Canadian North Woods Venison Mincemeat Recipes

MAINE VENISON MINCEMEAT

Steps:

• Boil the deer neck in enough water to keep it covered, for 4 hours or until the bones come out clean.
• Whilst the neck is boiling, peel, core and chop the apples.
• Let pot of meat cool overnight.
• Grind the meat, and 1 cup solid suet that forms on top, through a fine plate, quarter and grind the lemon and orange (peel and all)
• Combine everything except 1 pt of cider in a large pot.
• Simmer over very low heat, stirring with care not to burn on. I cook mine on a wood cook stove. A hot top also works well.
• Adjust the consistency with the cider, depending on how much juice the apples produce.
• Simmer for 45 minutes or so, until the mixture is bubbling, but apples are still mostly whole.
• Add brandy to taste.
• Pack into quart mason jars hot, or plastic containers cool and freeze for pies.

VENISON MINCEMEAT

Steps:

• Grind venison through the medium plate of a meat grinder.
• Grind suet through the fine plate of the meat grinder (you may need to grind the suet twice--there can be no smell of blood on it or it will spoil the mincemeat.).
• Peel and core the apples and chop them in a food processor.
• Place the ground meat and the apples in a large bowl and then mix in the rest of the ingredients, blending well.
• Pack mincemeat into a nonreactive container (such a glazed earthenware) and then cover container with a clean tea towel soaked in rum and then cover with plastic wrap or a lid.
• Store in refrigerator for a least a month to bind flavors together.
• The mincemeat will continue to develop for another 4 months or so and can then be stored indefinitely.
• This amount will make 3 pies. To make pies: prepare pie pastry (two crust pie), lining pie dishes with pastry. Pour filling into prepared pie dishes and cover with top crusts. Blend one egg and 1 tablespoon water and brush top crusts with egg wash. Cut vent holes in top crust. Bake pies at 350-degrees for 40-45 minutes our until golden brown.

VENISON MINCEMEAT

Steps:

• Simmer venison neck or roast in unsalted water until tender.
• Cool and remove meat.
• Run meat, suet, raisins and currents through meat grinder with a fine blade attached.
• Combine all the ingredients.
• Place in a roasting pan.
• Stirring occasionally, cook at 325F until the apples are tender and mincemeat is hot.
• Pack in hot pint jars and seal.
• Place in hot water bath for 10 minutes.
• Makes 10 pints.

MINCE PIES (WITH HOMEMADE MINCEMEAT)

Steps:

• For the filling, mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and let sit overnight to absorb all the liquid then spoon and pack into sterilised jars. Let it sit for at least 2 weeks (but longer is better) before using. (You can also just buy two 14oz jars of 'mincemeat' if you can find it).
• For the pastry:.
• Cream the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the egg yolks and stir them in until smooth. Add the flour and salt, stir briefly then use your hands to gently knead into a uniform dough. Divide into two balls, flatten into disks and cover with plastic wrap then chill for an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• To assemble:.
• Remove one disk of pastry from fridge and unwrap. Roll out on a piece of floured baking paper until very thin - about 1/8-inch thick. Use a circular cutter to cut out twelve 3-inch circles. Place the circles into a mini tart/tartlette pan. Spoon in a heaped teaspoonful of filling. Re-roll the scraps of dough and cut out 12 stars to place ontop of each tartlet.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden and bubbling. Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat the rolling, cutting and filling of the pies using the remaining pastry.
• Store in an airtight container.