Canned Taco meat

[30338]

Working off the last venison from last year before the Sept tags start. Today I decided to try to can taco meat versus chunk meat for stroganoff and burritos which has been a family favorite for the last 8 years. Took out 14 pounds of ground venison, boiled 7 quart jars and went to work. After browning the meat and seasoning with our favorite dry mix, I pressure cooked for 90 minutes at 15 psi. All the jars are now cooling and due to the pressure in the jars, they are bubbling away on the counter. This stuff will last for up to 3 years and all you need to do is pop the lid and warm up.

If you haven't explored canning venison, I'd highly recommend it.

 

[sk1]

interesting, never canned meat before but that sure looks like it could be good to pop the top and add it to a burrito

 

[Becca]

Awesome! I have been experimenting with pressure canning for a few years now...a great alternative way to preserve your meat. Super handy for quick dinners on the fly...what did you season with?

 

[Bughalli]

Great idea. I make a lot of jerky and pepperoni sticks with my older meat when it gets freezer burn. Never thought of canning it. Will give it a try.

 

[30338]

Becca, I got lazy on the seasoning and we bought some fresh taco seasoning from a local seasoning store. There are a number of taco mix recipes online and any of those would work. I will can some jars of straight browned meat next time as well. Those you could add taco seasoning, chili seasoning or make sloppy joes out of really quick and easy after popping the top.

We have had good luck in the past with making meatballs and canning in tomato sauce as well. For a base camp, you can heat those right up on the wood stove with no trouble at all.

For me there are several great advantages. If your power goes out, the freezer can take a big hit. This way you can preserve a ton of meat easily with no risk of spoilage. For a fast dinner, you can pop a jar and cook it in minutes, versus having to remember to thaw something out. And for camping, it is a snap to bring a couple of jars and be able to cook easily and with less fuel than otherwise. Follow the online directions from Ball and it is completely safe.

 

[rodney482]

might explore this myself.

 

[Shrek]

How do the spice flavors hold up ?

 

[Becca]

Again, bravo. Pressure canning is a great way to preserve home cooked food without freezing or refrigeration, and as long as you follow guidelines set forth by people with more scientific knowledge than me (USDA cooperative extension services are great, in addition to ball and other canning manufacturers) they are completely safe.

I have an article about pressure canning someplace in the Rokslide editors inboxes....have to see if we can't dust it off and get it posted if folks are interested.

 

[chippewawarrior]

Dust it off, I'm interested! My wife and I are going to try this soon...

 

[30338]

Once you have the Presto or All American canner, you just need jars, rims, lids and canning salt. We also can pork loin roasts when they go on sale. Open the jar, drain, put in skillet, pour in barbecue and in 10 minutes you have pulled pork sandwiches ready to roll. Or substitute a big can of green chile mix and you have pork green chili in minutes.

We tested a jar of taco meat today for lunch and it was really great. I have had good luck with the seasonings in the meatballs lasting well so since it is a vacuum sealed jar, I am going to bet that this taco meat seasoning would easily last a year. We'll use it much faster than that though. Figure 2 pounds per quart, or 1 pound per pint. As Becca said, follow the directions closely and it is a very safe way to prepare and preserve wild game.

Oh, and for those antelope bucks that taste good but are really chewy? Chunk those roasts into 1 " cubes, can and they turn into fork tender stroganoff. Add a teaspoon of beef bouillion powder and a tsp of canning salt and can them up.

 

[Hunt'nFish]

30338, Very well done sir. Man that stuff would be great in my taco soup!
And those meatballs......"uhm tastey" (in my best Homer Simpson).
Might just be a good use for part of this years bear.

Last year I did up bear stew meat (was the bomb), and experimented w/ duck chili meat and curried goose for Vindaloo (basically a curry potato/veggie stew). This year I'm going to try canning duck up in enchilada sauce, both red & verde, and see which we like better.
For me canning is all about taking meat that is, well, tough or strong tasting and converting it to a usable protien that tastes so good it fools everyone.
Hunt'nFish

 

[sk1]

Those meatballs look incredible I definitely need to look into this canning business

 

[Becca]

I reminded our friendly editors about the pressure canning article, and its supposed to be in the queue to post soon...

It really is a great alternative for preserving your hunting/fishing bounty, and its not hard to do. Follow guidelines put forth by a reputable source and its totally safe!

 

[Slim Jim]

I would really like to try this on some of the tougher meat cuts instead of using it all for hamburger or sausage. I grew up with a friend who's family was Mormon and they canned a ton of food in a stored in their basement. I always wondered how they did that

 

[VernAK]

I'm in the process of canning last years moose burger......same process as 30338 except I often smoke the meat for and hour to enhance flavor....
This makes great biscuits and gravy for camp.....I use it with Morrison's Peppered Gravy Mix.....serve with just a hint of chopped smoked salmon sprinkled on top.

Your Ag Agent or Home Extension folks will have all sorts of info for canning meat.

 

[30338]

Dayum! Like the idea of smoking some prior to canning. I read another article, I think on here, about canning duck with beef bouillon. That seems like an interesting experiment as well. Be nice if we can get some folks posting up canning ideas. I did another batch of ground with jalapenos, onions and garlic. Figured it could go in chili or turned into sloppy joes easy depending on the mood. Haven't tried that yet.

Taking all my stuff with me for doing a big batch of fall bear lard if the hunting gods smile on me in Sept. Will post pics, but will say last years lard was just great in biscuits and cookies.

 

[Clarktar]

I am really interested in this canning meat idea. My wife and I just started canning (water bath) last year. We have mostly canned peaches, cucumbers, tomatoes and other fruits and veggies from the garden. But I am really intrigued about the meat idea!!!!

 

[Tuffy]

Here's another thread on the subject.
http://www.rokslide.com/forums/showthread.php?5373-Pressure-Canned-Moose-Chili

These threads got me fired up about it too, so we picked up a pressure canner and have canned last year's leftover Antelope and wild hog meat.
It works great!

 

[30338]

Glad to hear it Tuffy. Clarktar, don't hot water can meats, have to use a pressure cooker for those projects. Definitely worth the expense of getting started.

Going to experiment with some choke cherry jelly on Sunday. I figure if the bears are that crazy over them, they must be good. Get some bear lard biscuits going, a little choke cherry jelly, perhaps some bear breakfast sausage and life will be fine.

 

[Hunt'nFish]

Well, I just opened a jar of curried goose I canned earlier this year & made up some Vindaloo.
OMG, the meat turned out awesome! I had the salt & curry dialed in to perfection.
My wife was a little skeptical about the canned goose idea but quickly changed her opinion.
One advantage about canned meat is you don't have to slow cook it all day to be fork tender.
It's that way right out of the jar. Dish took about 30min start to finish.
As soon as the potatos & carrots were fork tender, I dumped in canned meat & it was done.
Success w/ the canned curried goose!

Now on to the Canned Duck Enchilada.
Hunt'nFish