Had a request from a sub-forum to share this - so here is my method for pressure canning venison.
I cube everything to approx 1" x 1" except the backstrap and tenderloin (I grill them on a Blackstone with garlic, rosemary and sliced mushrooms - Yum!). I use a chest freezer that I get cold and then unplug and rely on 3 frozen one gallon milk jugs to keep the temperature around 40 degrees F while I accumulate bowls of cubed venison. When the bones are stripped I take the cubed venison and mash it into 1 pint wide-mouth ball jars (wide-mouth are easier to squish out the air pockets with knuckles and a ladle handle or similar (I have a 1" narrow spatula for this) ). I then add 1/4 tsp canning/pickling salt and, here's the secret, 1 tsp Knorr powdered beef bullion. This provides additional salt plus a bunch of spices and beef "broth". When you taste it you will know why this is important. If you don't use the bullion just use 1/2 to 1 tsp of canning/pickling (non-iodized is the reason) salt. (I think 1 tsp is too salty - your tastes may vary). When you add it to rice, noodles or stew just don't add additional salt if it is overly much.
75 minutes at 13 lb pressure (you MUST use a pressure canner - check the manual for your canner and elevation above sea level) and it will keep up to five years in the pantry. I started pressure canning after we had a freezer konk out and we lost a LOT of meat (we used to buy 1/2 of a Black Angus steer from a former boss). A fully boned and silver-skin/tendon free adult doe yields around 34 to 36 pints. A larger buck around 40 to 44 pints. My canner holds 16 pints at a time - so plan your canning day accordingly and maybe vent some moisture out a cracked window. We live in a log home and moisture is welcome at all times.
Tender, fully cooked so you only have to warm it. Makes the best stroganoff and is great over rice, or in soups and stews, or prepared like tenderloin tips. Pop it in the Cuisinart a few seconds for taco meat.
And never again worry about a power outage or freezer failure.
I cube everything to approx 1" x 1" except the backstrap and tenderloin (I grill them on a Blackstone with garlic, rosemary and sliced mushrooms - Yum!). I use a chest freezer that I get cold and then unplug and rely on 3 frozen one gallon milk jugs to keep the temperature around 40 degrees F while I accumulate bowls of cubed venison. When the bones are stripped I take the cubed venison and mash it into 1 pint wide-mouth ball jars (wide-mouth are easier to squish out the air pockets with knuckles and a ladle handle or similar (I have a 1" narrow spatula for this) ). I then add 1/4 tsp canning/pickling salt and, here's the secret, 1 tsp Knorr powdered beef bullion. This provides additional salt plus a bunch of spices and beef "broth". When you taste it you will know why this is important. If you don't use the bullion just use 1/2 to 1 tsp of canning/pickling (non-iodized is the reason) salt. (I think 1 tsp is too salty - your tastes may vary). When you add it to rice, noodles or stew just don't add additional salt if it is overly much.
75 minutes at 13 lb pressure (you MUST use a pressure canner - check the manual for your canner and elevation above sea level) and it will keep up to five years in the pantry. I started pressure canning after we had a freezer konk out and we lost a LOT of meat (we used to buy 1/2 of a Black Angus steer from a former boss). A fully boned and silver-skin/tendon free adult doe yields around 34 to 36 pints. A larger buck around 40 to 44 pints. My canner holds 16 pints at a time - so plan your canning day accordingly and maybe vent some moisture out a cracked window. We live in a log home and moisture is welcome at all times.
Tender, fully cooked so you only have to warm it. Makes the best stroganoff and is great over rice, or in soups and stews, or prepared like tenderloin tips. Pop it in the Cuisinart a few seconds for taco meat.
And never again worry about a power outage or freezer failure.
