Canning Deer Meat

 

Call it a coincidence, but doe season in my "zone" typically coincides with Christmas break and some of the "doe days" did again this year. A friend invited my son and grandson to harvest a couple of does from his nearby property as he felt he "had too many". They scored a couple of small bucks (antlerless). We decided to can some of the meat. After removing the prime cuts, we began cutting out chunks from any part we could get lean red meat. All of the "white" (sinew, gristle, fat, etc. needs to be excised). We used a basic venison canning recipe (the iterwebz has quite a few). The meat was prepped as described above. Then gently "packed" into warm/sterile canning jars. Many recipes suggest a variety of "additions" ranging from salt and various seasonings to peppers, onion, garlic, etc., to adding absolutely nothing. I used a teaspoon of canning salt (not required) and a teaspoon of beef bullion (we've used this method helping a friend and the finished product was delicious) on top of the meat. We added no water and softly packed the meat to 3/4" from the top. Of course, no canning operation would be complete until the jar lids were soaked in warm water to soften the rubber seals  before screwing the rings on the jars. We used pint jars (less waste for us) and pressured the meat at 10#s of pressure for 75 minutes (90 minutes if using quarts). As can be seen in the photo the meat "settled" some (normal) and produced it's own liquid. The best way I can describe the end result is a meat/gravy that is akin to beef tips and gravy. The meat is super tender from being cooked under pressure. All that is required to serve is to empty the contents into a a container and warm it to the desired temperature. I usually get it "bubbling good" and pour it on whatever. Served over rice, mashed potatoes, biscuits, etc. it make a hardy and delicious meal. We processed 10 lbs. of meat that yielded 11 pints. I also ended up with about a pound of jerky I dehydrated in my oven.