Canned meat: What the heck is up with that?

[Oggie]

OK, something has been gnawing at me since I saw the thread about folks canning venison: Why the heck would anyone can meat?

I don't hunt, now, mainly because I don't have any guns in the house, and the thought of jumping on the back of a deer or elk and sawing away at its throat with a serrated grapefruit spoon is just a little daunting. My friends who do hunt freeze what they bring home.

My limited experience with commercially canned meat just isn't what I would like for meat.

Is canned meat a whole different jar of fish?

I think that if I were left to starve with a bunch of canned meat and bags of dried beans, I'd be boiling bean water, sharpening my grapefruit spoon, using the canned meat for bait, and trying to figure out a bear's softest spot.

[Kipper]

Canned meat is great ! it is sooooooo tender! We can deer to use in Chili YUMM!

[Tiempo]

I read a book recently called "Breathers"

It was a comi/tragi/romantic zombie story

The Zombies believed they were eating home canned venison, but it turned out to be people.

[beaglady]

Canned meat saves freezer space. I never canned venison, but I like to do stew beef, chisken and turkey pieces in broth, because they make a quick meal that is ready in minutes. Just open a jar into a pan, heat, thicken the broth to make gravy and serve over biscuits or bread, for 'instant' dinner in minutes. DH and I both have outside jobs in addition to our farm, and there are nights where a quick, homecooked dinner is very much appreciated.

[skwentnaflyer]

plus, no freezer burn and no loss if the electricity goes out!

[IMContrary]

And it is easier to pass off cat meat as chicken when it is processed. :baby04:

[hillbillygal]

Venison is so much better after it's been canned than just frozen. I can meat so that I don't have all our meat in the freezer in case of a prolonged power outage. I also like the fact that if I need meat for a recipe, I don't have to defrost. I just open my can and bring it to a high temp for a few minutes and I'm good to go.

You can tenderlize that bear by stomping it real good soon as you catch it.

[Oggie]

I'm just remembering canned hams, spam, etc.

The folks I know who hunt animals for food live in regions that, if the power went out, thawing wouldn't be a problem. They try to have the meat in their freezers used by spring, so that they can start over and it's always more fresh.

I just worry a little about both flavor and safety.

As I said it's a bit of an unknown entity.

[IMContrary]

Originally Posted by zong

You can tenderlize that bear by stomping it real good soon as you catch it.

I thought with bears you were supposed to thrust your arm down their throats until you can grab them by the tail and pull them inside out?

[GoldenCityMuse]

Contrary, that is baaaaaaaaaaad.
Send some to oggie for Christmas.

[Fae]

If you can it like you are supposed to it is just as safe as frozen and you don't have to worry about a freezer. I have a chest type freezer but really don't have room for it so am planning to can all my meat and vegetables and sell the freezer.

[Homesteadwi5]

We both can and freeze all our bear and venison.Canned is great for tender stew meat etc,but i still freeze steaks for grilling.

[Island of Blueb]

Originally Posted by hillbillygal

Venison is so much better after it's been canned than just frozen. I can meat so that I don't have all our meat in the freezer in case of a prolonged power outage. I also like the fact that if I need meat for a recipe, I don't have to defrost. I just open my can and bring it to a high temp for a few minutes and I'm good to go.

I agree with you on all points, hillbillygal. Bear meat is so much better after it is canned also... it does something to it. Although I love venison out of the freezer, thawed and cooked.

[Dandish]

I'm not crazy about the idea of canning meat, either. I can see where stew or soup is great, but just the meat? I'd rather have it frozen.

Another thing that completely puzzled me was a post I saw not too long ago where someone was canning beans - cooking dried beans and then canning them. I really don't get that at all...all that work...but there's probably a point to it I don't know (wouldn't be the first time, for sure..;0)

[ladycat]

Originally Posted by Oggie

Is canned meat a whole different jar of fish?

YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Home canned meat in glass jars is completely wonderful!

[Forest Breath]

When you live completely without electricity canned meat is wonderful. It is a way to preserve the meat for the winter and the stews never tasted better. I canned ground meat as well for chili, casseroles and spaghetti.

[~NY_Cowgirl~]

My mom canned meat loaf once.. smelled like cat food when you opened it up and came out in a huge chunk of...Ugh makes me gaga thinking about it.. yeah...didn't do that again. But we still can some beef and Chicken for soups and stuff..

[Oggie]

Originally Posted by rose2005

So what would you do if the grid goes down and you have a freezer full of meat?

The folks I know who depend on game from their freezer live where it's cold during the winter, when they use it most.

We no longer have a large freezer. Between our diminishing family size, energy costs and my general lack of interest/skill in long-term day-to-day planning, we seemed to be wasting far too much.

Now, we plan about a week at a time. Life, for now, is just too unpredictable.

When our lives are juked around less by work and school schedules, we might return more to long-term storage.

[Melissa]

Canned meat is awesome; so versatile and very tasty. It is completely safe if processed in a pressure canner. Comparing the taste of home-canned venison to spam is like comparing a Mc Donalds cheeseburger to prime organic grass-fed beef...