Check this out!
Venison, Elk, Moose and Caribou
After a fun hunt out in the wilderness, preserve your prize using a pressure canner! The
pressure and high temperatures tenderize your meat allowing the flavors of fresh vegetables, herbs and seasonings to permeate each fiber. Having jars of this lean, protein packed meat on the ready will make excellent meals!
Reheat this seasoned, cooked meat alongside vegetables and mashed potatoes for a quick meal or use as a meal starter when making main dishes, soups and stews.
The recipe below is a standard way to flavor and preserve your wild game – and as many would put it, a way of “removing the gamey taste”. As you can see, there isn’t a per pound methodology given in this recipe. Feel free to use which cut of meat you prefer or have remaining after you have your hunt processed. Many individuals love having ground meat, steaks and roasts frozen for future consumption. Use remaining cuts, or a combination of cuts, to create the recipe below. Feel free to scale-up the quantity of vegetables and herbs based on your wild game yield.
If you are not a hunter, but know someone who hunts or enjoys using wild game in their meal creation, feel free to pass this delicious recipe onward…
Ingredients
Venison, Elk, Moose or Caribou
1 large onion, diced small
1 large green pepper, seeded and diced small
6 garlic cloves, minced
2-4 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tsps sea salt
1 Tsp black pepper, ground
2 Tbsp Canning Gel (modified corn starch safe for home canning)
Instructions
Meat Prep: Choose the highest cut of meat you prefer to eat. Trim meat of gristle, excess
fat, silver skin and any bruised spots. Simply cut your meat into 1”-2” thick chunks, cubes or strips.
Pat your meat dry with paper towel so it will brown properly. In a deep skillet or medium-sized stock pot, brown the meat in batches using 1 tablespoon of olive oil at a time. Brown all sides but be careful not to cook the meat. Leave the delicious drippings in the skillet to be used later. Remove meat from skillet and set aside in a large bowl.
Once all of your meat has been browned and placed in a large bowl, add 2 cups of hot water to the oil and meat drippings left in the skillet/pot. Whisk in Canning Gel and bring liquid mixture to a quick boil, stirring frequently. Boil for 2 minutes then remove from heat.
Add chopped vegetables, garlic and seasonings to the bowl of browned meat and mix thoroughly. I prefer to mix using my hands with plastic gloves to ensure I am coating every piece of meat with vegetables and seasonings.
Whether you are packing pints or quarts, be sure the jars are clean and have been kept warm. Pack meat into warm jars leaving a generous 1” headspace. Ladle hot broth mixture created from the dripping over top of meat being sure to keep the generous 1” headspace. Remove air bubbles using your bubble remover tool and adjust headspace as necessary.
Wipe jar rims with a warm wash cloth dipped in vinegar and apply sterilized lids and rings. Hand tighten. Process jars at 10 pounds of pressure; pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes. Be sure to adjust pressure and time appropriately if you live in a higher altitude!
Enjoy~
The Canning Diva
