Steve Calvin wrote:
> Nope. Actually as a hunter all of my life I understand. (Can't wait
> for the whitetail trip to northern Maine in Nov.!) I absolutely agree
> with everything that you said.

I have never hunted or tasted deer meat. There aren't any deer in my area.
In fact that's why there are so many moose. Deer carries a parasite that is
lethal to moose. A population of deer generally severly limits moose
populations.

> But, "bottled" meat? Don't think that I've heard of that. What's the
> process?

I think in the US you refer to it as 'preserves', although this term may
only apply to vegetable matter. Here in the great white north we bottle
quite a bit of beef, pork and chicken -not to mention wild game- I guess
it's a holdover from the days when winter supplies of meat were limited. It
was a method of preservation. Canning was actually more popular, but the
advent of reusable bottles makes the process more economical.

I typically use 500mL or 1L mason jar preserve bottles. The bottles are
glass, of course and there is a steel ring with a separate steel cap - which
is coated in rubber on the inside. The process is simple but time
consuming. All the bottles must be cleaned and sterilized first.

Normally I keep a full quarter for bottling. This past fall, the moose I
shot had quarters that were about 60Kg (about 135lb if my conversion is
correct). After hanging for about three weeks in 4 Celsius, I brought the
full quarter home and put it on the island in the kitchen (the wife was not
impressed!!). I sliced off all the meat that I could and tossed out the
grisl and other junk and put the bone aside (soup). Then I cut the meat
into cubes about 3cm on all sides. I take an average sized bay leaf and
break it in half. I drop one half of the bay leaf into the bottom of the
bottle. Add 15mL of olive oil (the traditional method is to use a piece of
pork fat - but I prefer olive oil). Add a layer of meat and sprinkle with a
little fresh ground pepper and a small amount of oregano flakes. Another
layer of meat and spices...so on till the bottle is full - as full as you
can possible stuff it. Add the other half of the bay leaf and another
splash of olive oil. Once you have all the meat bottled - put them in a
water bath on the stove top and bring to a boil. Boil the bottles for 3.5
to 4.5 hours depending on how tender you want the meat. It is important not
to add salt or onions to the bottled meat. The salt will dry out the meat
and onions will impart a bitter taste to the meat. Once the boiling is done
remove the bottles and lay on a counter or board away from the heat of the
stove. A vacuum seal will form and the tops of the bottles will pop shut -
that means you have a perfect seal. The ones that don't pop will have to be
reboiled for about a half an hour or so.

Properly prepared bottled meat will last for at least 4 years. It can be
stored in a dark cool area - a basement is fine - as long as it's out of
direct light. I have eaten it as old as six years and it tasted great.

The meat can be eaten cold or reheated. Here's my favourite recipe. I eat
so much of this that my wife thinks I'm nuts. --

Have a supply of your favourite beer handy. Drink one. Open another.
Take a frying pan - preferably cast iron - and get some pork fat or olive
oil good and hot, drop in lots of chopped and cross cut white onions. Sauté
the onions until you get some juice from them. Add a little beer. Add some
crushed garlic if you like. Open the bottle of meat and drop it in the pan
along with all the juice in the bottle. Remove the pieces of bay leaf and
discard. Next immediately add an appropriate amount of potatoes cut into
quarters (for an average sized potato) and toss them on top. Don't stir.
Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bring the liquid to a boil. Once
boiling stir only enough to keep from burning onto the bottom. If the stew
starts to go dry add some more of that beer. Once the potatoes are done,
it's all done. Serve it out on a fresh plate, pour some of the liquid from
the pan over it, open a fresh beer and enjoy!!

There ya have it! There are other variations to this recipe - usually other
vegetables are added. Those are fine too but I like mine the best.

Cheers!

Glomis