Preserve venison meat by processing it in a pressure canner.
After you successfully hunt deer, it needs to be stored properly to preserve the meat. Venison meat can be preserved using a variety of methods. Canning the meat allows you to preserve the flavor more than other preservation methods. Pressure canners safely kill harmful bacteria so that you can store the meat for 12 months. When you are ready to eat the venison meat, remove from the jars before cooking it to a safe internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Instructions
1. Refrigerate the venison as soon as possible. This will help to prevent the meat from becoming contaminated.
2. Keep the venison meat at a temperature range between 32 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit for seven to 10 days to age. This will help the meat to tenderize.
3. Trim and discard the fat from the venison. Slice the venison into strips, cubes or chunks. Remove any bones from the venison.
4. Combine 1 tsp. of salt and 1 qt. of cool water. Increase this ratio if you have a large amount of venison that you plan to can. Soak the venison meat in this brine solution for 1 one hour.
5. Sterilize the canning jars by boiling them for 10 minutes on the stove top. Add 2 tsp. of salt to each one-quart jar. Pack the raw venison meat into the canning jars. Leave one inch of head space at the top. Do not add liquid to the jars.
6. Place the lids on the canning jars. Secure a ring on the jars to hold the lids in place.
7. Process the jars according to the instruction manual that comes with your pressure canner. A one-quart size jar will need to be processed for 90 minutes with an elevation below 1,000 feet at 10 pounds of pressure in a weighted-gauge pressure canner. A dial-gauge pressure canner will require a process time of 90 minutes at 11 pounds of pressure in elevations above 2,000 feet.
8. Allow the pressure to drop to zero before you remove the canning jars. Let them cool on a towel. Do not allow them to touch one another. Check the lids to ensure that they processed correctly by pressing down on the center of the lids after they cool. If the lid dents or pops, then it did not process correctly.
9. Refrigerate the cans that did not process. Use them within a week. Store the processed cans in a cool and dark location.
Tags: canning jars, pressure canner, venison meat, degrees Fahrenheit, from venison
