If you were successful this year while hunting, then you might have meat overflowing out of your freezer. We found a great way for you to eliminate freezer burn on the meat you worked so hard to bring home, while extending its shelf life. Take a look at this pretty awesome post written by Kody Smith at gohunt.com that shows you how to bottle your own meat:
Ingredients
| Ingredient amount below intended for 1 pint jar |
| 1/2 |
Jalapeno |
| 1/4 |
Yellow or white onion |
| 1 tsp |
Ground beef bouillon |
| 1/4 |
Green bell pepper |
Quick tips
*If new to pressure cooking, make sure to read the instructions
*Additional ingredients can be added to recipe
*Do not add water to the bottles
*Pressure cooking times vary, depending on elevation
*Tight seal on jars is necessary
Directions:
Step 1. Cut venison into narrow thin strips about 4 inches long and a ¼-inch thick. Be sure to trim the fat and tendons from the meat. (I cut it this way so that the meat fits nicely on a sandwich).
Step 2. Slice up peppers and onions. Experiment with the peppers, if you want a spicy batch of venison, I would suggest using some cayenne peppers.
Step 3. Line out your jars so that it is easy to insert the ingredients.
Step 4. Place your peppers, beef bouillon and onion into the jar first.
Step 5. Stuff venison into the jars, you will want to try and pack as much meat into the jar as possible while leaving one inch of headspace. (Some people like to brown the meat prior to stuffing it into the jar, I feel this takes some of the taste from the venison).
Step 6. Seal the jars, make sure each jar is sealed tight. Take a paper towel and wipe the top off carefully to remove any material. This will ensure the jars get a proper seal.
Step 7. Fill your pressure cooker with water to the specified amount for your pressure cooker. I have a 23 QT pressure cooker, and I fill it with three quarts of water. Add 2 tbsp of vinegar to the water. The vinegar will prevent water stains to the jars. Water levels may vary with different pressure cookers, make sure you follow the instructions provided with your pressure cooker. Place the jars on the metal rack at the bottom of the pressure cooker. You may need to stack the jars two layers high.
Step 8. I live at 6,000 feet above sea level, and my cook time is 90 minutes at 13 lbs. of pressure.
Step 9. Once cooked, let the jars cool by placing them upside down on a flat surface. This allows the jar to cool and helps seal the jar at the same time. The bottled venison is now ready to eat. I store my jars in my pantry. I also like to eat it chilled, so I usually keep one jar in my fridge for sandwiches.
