 Canning is an excellent way to preserve food, allowing game meat to be stored safely for one year before eating. Today we are working with Moose. But the same process will work for venison, caribou, reindeer, and other game meats. I am Carrie Van Delden with the Cooperative Extension Service for the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This session will provide the necessary steps for canning meat and jars. This process is also referred to as jarring. Because moose meat is naturally low in acid, pressure canning is required to kill dangerous microorganisms. For more information on pressure canning, you may view our complete learning module. The written instructions for this session are also available from the Cooperative Extension Service in the publication Canning Moose and Caribou. Contact your local extension agent for a copy. Research on food preservation is an ongoing process. The United States Department of Agriculture and the Cooperative Extension Service continually apply new research findings to the recommendations for food preservation techniques. The guidelines in this module may be revised as additional knowledge is gained that increases the margin of safety or improves quality of home-preserved foods. Consult your local Cooperative Extension Office annually for updated information. The equipment necessary for canning moose includes a pressure canner with a dial gauge or weighted gauge, canning jars, two-piece self-sealing lids, a jar lifter, a sharp knife, a plastic knife. Before you begin, read and familiarize yourself with the directions for your canner. If you do not have an instruction manual, contact the manufacturer for a new copy. Make certain your pressure canner is in good working order. Inspect the gaskets. It should be soft, pliable, and free from tears or defects that would allow air to escape. The canner must be airtight when it is sealed. Check the safety plug to see that it is correctly seated. Hold the canner lid up to the light and make sure the vent is not blocked. If you're using a dial gauge, have it checked annually for accuracy. Dial pressure gauges may be checked by your local Cooperative Extension agent. For canning game meat, you may use half pint, pint, or quart jars. Make sure you follow the specific instructions for the jar size you choose, processing times vary. You will use a two-piece lid to seal the jars. The flat lid has the sealing compound, and the ring holds the lid in place until the jar is sealed. Lids cannot be reused. Use new lids every time you can. Rings may be reused if they are not bent or rusty. You can use fresh meat or frozen meat for pressure canning. When using frozen meat, thaw it in the refrigerator or place wrapped meat under cold running water. There are two methods for preparing meat for canning. Hot pack requires meat to be brown before it is placed in the jars. This shrinks the meat and allows the jars to be packed more tightly. Raw pack, as the name implies, is not browned. Raw meat is packed directly into the jars. Either method is acceptable. To prepare mousse, cut the meat into one inch cubes. Trim away fat and gristle. For cold pack, keep the meat cold until you are ready to pack it into jars. For hot packed mousse, brown the meat in a skillet with a small amount of oil. Reserve the remaining hot liquid. You will add it to the jars after packing. In preparation for canning, wash jars in hot soapy water. Run your finger around the rim of the jar to check for nicks or scars that might prevent sealing. Prepare the lids and rings according to manufacturer's directions. You will often be instructed to heat the jar lids in order to soften the sealing compound. Salt, seasoning salt, garlic, onions and other spices may be added to the top of the packed mousse. If you decide to use seasoning, we suggest a half teaspoon of salt for each pint jar and one teaspoon of salt per quart jar. Seasoning is optional and not part of the preservation process. Pack mousse solidly into the jars. For hot packed jars, use a funnel to pour the reserved hot liquid from the skillet into the jar. If additional liquid is needed, you can use boiling water, broth or tomato juice. Leave one inch of head space. Run a plastic knife around the inside of the jar. This will release air bubbles. For cold packed jars, you will only add meat and seasoning if desired. Do not add liquid. Clean around the rim of the jar with a damp cloth and attach the lids and rings. They should fit finger tight. Remember the purpose of the rings is to hold the lid against the jar until it seals. Over tightening may cause the lid to buckle. Tighten rings slightly beyond the point of resistance, but no further. To begin the canning process, center your empty canner on the heat source and add two to three inches of water. The temperature of the water should be similar to the product in the jars. For cold packed, use cold water. For hot packed, use hot water. Put a rack in the bottom of the canner. The rack helps to prevent direct contact between the jars and the heat source, which may cause the jars to break or crack. Place filled jars on the rack in the bottom of the canner. If your canner is deep enough, jars may be stacked. After the first row, put in another rack. Or offset the jars by placing one in between two others. When your canner is filled, fasten the lid securely. Lids fit on one way. Most lids have an arrow showing where to match the lid to the handle. Be sure the lid locks completely. Leave the weight off the vent port or open the petcock. As air inside the canner heats, it expands. This pushes the excess air out of the canner through the vent port. Heat at the highest possible setting until a steady stream flows from the petcock or vent port. Once there is a steady stream, allow steam to escape for 10 minutes. Close the vent by shutting the petcock or placing the weight on the vent. The canner will pressurize during the next three to five minutes. Wait for the pressure to reach 11 pounds for a dial gauge or 10 pounds for a weighted gauge canner. Once recommended pressure is reached, begin timing. Process half pints and pint jars for 75 minutes. Larger quart jars require 90 minutes for heat to penetrate evenly. Set your timer and note the starting and ending times. Just in case. Frequently monitor your canner. If pressure drops below the recommendations, the canner must be brought back to the recommended level. And timing started over. At altitudes greater than a thousand feet above sea level, ask your extension agent for recommended times and pressures. When the timing process is complete, turn off the heat. Remove the canner from heat if possible and let the canner depressurize. Allow the pressure to drop naturally. Do not apply cold water or cold cloths. After 30 to 45 minutes, check to see if the pressure has dropped by tipping the weight or by checking the dial gauge. Open the vent when the pressure reaches zero and no steam escapes when the weight is tipped. Wait 10 minutes before removing the lid. Unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid away from you so that the steam will not burn your face. Remove the jars with a lifter and place them on a towel or cooling rack. Allow jars to cool for 12 hours before moving them again. Never rush the cooling process or jars may break. Jars should be cooled in an area away from drafts. Air blowing on hot jars may also cause breakage. Jars will seal as they cool. When the canning process is complete and your jars have cooled for 12 hours, check the seals by tapping the lids. If one of your jars does not seal, like this one, you have three options. You can reprocess the unsealed jar within 24 hours using a fresh lid. Freeze the contents of the unsealed jar or refrigerate the jar and use the product within 3 to 4 days. Reprocessing does not affect the quality of the meat. Rings may be removed from the jar when the cooling process is complete and you have checked the seal. Label your jars with the date, processing time, and processing method. Store canned goods in a cool, dark place. For best quality, you want to use your mousse within one year.