Many hunting families have been freezing wild game for a century. But what if you lose power? What if your meat is tough?  Some families “hot can” or “hot pack” meat too.  What advantages do you have if you “pressure can” or “Hot Pack” some of your game meat?

The major reason to hot pressure-can aka “hot pack” meat is that it does not need a freezer or electricity, tenderizes meat substantially and can be consumed right from the jar.

Most everyone uses a Ball Mason Jar because the jars are cost effective and proven. When canning is complete (often takes 90 minutes) and cool the lid becomes vacuum sealed during cooling.

This is essential to preserve and seal the meat from bacterial growth.

Stored in a cool dry area, this food can be stored for 2 to 5 years as long as the vacuum seal is maintained.

“Best practices” followed from canning books like this one, will eliminate losing the seal and your meat to spoilage. 

I began hot canning because I had many pounds of tougher cuts of meat that gathering in my freezer.  And wanted to can some chicken breast for fast meals like chicken noodle soup, pot pies, and chicken salad.

Hot Canning allows me to tenderize the meat and add spices and vegetables. I also can game burger and chicken breast.

I use this T-Fal canner ($155 dollars) among many other models.  A great Christmas gift too! It takes the mystery and fear out of hot canning can get you to the next step with saving food cost and canning your game meat and poultry too.

If your like my family, we pull the best wild game cuts of meat like backstrap and steak or sausage from our freezer first. This often leaves tougher cuts to languish or worse, get buried in our freezer. I have gathered pounds of these harder-to-use-cuts like stew meat and burger. I purchased the hot pressure canner a few years ago, and am thrilled with its ability to tenderize cuts and add herbs and spice to them for sumptuous flavor enhancement, all in Ball Mason jars.

The result is tender moose, venison, and wild boar stew meat and burger that is now instantly ready for stroganoff, and burger for Shepherds Pie, Chili and dozens of soup recipes like Moose, Venison, and Duck, Goose, Chicken Noodle Soup. Further, that we find chicken breast on sale and hot-can or raw-can it in chunks too.

Give it a try!

Good Eating!