Simple Canned Venison: How Long Does It Last?

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As with most homesteads, preserving food is a primary focus of a homestead lifestyle. At Kowalski Mountain not only do we raise most of the meat that we consume, but Philip is also an avid hunter. While we have multiple freezers, that limited freezer space is a hot commodity! Whenever we can, we like to take advantage of other preservation methods. Canning is an excellent way to preserve not only vegetables but also meats. I was very familiar with canning, but canning meats at home was a preservation method that was rather new to me. The idea brought up a lot of questions, such as how do you can meat? How long does canned venison last and how do you use it? Canning venison is a relatively easy process and creates shelf-stable food that is ready to eat. Consider it the convenience food of the homestead!

Safe Venison Canning Begins in the Field

Whether you process your own meat, or take the harvest to a butcher for processing, the safe preservation of venison begins in the field. When canning the harvest, it is imperative that you must follow the safe canning guidelines to produce quality food that is safe to eat. The USDA has published safe canning guidelines that will prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum or botulism.

When harvesting your own deer meat, it’s vital that the animal be gutted and cooled as quickly as possible. Whether you are field-dressing wild game meat or processing in your own barnyard. Keeping the meat as clean as possible is extremely important. Fresh meat should be kept out of direct sunlight to ensure that the core temperature of the harvest is reduced as quickly as possible. Bacteria may be present on the carcass, cooling the meat will prevent the growth of bacteria that causes spoilage.

Aging the Meat

We age our meat prior to processing for 5 to 7 days. Since we do not have a walk-in cooler, we use a portable ice chest to age the meat. It’s important to keep the meat well iced to maintain proper temperature and to keep the cooler drained of all melted ice and blood. Philip likes to put a 1-inch piece of PVC pipe that is cut to the interior height of the cooler. Place the end of the PVC in the drain cavity. If ice or meat settles over the drain hole preventing it from draining, the PVC is in place to easily push the meat and ice away without having to dig through the meat.

Process Fresh Meat Promptly

Once properly aged, freeze or pressure can the fresh venison right away. If you process your own meat at home as we do, be sure to continue all food safety handling precautions. Keep your knives and work surfaces clean using soapy water. Continue to keep the meat as cold as possible while you are processing. Be sure to trim off all visible fat, connective tissue, and silver skin.

Meat that has been previously frozen is perfectly safe to can. Hunting season in our state is close to the holidays, so it’s not always feasible to get the meat canned right away. It’s a great way to spread out the processing and preserve the meat until you can fit it into your preservation schedule. Be sure to defrost the meat completely before canning, continuing your safe handling practices. If your meat has a strong gamey flavor, you can brine the meat for one hour prior to canning. Mix 1 tablespoon of high-quality salt per 1 quart of water and soak for 1 hour. Rinse the meat prior to canning.

What is Pressure Canning?

All meats are a low-acid food and require that they be processed in a pressure canner. Pressure canners are specialized pieces of equipment.  There are two types: dial-gauge pressure canner and weighted gauge pressure canner. A dial gauge pressure canner has a gauge that displays the pressure inside the canner. A weighted gauge canner uses a weight on the steam valve. Once the canner reaches the proper pressure the weight jiggles and releases steam, maintaining the correct pressure level.

What About Using a Water Bath Canner?

A water bath canner is filled with water and the jars are completely submerged in boiling water. The temperature never exceeds 212 degrees, which is the temperature at which water boils. This temperature is not hot enough to process home-canned meats or other low acid foods. Learn more about the two canning methods.

Pressure canners use much less water than water bath canners.  However, the boiling water creates steam inside the pressure canner. The vent pipe of the canner is sealed with a pressure regulator. The pressure builds up inside the pressure canner creating temperatures of 240 degrees. It’s these high temperatures that kill the microorganisms that can cause botulism in low-acid foods.

Hot Pack or Raw Pack Venison

There are two methods for canning venison the hot pack method and the raw pack method. Both will be processed in the pressure canner. When preparing venison for the hot pack method, you partially cook the venison prior to canning. You can roast, stew, or brown the venison until about two-thirds done. You will also add hot broth or hot water to each canning jar. Some home cooks prefer to add tomato juice as the liquid for wild meat that has a strong venison taste.

The raw pack method is exactly as it sounds. Fill canning jars with raw meat pieces. Broth or liquid is not required. The venison will produce its own juice as it processes. Be aware that since venison is such a lean meat, it may not produce much juice on its own. Some of the meat may not be below the surface of the broth. While this is still safe to eat, the food quality will degrade more quickly.

When canning meat, I recommend using pint jars unless you have a large family. Quart jars hold approximately 2 pounds of meat, while pint jars hold about 1 pound.

Preparing the Venison for Raw Pack

For the best quality, choose high-quality lean meat. Remove all excess fat, sinew, and silver skin from the venison. Cut the meat into equal size pieces. Raw-pack meat that is cut into cubes does not require liquids added to it. Raw-packed cubes of meat will produce its own broth as it cooks.

Important Note: If you want to can raw ground meat, you must first shape the ground meat into meatballs or patties. Ground meat MUST be canned with added liquid whether using the raw pack or hot pack method.

Preparing the Venison for Hot Pack

If you prefer to hot pack your venison. Cook the venison two-thirds of the way to prevent overcooking during the canning process. The advantage of using the hot pack method is that some of the sinew will cook off in the cooking process. You will also need to prepare a hot broth to fill the jars to the required headspace. Guidelines for cutting up the venison are the same regardless of which method you choose.

Ground venison is safe to can using the hot pack method that requires added liquids. Brown the meat, and remove any excess fat prior to canning. Add hot broth, water, or tomato juice to the ground meat.

Process Canned Meats by Pressure Canning

As with all of my canning projects, I always refer to my favorite canning book by the USDA, The Complete Home Canning Guide. This book can be purchased or is available online as a free publication.

The instructions provided below in this post are basic instructions. If you are new to pressure canning or canning meats, I have written detailed instructions regarding canning chicken. The preparation and processing are the same except for headspace requirements. Chicken requires 1 1/4 inches of headspace, while venison requires only 1-inch headspace.

Basic Pressure Canning Instructions

Prepare meat by removing all visible fat. You should always remove fat when canning, however when canning venison it is very important. Unlike beef fat which flavors beef, venison has a flavor and aftertaste that we personally dislike. Remove all sinew and silver skin. Cut fresh venison into equal size cubes.

Using a canning funnel, fill the canning jars with meat. If using the hot pack method, it’s easiest to add a little broth first and add meat following. Top with additional broth to cover the meat if necessary, leaving 1-inch headspace. If using the raw pack method, add raw meat cubes, leaving 1-inch headspace. A liquid is not required.

Add salt if you like. Salt is not required for the preservation process, it is added for flavoring only. Be sure to use canning salt or high-quality sea salt. I use Redmond salt. While it’s safe to use table salt, it will leave the water cloudy, as table salt is not pure salt, it contains additives that prevent clumping. Add 1/2 teaspoon per pint jar or 1 teaspoon of salt to each quart jar.

Clean the rim of each jar using a paper towel dampened with white vinegar. This removes all broth or grease that might have contaminated the rim of the jars which might prevent a quality seal. Add a clean, new canning lid to each jar and tighten the screw bands finger tight. If you prefer to use reusable canning lids be sure to follow the correct handling of reusable canning lids to ensure that the jars seal.

Processing Times in The Pressure Canner

If using a dial gauge pressure canner, process pint jars at 11 pounds of pressure for 75 minutes. Process quarts for 90 minutes. When using a weighted gauge pressure canner process pint jars for 75 minutes are 10 pounds of pressure and 90 minutes for quart jars. If you use pint and a-half jars, process these the same as you would quart jars. If you live 2000 feet above sea level or higher in altitude, please see the printable recipe card for specific instructions for your altitude.

Storing Canned Venison

Canned venison is an excellent way to preserve meat for long-term storage. You must be sure to properly store the canned food to ensure it will last as long as possible.

Once the jars have completely cooled for 24 hour, remove the metal bands and check the seals. The lids should be tightly vacuum sealed to the jars and you should not be able to lift off. Store the jars without the bands. The bands can produce a false seal, meaning the bands will hold the lid in place, even if the vacuum seal is compromised. When the vacuum seal is compromised, the food will begin to spoil.

Canned food should be stored in a cool, dry and dark place. Its very important that food not be exposed to temperatures over 95 degrees. Be aware of heat vents, hot pipes, uninsulated storage areas or direct sunlight in your pantry. Dampness can corrode metal canning lids and cause the seals to fail.

Freezer Vs Canning

Per the FoodSafety.Gov website, frozen meats are best used within one year. While frozen meat keeps indefinitely when continuously kept frozen at 0 degrees, the quality of the food will degrade. In comparison, home pressure canned meats are good for up to 2 years. While the canned venison will likely be edible after 2 years, the quality will begin to decline as well. Meats that are not completely submerged in broth with degrade more quickly.

Using Canned Venison

Since canning can reduce the load placed on your freezers, it’s a great way to free up space when you are in a pinch. I will admit, the canned meat doesn’t necessarily look appetizing in the jar, but it always tastes good (I promise) and it’s super easy to use. Since the meat is fully cooked in the canning process it only needs to be heated up. Consider it the convenience food of the homestead!

Anything that you would add venison to, you can use canned venison to. Think of things like venison stew, venison chili, venison stroganoff (my personal favorite). Maybe try a jar of canned venison to make enchiladas or fajitas. Warm and eat over mashed potatoes or rice. Add come barbeque sauce and serve it on buns as a shredded BBQ sandwich.

Canning venison is only a benefit to you if you use it! Don’t be afraid to experiment and try something new.

How to Tell if Food is Spoiled

Be reassured that if you follow the safe canning guidelines the food you can at home will be safe to eat. Botulism in home canned foods is rare, but it is possible. The Center of Disease Control provides some guidance on how to determine if canned food is safe to eat. All home cooks should be aware of these signs, as they apply to both home canned foods and commercially canned foods.

• Is the container leaking, swollen or bulging. With home canning, this would refer to the lid only, however in commercially canned products, look for these signs of the can itself.
• Is the container damaged, cracked or abnormal?
• Does the container spurt liquid or foam when opened? The food may explode out of the jar when you remove the lid. This is caused from the pressure being released inside. Are the bubbles inside?
• Is the food discolored, moldy or smell bad?

The best advise, when in doubt, throw it out!

Building Your Food Security

Home canning meats is an excellent way to build your food stores . Canned venison and other meats are shelf stable. Use this technique to diversify your food preservation methods. Home canned venison is a great meal on busy nights. It’s quick to prepare and versatile. Canned venison is an excellent food to have on hand for emergency preparedness, such as hurricane season, or power outages created by winter storms.

Want to Learn More About Home Preservation

Successful Canning 101: Water Bath Canning VS Pressure Canning

Choosing the Best Canning Lids: Reusable Canning Lids or Metal

Home Canning: Preserving the Harvest

Water Bath Canning Tutorial Steps to Success

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Complete Home Canning Guide

Presto 23-Quart Pressure Canner (this is nice if you do a lot of canning in pint jars, safe to double stack)

23 Quart Presto Induction Compatible Pressure Canner

Presto 16-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker Canner

 3-Piece Pressure Regulator 5-10-15lb for Presto Pressure Cooker

Granite Ware 6-Piece Canner Kit

Harvest Guard Reusable Canning Lids creates reusable canning lids that are approved by the USDA. Use my code to get 15% off KMcanning.

Denali Canning Lids Use my discount code for 10% off! BARBRA-SUEKOWALSKI

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