just finished and in total, have 12 quart jars of canned meat now. I have been wanting to try this for awhile and finally did it.

I reckon this is going to be pretty tasty stuff? When I vented the canner it smelled like I opened up a pot of beef stew. I believe I will can most of the venison I get should I shoot one this fall. I will cut the straps into steaks and vacuum seal and freeze those. The rest will get jarred up.

I shot a deer every year in MN for meat; I tell the local guy to package the tenderloins whole, the backstraps in six inch chunks, steaks, roasts, and grind the rest. We often have a meatball dish with Middle Eastern spices, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I love tacos. Between the fish I take in Mexico and the game I shoot, the only thing we buy is chicken and pork.

As for canning, my version is called reloading.

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As for canning, my version is called reloading.

We have in the passed and well in the future.

It depends on the year.

We use can meat a lot like hamburger putting it in all kinds of dishes.

Some friends of mine used to do that with trout. You can add the smoke stuff to it as well. Good stuff when it sits on a Ritz.

Been doing it for years.A good way to utilize venison and is very tasty.I also used to can salmon when I fished lake Michigan a lot,OB

Haven’t canned venison in years, but I do dig out the remainder of my venison each year (roasts and loin sometimes) and brine for about a week, roll in pepper and then smoke for several hours. Slow cook w/ water and let cool. Basically a pastrami and it makes a great Rueben sandwich!

I am doing jerky today. I have not made any in years and am back into it now. This is over 5 pounds of venison from last year's buck. Hickory and herb cure. I am trying out the Hi Mountain Seasonings brand.

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Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
I am doing jerky today. I have not made any in years and am back into it now. This is over 5 pounds of venison from last year's buck. Hickory and herb cure. I am trying out the Hi Mountain Seasonings brand.

Now you're talkin'

Yes....we can last years deer about this time of the year

What we used to grind now gets canned, in pints. About the only thing around here that gets frozen and canned later is trout and salmon. Last springs freezer load then sits on a shelf.

Stews stroganoff and such is much faster and the meat is always tender.

I've never cared much for my ground venison and am looking forward to just canning the meat from now on. I trim it meticulously, those trimmings I do freeze for my dogs.

Stop it! You folks are making me hungry!

BH63

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Ann hi and fun read. But I am confused. Is the picture in the OP the end result ie jars or what you call cans? If so what do you put in to preserve and what's the shelf life?

Never seen or thought of canning / jarring venison. Great idea.

Cheers

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Plenty of our friends in Alaska canned moose and it was delicious. I always planned to do the same with venison but we never seem to have much left over.
Our pressure cooker is still in the box waiting to be used.

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Originally posted by Charlie64:
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Ann hi and fun read. But I am confused. Is the picture in the OP the end result ie jars or what you call cans? If so what do you put in to preserve and what's the shelf life?

Never seen or thought of canning / jarring venison. Great idea.

Cheers

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Charlie, it is pressure canned. These devices are large and very heavy metal pots with a lid that locks down. There is usually a dial type gauge or pipe that one puts a weight on to control the pressure. My canner has the gauge, it is from the 1930's.

Meat is cut up and put into the glass canning jars and then run in the canner for 90 minutes at 10 or 11 pounds of pressure depending on your device. I add some salt and chopped garlic to my meats before putting the jar lids on. I can both venison and whole chicken. Meats must be pressure canned.

There is plenty of info on how to do this out there. Pressure canners come with instructions and there are lots of books on canning with recipes out there. This saves freezer space and also, since the canned meat is already cooked, just heat it up and add it to your dinner recipes.

Ann, the wife has been canning antelope, deer and elk for many years. She puts garlic, onion slices and beef bouillon in the jars before putting them in the pressure cooker.

Then we'll place the contents in a sauce pan, thicken with corn starch and pour the meat over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles. The shelf life is about 1 year, but we usually eat it before that.

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Originally posted by ronco:
Ann, the wife has been canning antelope, deer and elk for many years. She puts garlic, onion slices and beef bouillon in the jars before putting them in the pressure cooker.

Then we'll place the contents in a sauce pan, thicken with corn starch and pour the meat over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles. The shelf life is about 1 year, but we usually eat it before that.

That sounds delicious and what I will do for quite a few meals this winter!

Question: do the onions hold up through the canning process?

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Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:

quote:

Originally posted by ronco:
Ann, the wife has been canning antelope, deer and elk for many years. She puts garlic, onion slices and beef bouillon in the jars before putting them in the pressure cooker.

Then we'll place the contents in a sauce pan, thicken with corn starch and pour the meat over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles. The shelf life is about 1 year, but we usually eat it before that.

That sounds delicious and what I will do for quite a few meals this winter!

Question: do the onions hold up through the canning process?

The onions hold up fine, they aren't crisp, but they aren't mushy.

Good to know, thank you!

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Ann thanks for the reply / info! Something to look into over here in Europe ! Cheers

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An update:

My venison jerky won a local foods contest this past weekend and I had more compliments than I ever expected for it. Makes me happy and I can't wait to make more.

Here's a link that some may find helpful if you decide to try pressure canning game meat:

https://www.realtree.com/deer-...CAxItqYIw_KaRkXnXyj8