NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
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to within an inch of the rim. A mixture of water and chicken bouillon will also work if you do not have time for broth making. I then ran a butter knife down along the edge and middle of the jars to remove any air pockets where bacteria can survive pressure cooking. And finally, the jars were sealed and cooked at 15 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes. Floured meat will thicken the broth into a dense gravy and give the pheasant a freshly fried taste. I savor the fall-off- the-bone tender meat right out of the jar and on sandwiches. I also heat it in a pan with a little milk to dilute the gravy and ladle it over mashed potatoes or rice. Lucille has also canned both wild and domestic ducks and geese using this method. As liquid to fill the jars she uses broth made from the birds' carcasses, melted lard or rendered duck or goose fat. Another method I use to can both pheasant and wild turkey breast and thigh meat is to first season it with salt, pepper, dried sweet basil and rosemary, then brown it un-floured in butter or olive oil. The meat is then packed into quart jars followed by a teaspoon of canning salt, a chicken bouillon cube and simmering water. Without flour, the liquid in the jars does not form a gravy. Turkey breast is especially delightful canned this way. Pheasant drum sticks and wings, which some hunters find too tough to eat, I simply pack into jars raw along with a teaspoon of canning salt and simmering water. These make quick, nutritional snacks. Fowl are not the only game that can be canned. My friend, Mark Dietz of Papillion, raves about his canned deer meat. "I use only the prime cuts, mostly roasts from the upper hind and front quarters and avoid using any meat with gristle or tendons, such as that from the lower legs," Deitz said. First trimmed of all fat, he cuts the roasts into inch-square pieces which are then tightly packed raw into quart jars. On top of the meat he adds two tablespoons of au jus base (a thick paste) and no additional broth, water, or canning salt. He then pressure cooks the meat. "Everybody loves it," Deitz said, "It is great right out of the jar, in French dip sandwiches or in stroganoff. Sometimes I eat it over potatoes or rice with gravy made from the juice left over in the jars." Canned pheasant breast over garden-grown mashed potatoes is hard to beat. 52 NEBRASKAland • DECEMBER 2016