WHAT ARE YOU CANNING TODAY?

TanksHill

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Ldychef2k said:
Nine pints of slow roasted pork butt in thinned out BBQ sauce.


ETA: If I could see better, I might spell better !
What a great idea. When you roasted your pork did you do it in the oven? I normally slow cook mine in the crock pot but for that much....

Was it about 11 lbs for 90 minutes?

Yummy!!!

g
 

grannyB

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I'm new here and thought I would share my canning experiences this fall. This is the first I have canned for many years, and my first time using a pressure canner.

Regarding apples.....We went to Vermont the end of September to visit our grandson (he was 1 1/2 and DH had never seen him.) I thought it would be great to bring home some Vermont apples for canning. Of course, being a ditz, I did not ask about the variety and whether they were good canning apples. I wanted to can slices so I could use them for apple pie, crisp, cake, or whatever. I ended up with applesauce in water. They just cooked up to mush. :th

I've also canned meat...12 qts of chicken, 7 qts of pork, and 4 qts of the most awful smelling venison. :barnie

The venison story is all your fault. You all have been talking about how wonderful venison is that I wanted to try it again. My only experience with it was over 40 yrs ago when a friend of DH gave a roast from a deer he got on a hunting trip to the Black Hills. I cooked it just like a beef roast and we could not eat it. It was tough and tasted awful. Tried to give the rest to the dog and the dog wouldn't even eat it!!!

I have friends who hunt so asked them if I could have some to try canning it for them. I slow roasted it with beef broth, cut it into chucks, packed it in jars with fresh beef broth and processed it. All the while I was trying not to get sick from the smell!:tongue :sick My kitchen stunk for 2 days. It was too cold to open a window for fresh air. Needless to say, my friends are getting all 4 qts.

I don't know if there is a secret to preparing venison or if it is just us, who don't like it. They gave us some salami and sticks that the butcher had made and they are delicious. None of that smell or taste.

This is certainly an adventure. Don't be afraid to just jump in.
 

Ldychef2k

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It is SO good.

I got a smoker for Christmas and didn't read the instructions so I ended up with incredibly seasoned and tender pork butt. But not a bit of smoke flavor. Since it wasn't perfect, I didn't want to give it away, and there was just a ton more pork than a single person could eat in a week, so I decided to add smoke in the form of BBQ sauce and can it for later pork sandwiches.

I have a lot of canned pork already, all of it done in the crock pot. This tastes completely different, and it would be hard to choose which one I wanted fisrt! And yes, it was 90 minutes at 11 pounds.

TanksHill said:
Ldychef2k said:
Nine pints of slow roasted pork butt in thinned out BBQ sauce.


ETA: If I could see better, I might spell better !
What a great idea. When you roasted your pork did you do it in the oven? I normally slow cook mine in the crock pot but for that much....

Was it about 11 lbs for 90 minutes?

Yummy!!!

g
 

Ldychef2k

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GrannyB, I am not a fan of venison myself, and my dad was a great hunter so I ate a lot of potatoes and carrots when they had venison. But I do know that Mom would soak it in milk over night before she cooked it. It still smelled horrible. I hope someone can help you.
 

Farmfresh

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Wild game has MANY variables.

What did it eat? How was it killed? Running scared through the woods for a hour before bleeding to death can taint the meat with adrenaline while a clean kill won't have that problem. How long was it driven around in the back of a pickup truck and shown off BEFORE it was bled out and gutted? Was it butchered properly and cold hung for several days to allow the meat to go through rigor mortis? Was it a doe or a hormone filled buck in rut? Was it a yearling or a 5 year old?

It is amazing to me how many people will shoot and eat a big OLD buck deer - going after that trophy - and then complain that the meat tastes strong and is tough! The same people would never want to eat the old breeding bull or un-casterated boar hog.

Wild game also has many similarities. VERY lean meat, tougher firmer texture, and richer taste.

Given these variables. You can never go wrong with a marinade before cooking. Moist, long, low cooking and the use of seasonings like garlic, dry mustard, sage, rosemary and onion. Milk is a good meat marinade because it absorbs a lot of off odors and flavors. (Try baking fish in it sometime!) Another good practice is soaking in strong salt water for an hour or so - or dry brine by massaging with salt and chilling for at least 24 hours - before rinsing and cooking.

Don't blame yourself if the meat you were given was bad to start with. Grandma Nettie always told me, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!"
 

old fashioned

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Venison does have a flavor all it's own and not everyone likes it. The younger the deer, the less strong flavor. But even so, still needs lots of seasoning I think anyway. Same with Bear and even lamb. :sick
 

kimnkell

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I always rinse the venison really really well until the water runs almost clear. I practically wring the meat out while rinsing. Then I put it in a marinade and let it soak overnight and grill it the next day. I have canned it right off the grill before and didn't add any liquid in the jar and then when I got ready to eat it out of the jar later I would put it in a steamer and steam it to get it hot and it was the most delicious meat I have ever eaten. Even better than steak! Wish Hubby would go hunting now...lol..
 

Farmfresh

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My Grandma Nettie always taught me to soak any meat we butchered in a strong salt water solution right after butchering it for a short while. This process helps remove the blood from the meat tissue and helps it smell and taste better. After the salt water bath you rinse the meat well and allow the meat to drain thoroughly before wrapping and packaging.

Lamb and venison both take a careful hand when cooking. Too high of heat will make the meat tough and bad tasting. The venison particularly needs more moisture in the cooking since it is such a lean meat. With both try not to salt during cooking only AFTER the meat is done. The salt tends to pull moisture out of the meat. Other spices like garlic, thyme and rosemary should be applied at the start and allowed to permeate the meat well.
 

grannyB

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Thanks to you all for your suggestions. I probably won't do any more venison, but I will pass on your suggestions to my friend. She gets so tired to eating venison (her DH gets several every year) and maybe the marinades, etc, will change the taste for her.

I did cook it slowly in the oven with water, no salt, and it was very tender when I cut it in chunks and filled the jars. I did not actually taste any as I could not get over the smell. I don't know how old the meat was and they did process it themselves, except for what they had made into sticks and summer sausage. The snack sticks and summer sausage are delicious. No bad smell or bad taste.
 

kimnkell

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Today I am canning pineapple ham spread in half pint jars. Thought it would be great for making sandwiches..:)
 

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