Especially in days of inflation, this is a great way to get the most out of your meat pantry and use your creative talents. You can do it!
I have had vacuum sealed game meat in my freezer most of my life. In the winter, one of my favorite meals is venison or moose stew and chicken or venison noodle soup.
I had avoided hot pressure canning meat thinking that vacuum sealing -freezing was the best and easiest option of preservation. Well, it is many times, for back straps and tenderloin for grilling and some loin steaks and burger.
But there are larger amounts of tougher cuts that are best pressure cooked to tenderize. Doing it in advance creates an opportunity to do large amounts of tenderizing meat prep.
Today, I am using a T-fal Pressure Canner with Pressure Control, 3 PSI Settings, 22 Quart volume. You can buy this on line for $130 dollars. You will need Ball jars and lids.
There are other brands and styles, but I like this one because it is so easy to use.
T-fal add, on Amazon says “About this item” Below
- 22 quart polished aluminum stovetop canner and pressure cooker with a deluxe pressure gauge dial
- Selective pressure control with 3 cooking pressure options: 5, 10 or 15 PSI; overpressure steam release safety components
- Heavy gauge, rustproof aluminum construction; sure locking lid system; pressure monitoring device built into handle
- Includes 2 canning racks to hold 16 pint size jars or 26 half pint size jars when double stacked or 7 quart size jars
I did use this hot canning method largely because the meat is ready to eat and tender, right out of the jar saving lots of time and cleanup energy!
How difficult was it?
Venison Stew – Just heat and add a butter rue
Mouthwatering tender Venison in broth for soups or stew
It was so easy that I began to pressure can chicken breast when it was on sale and also to pressure can stews as well. The chicken is so versatile, chicken salad, chicken soup, chicken pot pie. Wow!
tender chicken chunks ready for soup, salad, pot pie or stew. Buy it on sale!
My secret ingredient is to use a high quality powdered chicken and beef herb bullion to make the liquid filler. I would make as many cups of stock with the bullion as I needed to fill the jars. The bullion adds salt and herb flavor. I made it like I’d make a cup of beef or chicken soup to taste. My thinking is for fast, easy and delish. You too!
I can make a delicious stew in half the time, say 30 minutes. Most of that time is cutting veggies like carrot, potato, celery, onion, garlic etc. The remaining time 8 minutes is to pressure cook the veggies with herbs with or without the meat in it and make a rue with butter and flour. Salt and pepper to taste.
Further, I can make a hearty venison or chicken soup or pot pie, adding frozen vegetables, peas and carrots, corn and noodles or add a premade pie crust in 15 minutes or so and bake the pie till the crust is just browned. Make a butter rue base gravy. Yum!
The other great thing about pressure canning is that you can do complete meals, make your own hearty beef bone stock, Chicken Stock too. Just the way you like it.
Canned meat and stock stores for quite some time (up to 3 years) in a cool dry area. See below.
https://extension.umn.edu/preserving-and-preparing/storing-canned-food
Good Hunting!
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