I would like to try canning some deer meat.

Would appreciate some specific instructions and recipes from those who have end results they like.

I have both pint and quart jars if one size or the other works better.

Thanks.

You got a pressure cooker?

Yes sir, have a large pressure canner.

Some folks brown it first, some don’t, I’ve done er both ways. I usually throw a couple garlic cloves, japeleno, sometimes taco seasoning, sometimes tomato juice, definitely worth the effort

The key is to trim the meat very well, no tallow, fat just cleaned , cubed meat cut into 3/4 to 1 1/4 pieces, either size jar , pint or quart will work, depending on your family size, we use pints because there are only my wife and I , drop the meat into the jars careful not to pack it at all , to that we add a level teaspoon of salt, and that's it, no need add water or anything else.

Just remember , the better the meat you put in the better you get out, save the poor, stringy meat for burger.

ok, I disagree with much of what was posted above. Fat/sinew cook out of the meat when you can and make a waxy type ring on the top that can be easily picked out. I've canned tenderloin, backstrap and roasts along with lower leg shanks full of silverskin and sinew and can't tell the difference it all comes out delicious.

here's how I do it, I do on average 60-80 jars a year (210 is my personal best) for the last 6 years or so. pints and quarts. ALWAYS USE WIDE MOUTH or you end up with a "ship in a bottle" when it comes to removing it, you can get it out, but its a royal PITA.

if you have an electric coil or gas stove you're good. if it's a glass top it won't work.
I use a Cabela's brand camp stove and have diffuser plates for it so the flame doesn't go directly onto the canner, this will ruin it otherwise.

start with putting about 2-3" of water in the bottom of your canner, some may say this is too much, BUT you definitely do not want to run it dry or it will be ruined and could fail.

I start by washing the jars with soap and hot water. I preheat them using a crockpot, mine holds about 2-3 jars and every time I take one out, I replace it with a new one to preheat. heat lids in a small pot or pan on the stove, use the magnet style grabber to take them out one at a time, don't boil them, just have em hot.

I drop in one beef bullion cube into the jar (or a little salt if desired) and pack with meat until it's just about touching the thick ring on the jar neck below the threads. If you forget a bullion cube or salt it's fine, they aren't required but I like them to help preserve and flavor the meat a little bit. Put a lid and a ring on it, and tighten just enough until you feel resistance, not snug tight. place in canner (on top of a boiling plate) that should already be preheating on the heat source. repeat with each jar until the canner is maxed out, if you do two levels of jars make sure there is a plate separating them if you can, not critical but it is good to have.

place the lid on the canner and lock it into place, turn up the heat to about 3/4 of max, personally I don't like to put it on high but I have in the interest of time, I've found it boils water out faster without coming up to temp yet. DO NOT PUT THE WEIGHT ON IT YET

Once you have a steady stream of water vapor coming out of the vent, start a timer for 10 minutes as the stream is steadily going. after 10 minutes put the weight on the vent and the canner should lock almost immediately. watch the gauge, the pressure should start to increase slowly after a couple minutes. Double check the recommended lbs of pressure for your altitude, I'm guessing for you it will be 13lbs but verify that. once you get pressure up to the recommended setting start your timer. 70 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts. even if there is one quart jar in there and the rest are pints do the full 90 minutes. if they are all pints then 70 is fine. your weight shouldn't be chattering at this point, if it is your heat is a little high and you should dial it back just a little. it's ok if it chatters some or even the whole time, but to me it's like running your pickup at full throttle in 2nd gear, there's really no reason to, it just means you're using more heat than required and losing a little bit of water from the canner. don't let the pressure get below the recommended cooking pressure, if it does, stop the timer until you're back up to operating temp/pressure then start it again where it was.

once you have reached the full canning time (70 or 90 minutes) then lower the heat or turn off the burner completely. let the canner cool naturally until it hits zero. DO NOT REMOVE THE WEIGHT. do not let a breeze or wind blow on it to cool it down. just let it slowly cool with ambient air temp until gauge reads 0 psi. I usually wait another 5-10 minutes until the locking mechanism drops showing that there is no pressure left in the canner. If lock doesnt drop it's because there is still a little pressure in the canner and could burn you when you remove the weight.

once weight is removed and the lock drops, twist the lid off and be careful because it is still very hot inside, I usually wear a sweatshirt and ovenmitts to be safe, I've done it bare handed but you have to be careful.

Lift jars out using Jar tongs and place on a bath towel on the counter, make sure there is no breeze or wind blowing on them from a fan or open window. DO NOT TIP JARS TO GET WATER OFF THEM. I will often roll up half the towel and place it at the back of the counter or table where I am placing the jars, then gently roll it over each row as I place the jars on the counter from the canner to allow them to cool slowly. DO NOT WIPE WATER FROM THE TOP OR PRESS DOWN ON LIDS TO MAKE THEM SEAL. you can wipe them down after they are cool if you wish. the jars will still be bubbling inside as the water is still boiling, it's pretty cool to watch.
leave jars in place under the towel until cool, I usually leave them 24 hours to be safe. once they are cooled, then you can wipe them down, write the year and contents (I can elk, buffalo, antelope, venison and goose).

I put them back in the box they came in and try to keep the plastic in a way that it holds them in when I open it and stack the flats in the pantry ot basement on heavy duty shelves. When I open a new box of jars I cut the plastic in a line around the center of the lids of the outside jars and sometimes fold it in so it water proofs the cardboard somewhat, or keep it in it's original position so it holds the jars more secure for moving the flat.

I use canning as a way to utilize the meat I don't want to put through my grinder and is otherwise often discarded by a lot of people. I keep a gallon bag of shanks, bloodshot meat and scraps in the freezer and add to it until full when I butcher, then start on another bag. my canning is usually done at the end of the season when all of my processing is done for the year. I'll often have several gallon size bags full of scrap to can. I thaw it in the bathtub in warm water when I'm going to can. if I find roasts that have been in the freezer a couple years, I'll usually can them just so they don't freezer burn and go to waste. I've canned meat that is lightly freezer burned and mix it with new meat and can't tell the difference. feel free to hit me up if you have any questions. other people might have their own way of doing things but this works best for me. I've tried shortcuts to make it go faster and it always ends up in a mess. if try to speed the process up it will lead to juices cooking out of the jars and you'll spend a lot more time cleaning and the jars look like [bleep]. the meat is still fine in them, but it's a pain.

Having two pressure cookers is a great way to speed up the process.

Just for the hell of it, try a couple jars with just a boullion cube, a dash Worcestershire, and a spoonful of all purpose flour. The flour will make a kind of gravy. Handy for a quick meal, saute a sliced onion, dump in the jar of venison, warm it all thoroughly, dump it on bread, or instant mashed or minute rice or my favorite, egg noodles. Fast, easy and filling.

Amen, I run 2 at a time and rotate between them, my wife and I often do it together and sometimes the kids help with washing or packing jars, pealing bullion cubes etc. when it comes time to heat and pressure though, I keep kids and pets out, just in case. my personal best was 88 jars in one day canning elk when I lost a freezer. on marathon days like those, the last batch gets shut down when the time is reached and left until morning. usually thats when it's 10pm or later and I'm just spent. a friend of mine makes stew in a similar way. he makes the stew, then pressure cans it same as as do meat. he loves it that way. I've done spaghetti sauce with the burger already in it this way and it's good, it tastes a little burnt/scorched but I heard if you add a little creamy peanut butter that slight burnt flavor disappears. haven't tried it yet. I've added peppers and onions with meat to make premade fajitas but they always come out mushy so we wait to add them at the end when we're going to eat it and heat them in a skillet with the meat at meal time.

A glass top stove works just fine. We've done a bunch of them on one.

Wide mouth pint jars for me. Two tablespoons beef broth + 1 teaspoon premium bullion (better than bullion) per jar - that gives you some salt and a rich savory broth.

I've never owned one but everywhere I've read and heard they don't work because of the way the elements heat and they don't stay consistent. good to know they can work. I stand corrected.

Great advice, thanks for taking the time to type it all out. 👍

Yep camp chef as well

This and propane works great, outside on the deck, its a great unit and made in America! And it is waist high so its easy on the back, the legs come right off if you want to use your tail gate.

Having had 2 glass stop stoves, I hate the things but they do work just fine with a pressure canner. They also work fine with a water bath canner for canning other stuff.

I use our glass top for canning and also hate it. Just found out this year that on a glass top you are not suppose to have any type of pot larger than the burner but I do all the time. I really don't think you can screw up canning venison unless maybe to much salt if ya add any,I use a couple beef cubes. I pack the large mouth jars up to the neck,no liquid added.

Thank you everyone, and especially you Colorado1135. Those details are what I needed. 👍

Glad I could help!

Canning deer is something I’ve really been wanting to try the last couple years ... I just need to get a pressure canner I guess and do it

I have no how to advice, but will tell you wife does and it's delicious, a quick hot meal in the dead on winter is only a dumping of a pint or quart jar through a metal wire strainer, throwing in a skillet, adding some homemade vinegar bbq sauce or a shot of A1, heat up, dump in a bowl on top of a big slice of toasted wheat bread, cover with another slice of toast, get fork and three cold beers, consume, build fire in stove, and have a restful warm evening.

EDIT: I now have a pressure cooker but for years just used a water bath canner.

I got into canning venison while I was sent home from work in the spring-- sit around all day and eventually you'll start playing with your meat.

Here's how I did it:

Adventures in Canned Venison

I like to take the bones......especially the scapula front leg, and make a bone/vegetable broth with a raspberry mead reduction to add to the meat before canning. I used to brown first, but I think it is less dried out on the edges if cooked / canned raw. I also ain't to worried about sinew.....it's got good nutrients to digest.

i debone and de-fat the meat and cut into 1" chunks, put a bullion cube and clove of garlic in each pint and pack to the rim with meat. process according to the Ball Blue Book of Canning, i think its 15lbs for an hour but don't quote me, read the book. then pull them, let them cool and put away. i will say this, it makes the meat look sort of like dog food so it is not the most appealing looking stuff to use but is very good and lasts a long time. its good for chili, stew, stroganoff, etc.

I had canned moose in college that my grandparents sent with me to school. The lid had rust on it but was still sealed. We ate it and it was delicious, I later found out that had been canned before I was born. It keeps for a long time. I've eaten it right out of the jar before. On an antelope hunt to Wyoming with a friend we brought along a flat of canned venison and two bags of potatoes.
Cooked the potatoes, dumped jar into them, stir and eat with a little salt and pepper. It was pretty good.

One of our favorite meals is just dump a jar into the skillet, water and all. Throw in some sliced peppers and onions and a little taco seasoning. Eat on a tortilla with sour cream and cheese, lettuce, salsa etc. Whatever you feel like. Kind of a taco fajita thing and it's dang good and super fast to make

We canned venison for years when I grew up, IIRC we put a chunk of beef suit in each can to help flavor it.

I skimmed this so I may have missed it, but am I the only one that used actual canning salt?

I agree with the comments on wide mouth jars, jar tongs are great too. I've canned on glass top electric and it took for ever to get to temo/pressure. Gas is much better imo. We follow instructions from the ball blue book. They do a nice job in the book of explaining the possible problems and explaining how it works, why it works etc. We use canning salt and not much more, sometimes a little diced oniin and green pepper.

We've used canning salt if we run out of bullion cubes, but pretty sparingly. I'd say around 1/2 tsp or less. It works just fine. I kinda want to get creative on a batch this winter and try different seasonings. The garlic clove sounds like something that would be good. I might try some burger this year as well. I've heard canning burger raw leads to a solid meat loaf block in the jar where if you prebrown it it'll stay loose. I'm going to try both ways and see which we prefer. I might try a pint sized meatloaf and see how that works too. I wish the quarts didn't have that little shoulder because a bigger loaf would be preferred. Fun way to experiment with anyway.

I am the only person I know locally who cans venison, interesting to me that others also enjoy it. I have little to add that hasn't already been said but will emphasize that canning takes shank meat and other less desirable cuts and turns it into the best meat ever for burritos etc. we trim ours well but a little silver skin etc. more or less dissolves into gelatin.

I put 1/2 an onion in my cans in addition to bullion and sometimes a jalapeño, the vegetables do cook away to next to nothing but add flavor that is appreciated especially if eating straight from the jar as on a camping trip.

Also, a moderate size whitetail buck minus the loins is exactly 21 quarts.

These are the pressure cookers we use, they are the bomb (literally). https://www.everythingkitchens.com/...u0LnQ7AIVvvzjBx0SzgSqEAQYASABEgJU8vD_BwE

i think i am going to try this, i lost some deer meat this year when a freezer went out

It's the best way to put up venison, imo. A little more work up front, but worth it.

A great way to preserve any venison. Easy to do. I just pack wide mouth pint jars with cubed meat, 1/2 tsp. of salt, and pressure can for 75 minutes.

I can a bunch of neck and lower leg cuts every year. I usually just put a little coarse ground black pepper and a dash of canning salt. I did do some with fire roasted Hatch chilies but haven’t eaten them yet. I have tried numerous seasonings such as Taco seasoning and BBQ seasoning and find them to fade out on the trip through the canner. Much better IMO to apply your desired flavoring after opening.

I end up giving a bunch to my grandparents, they’re in their late 80’s and appreciate the simplicity of opening a quart and having more or less instant meals. Grandad’s favorite is to make a baked potato in the microwave and split it open and butter it. Then open a can of meat and dump it over the potato and microwave again for 30 seconds or so to heat the meat.

I also take half pints and eat them cold out in the field when on hunting trips. Few shakes of your favorite hot sauce and eat it over seasoned crackers, meal fit for a king.

Absolutely!

We used to can deer, beef too.

I got sick one night after we had it for supper,no one else did so it wasn't what we ate,
And really don't like it anymore.


Anyway, I agree with Colorado it is the one time that trimming silverskin and fat isn't
a big deal. The tough gets tender, skim the fat when you open.

We just use canning salt.
Why use bullion to make it taste different?
People add all kind of stuff, and that's fine it's theirs.

For us, this wasn't 7 jars to say we did it. It was our food for the year.
Keep it simple, and then you can use it anywhere.
Add broth, make gravy, serve over potatoes or rice.
Use it in a sauce for pasta.
Just flour the pieces and fry it. (Great sandwiches with ketchup and onion)
All the juice, bullion and water if necessary, add egg noodles. (Mom's version of takeout)

Dillonbuck you aren’t the first guy I’ve seen recommend to Floyd and fry the pieces when you open a jar. Am I running mine too long in the canner, every jar I’ve ever done the finished product was so tender it would be impossible to flour and fry the chunks? They literally can be smashed with a fork, reminds me of pot roast in texture.

I dont know how soft your's is, but its pretty tender.
You have to be gentle, and some will still fall apart.

For Sammie, I would put it on my plate and smash it with a fork, then to the bread.


It's a Pa German thing.
If it's meat, we flour and fry it. I never ate deer steak or pork chops fixed any other
way until I started driving truck long haul.

Well, we do eat roasts and sausages too.

I have a camp chef stove, but no plates. Would you suggest using the griddle on it to keep the flame off? This would only be used if the wife kicks me out of the kitchen and using our gas stove...

That would probably work if you got good contact between the flat surfaces. The only way to know is to try it. Downside is if it doesn't work you're kinda screwed. The camp chef flame tamer plates are relatively inexpensive though at around 12 bucks a piece. They weren't available when I needed mine so I had a metal shop make them for about double that or a little more even. But I needed them so I just got them.

The hardest part may be finding Mason jars right now. Covid induced shortages have been reported.

i have canned deer meat for years ,an older gentlemen told me to put 1 piece of uncooked bacon in the jar with the uncooked deer meat before canning and i did do that and it was great taste , kinda made the meat have just a little taste of hickory smoke favor.

Tag....

This is great. I've never canned meat but there area ton of good tips in here. I think I'm going to start gathering supplies for this. Thank you to all. But especially Ryan, for typing all that out.

I think frozen venison only lasts a short time before the female pallet will pick up a gamey flavor. Canned meat does not go gamey during storage.

That's a great idea, I might have to try that this year.
Another note is they say you can't reuse lids but I know several people who do for at least a few times before they get tossed. I was always leery about doing that until it dawned on me that the ones saying you can't are the same ones who are selling them.... Needless to say we save and wash them now

Tom I can send some home with you in a couple weeks after our hunt to try out. I will warn you it kinda looks like a science experiment in the jar. I know some folks who refuse to eat it, but will eat canned tuna without batting an eye.

Thank you for the info. I will look at getting some coming this way.

Something I've always wanted to do but it's still on the list. I've enjoyed venison others have canned. Amish friends of mine can the whole deer. They say that, with the number of kids they've got if they put it on the table as steaks and roasts Mom and Dad would be so busy cutting meat for the little ones they'd never get to eat themselves. They can it up as what they call "bologna" although a little different than the cold cuts we think of as bologna. They get a specific spice mix for making it and grind the meat up thoroughly before canning it. It comes out of the jars as a loaf. I've sliced it up cold for sandwiches and also fried it up in a pan for breakfast.

if you have an exact recipe for it I'd kinda like to try it, save me a bunch on breakfast and sandwich meat!

best part about canning is we dont trim much. it will get tender.
cube it and add a dash of cavendars and a bouillon cube and a dash of canning salt.
last year we added a couple tbls of high mountain seasoning and it is good.
we cook in the basement on 2 fish cookers.
i cook for 55 min at 15 lb.

There is a particular spice mix they buy at places that cater to Amish/Mennonites. Maybe someplace like Lehman's, I'm not sure.

Recently researched this.

Some pressure canners, Mirro or Presto, do not have a flat bottom and do not heat evenly on glass cook tops. Additionally, some stove manufacturers do not recommend it because of particular types of construction. They say it is not good to have a pot that is oversized for the burner and can cause overheating damage to stove top areas not meant to be heated.

About to try it on ours, ok per the manual and it's a flat-bottom All American. I like the glass cook top.

Appreciate the thread. Craving canned deer.

Good stuff

tag

Jim I can send you some if you need, we have plenty and we're rolling into deer season

Canned venison is great. You can do just about anything with it. From cooking with it to just pulling it out of the jar and making cold sandwiches with it. The later I’ve done a lot of hunting with my 85 year old life long bachelor great uncle who cans everything except the backstaps on every deer he kills. I don’t make it though because the wife says it looks gross and refuses to eat it.... and I have to admit it doesn’t look like the most appetizing thing in the world sitting in the can.

A lot of women don't like it in the can. you're not alone. I've tried it with many and very few ask for seconds.

Canned was the only way my wife would eat venison, she loved it that way.

Dale

Wow. Thanks for the offer, Ryan. It's just the wife and I at home now and she doesn't eat venison, with the exception of jerky, so it might not pay off to can a bunch. If you're willing to part with a jar, I'd be happy to sample it!

Tag for learnin’.......

I can deer meat as well a other stuff on a glass top stove. Not sure where you all are getting your info. Works fine for me.

I only put a pinch of canning salt in the jar, then jam pack raw venison into the jar getting rid of all air bubbles. Pack them as tight as I can leaving room at the top. Pressure can per instructions. The pressure cooking brings out more intense flavors then other cooking methods so just a touch of salt is all thats really needed.

My favorite way to prepare canned venison is to use one of these packets.

https://www.germangrocerystore.com/...Nxf3a7AIVj8DACh2pNAUoEAYYASABEgKnFPD_BwE

Plus some water as the packet will thicken it up quite a bit and add some frozen peas.

if anyone is interested in canning, get the Ball Blue Book of Canning. it tells you how to do everything. their venison recipe is right on.

there are lots of articles online of why you shouldn't can on a glasstop stove, it's not something we just pulled out of our asses. if it works for you, great. no reason to keep beating that horse. it is often recommended against though for several reasons.

Tag

.

Tag

How we do it.

I trim all silver and connecting tissue and cube the meat.. Add 2 or 3 green onions, 3 or 4 garlic cloves and some canning salt. No fluid in the jars. All cuts of the deer work well except backstrap, those are too special. We use pint wide mouths for just the two of us and you can always open two. Follow Colorado 1135's method

If you never ate canned deer you are in for a real treat and I'm betting you will want to take more deer once you do. Stroganoff is our favorite.

As said above, some jars look unappetizing, but trust us, it's fantastic.

Lots of things you can add and the bacon idea sounds good, but simple is a good way so you can make just about anything without need to specialize.


Great thread.

I have a question on canned whitetail vs muley. Any noted difference from those that do both?

Nope no difference between mule deer, WT, elk or bison. Seriously you could tell anyone whatever you want and there's no way to know. It all comes out awesome. Maybe the thickness of the strands of meat but even that is subjective to what cut you use when you can

Thank you! Interesting stuff here! Just one attempt and I found that:

https://foodinjars.com/blog/canning-101-can-safely-can-glass-top-stove/

Tag

As for the glass top stove, you have to check the manufacture. My stove has a rapid boil feature that will not cycle off. My canner has a flat bottom. And you can't be dragging the canner across the surface. I have never had an issue canning on my stove. Even made canned minced meat pie filling one year with venison.

Great thread, thanks.

We can ours in the oven. 5 hours on 250 and let the oven cool down before taking them out.

I can a lot of meat. Very similar to most others here, I use about 1/2 a bullion cube or the same amount of granular bullion. I also add tomato sauce to some of the batches. It makes a good sauce but I don't do it to all of them. I used to brown it first and that is good, but was too much work for large batches.

I agree with the comments on wide mouth jars, jar tongs are great too. I've canned on glass top electric and it took for ever to get to temo/pressure. Gas is much better imo. We follow instructions from the ball blue book. They do a nice job in the book of explaining the possible problems and explaining how it works, why it works etc. We use canning salt and not much more, sometimes a little diced oniin and green pepper. [/quote]
1tsp of canning salt. 1 tsp minced garlic per pint. 10/11 lbs for 100 minutes at sea level

Yes you one could can on a glasstop stove but its far from ideal as its slow and i find it to be inconsistant in heating and cycles. In other words its not optimum and maybe some glasstops arent suitable across the board but ive dobe it on ours.

The best setup is the Camp Chef gas stoves an All American can er and that Ball Book of Canning and some tongs and an wooden table on the patio. Makes fore a great setup and i love the simplicity of the All American canner.

I agree with what was said about the chunks of meat looking like dogfood and it does. But man does that canned meat tastebgood and its basically a blank slate for quick and easy meals. My dad shot a whitetail this season and i cut off steaks and canned the rest the next day. Canned an entire moose once as well. Its just an great way to preserve food if done and stored properly. This is an outstanding topic but if you want to be into canning you need the Ball book.

Fantastic and helpful thread!!
Thanks guys!!

Hi. So here's our basic process:

1. Cut off as much silver meat/ligament and fat as possible. (This is more important with deer, as it can be more "gamey").
2. Pack the bottles as tight as you can. The size of the pieces really doesn't matter.
3. Fill with water to fill air holes, per the Ball canning book. We also use a knife to slide down the sides and give the air a path to escape.
4. We put 1/2 teaspoon of non-iodine salt in there, and a layer of onions on top.

This is truly an excellent eat, any way you use it. It's great in a sandwich, but cook off the juices in a pot don't drain them. We will put it in enchiladas, soups, etc. It's great stuff. This picture is of the batch of elk we did yesterday. This is at the point that it's ready for the lid and then into the canner. A camp chef is the preferred burner, but we'll use our gas stove if it's really cold out the day we need to process.

,

that's the picture I was looking for!

thanks!

Well, I fired up the two burner Camp Chef and with the use of a couple of All-American canners put up 35 quarts of deer and pronghorn over the weekend. Much easier than I thought it would be, if a bit time consuming. The canners I used don't use a weight, so one has to keep an eye on them to keep the pressure where you want it. Didn't get too crazy with dressing them up, just a teaspoon of canning salt and 5 shakes of pepper. Two quarts got some jalepeno slices and two got a strip of bacon. Cracked one open yesterday for breakfast; it's definitely tender and moist. Wife was hoping for a bit more flavor, but we can correct that next time. All in all I'm glad I took the plunge and will be doing more in the future for certain. Like being able to put up the meat without taking too up freezer space. Especially since one of my freezers is being a bit temperamental...

I can tell the diff between moose and deer. My palate is that refined . . .

I did 25 pints of deer meat and 20 pints of deer bone broth this past weekend. First time doing the broth and it turned out pretty good I believe. Our freezers are packed so it does feel good to have some meat not dependent on electricity.

Tried a test run of five jars last night.

After the timer went off, turned off the burner and went to sleep.

This morning, took the lid off and pulled the jars out. They are still somewhat warm.

All five lids are pushed down indicating the jar has a vacuum.

Four are still bubbling inside, one is not. Is that a problem?

One jar must have overflowed into the water. Is that due to overfilling or not tightening the ring enough?

Chopped fresh onion and garlic between the lifts with a dash of sea salt will help bring out more flavor. Mb

I gotta try this...

Mostly as above but I get all air out of jars and add beef broth to fill in spaces. Adding a couple of small chunks of celery or an 1/8 cup of bbq sauce works to add flavor as does onions too.

I must add that this also works for beef, chicken and fish. When it’s on sale at SAMs I buy up to 20 lbs and can it. I love chicken breasts cubed and canned and especially salmon canned.

Tag... gotta try this next year. Thanks to all for contributing

very good point, I've canned chicken with bone in and it works great and falls off the bone, wings are a little messy to sort so I wouldn't recommend it but legs are fine IMO.

I agree, doing it to chicken makes a tasty, great, faster start to many meals.

I have a friend that goes to the coast and bottles tuna with her mother once a year, which is also excellent.

That is an excellent write up, I have never canned meat, but plan on doing it next year, if we can still hunt. (biden). Thank you for that write up.
Doug

I bought a pressure canner after reading most of this thread. Always wanted to try it but this thread put me over the top. If you are on the fence as to whether or not to try this...try it. The meat is fantastic. I used little bits of information on here and other places to add: beef bullion cube, canning salt, pepper, minced garlic, bacon strip, and onions, half the jars added some cajun spice mix.

As I said, the meat turned out unreal. The jar I used was solely front shoulder/neck meat. And, if I can do it without screwing it up anyone can, I am an idiot. Here is my first meal. BBQ with slaw topping...fabulous!

Tagged.

Really a great thread, Lots of good info, especially from Colorado. One thing not mentioned much is the canner itself. I started out with a Mirro canners. Worked great, but with any canner that takes a rubber gasket you need to have an extra gasket handy. If you blow a gasket in the middle of a project, you will know what I am talking about. Happened to me a couple of times. I upgraded to an All American canner. Pricy but well worth it if you do a lot of canning. All American canners are very heavy duty and don't rely on gaskets. I have 3 of them and love them.

no difference and I can both. Dont know why mule deer meat has a bad rep for not eating as well as whitetail

We can "last years" freezer every fall so we can make room

Had canned deer sandwiches for lunch today.

Pop a jar open and drain liquid. Dump meat in frying pan and get it hot. Pour in desired amount of Head Country BBQ sauce and simmer for about 3-4 minutes to cook some of the water out and thicken the sauce. Spoon meat between slices of toast and put pickles on before closing it up. Total time from opening jar to eating is about 8 minutes, I use a big skillet so I can keep the meat on one side and make my toast in the other.

I too appreciate the info. I am new to the idea of canning and interested in getting started. You guys are an abundance of info. The wisdom is greatly appreciated.

I've been wanting to do some canning, thanks for all the advice gents. Might have to give this a try this year.

"we trim ours well but a little silver skin etc. more or less dissolves into gelatin".This is very helpful advice. I really dislike silver skin. impossible to chew hard to seperate when cutting up meat. just a pain. but necessary to the muscle to function properly on the body.
martin

I’ve been canning deer for years, been canning catfish this year. About half my deer gets cut into 1” cubes and used for deer bologna during the summer. I freeze it in 8 lb bags because it takes 8 lbs of deer and 2 lbs of fat for a batch of bologna. Any bags that don’t get used before hunting season gets close get canned. It’s a great way to use up meat before the season plus I don’t have to take time can it during hunting season. I use pint jars with 1/4 onion and bullion cube in each one.

I'm interested in the bologna recipe!

We use conyeager spice co bologna kits. You can buy them online. If you buy 6 at a time you will get them way cheaper. Follow the directions , it give a few ways to cook it. I do mine 2 hrs in the oven at 200deg, then water bath it in 170deg water until internal temp hits 156,then ice water until it goes under 100 deg. Some smoke it but it will leave a hard rind on the outside that I don’t like. If you use my method it will come out the same every time. I bet I’ve made 40-50 batches

Thank you for that info!! I'm going to have to give that a try.

I made venison bacon this year for the first time, I highly recommend it! It was super easy, just follow the recipe on the box. I think I had a little more meat than the recipe called for so the flavoring was a little weak. Next time I'm using a scale to be spot on. I might have to give the bologna a try

tag for a great thread

Needed a quick lunch today. Took a jar of canned deer meat added one can of French onion soup and one can of Golden Mushroom soup. Heated it up and ate like a stew with Sweet rolls. Very delicious and quick of course. Love having canned deer on the shelf.

Almost forgot I did add a little Red River Ranch seasoning.

Our glass top works fine. It's just that any heat adjustments are slower.

Is there an echo in here? Pretty sure your said the exact thing a few months back..... Again, apparently your mileage varies from what is accepted as the norm

Could be. I didn't read through the replies older than Clinton's presidency. It got resurrected. It still works this year, too.

The quote you posted and replied to was the exact quote you posted before, just a slightly different reply word wise. So you actually pulled it from the day of the op, which is when both of us commented. I didn't go back further, you did. Go to the first page, it's all right there clear as day.
FYI it's been a lot longer than 9 months since Clinton was president. Just clarifying.

This sounds delicious. Gotta get me a pressure cooker.

Thinking of canning a bunch of ground moose (freezers are full). Any considerations for ground meat versus cubed?

Tag

the OLD timey way, cook the meat, then store in jars, most likely it was crock ware, then pour melted lard or fat on top, about 1" thick, was done this way before most of you were born.

Jordan,

A lot of people say you have to brown ground meat before canning. I don’t doubt that is best, but I’ve done it with just raw meat in a pressure canner and it’s not blown up yet. I just pack it in, add some salt and can away. Seems to work just fine.

Thanks, Rick. Does it crumble like "traditionally" cooked ground meat when you go to use it, or does it come out as a meat loaf?

It sticks together. You kind of have to dig it out of the jar. But it saves freezer space and works good for dishes that require loose ground meat. Just needs chopped up a little. Supposedly browning first makes it easier to get out.

Thanks!

I really really appreciate the information in this thread.
So I’m bringing it back to life.
I put up 45 pints last week and will finish up canning venison tomorrow.

I cube the meat and lightly brown it on griddle.
I put one beef bullion cube in bottom of each jar, cram the jar full of meat. Leave 1/2-3/4” headroom.
I do not add any water or anything else.

It comes out of the jar incredibly tender and quite tasty. I make it all the same. If we need more spices or BBQ sauce, we just add it while heating to serve.

Absolutely fantastic meat.
Long term storage.
No freezer space or freezer burn.

I should have been doing this years ago, but better late than never.

Thanks to all for the help and encouragement.

Wonder what the results would be of you added a tbsp of bbq sauce in the bottom instead of a beef bouillon.

Well, as it comes out perfect for us, I try to abstain from experimenting with the canning process.

Each jar is basically a blank slate when opened.
We can make nachos, or stroganoff, or pulled BBQ or about anything you care to try.

Final preparation is where I prefer to experiment with spices and sauces.

But i see no reason why BBQ sauce wouldn’t be fantastic.

Should be careful with that. Some sauces and flavorings have thickening agents in them that can throw things off. Yes I know someone will tell me that they do it every batch and that they are still alive.....I have even went " off recipe" myself. But it really isn't wise to do so.

I usually can deer meat in pint jars but going to try 1/2 pints this year. Kids are moving out and I don’t need a full pint each time. Anyone use 1/2 pints?

No but I may do some this fall, too. I usually save my half pints for steelhead but don't plan on canning any fish this year.

a table spoon of bbq sauce will do nothing. it takes quite a lot. maybe a cup.

what we have used that will work is several tbl spoons of high mountain seasonings or cabalas mesquite. go through the dry rubs and find what pops your cork.

the seasoning will settle to the bottom of the jar somewhat and there will be more flavor as you get to the bottom.
by.
a bouillon cube with a tsp of cavendars is the standard.

Raw pack here. Just raw meat and a pinch of salt. Turns out great. Can deer, bear, cougar that way.

Kicking this up to the top with season here again.

Started canning venison in 22' with a new All American pressure canner.

Dry pack 1" head room and 1/2 tblsp of salt in pints and 1tblsp in quarts.
Very good, flavor, and tender.

Works great in soup, fajitas, over rice with brown gravy ...

Major plus is the fact that it will keep a LONG time without electricity dependence.

Just bought another 20lb. bag of white rice this morning to store in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, you know, just because...