A Treat For The Hunters--Pickled Venison Heart
Another deer hunting season is over and I have been presented with several deer hearts. The heart is no different than any other organ meat and can be prepared in a number of ways. One way is to slice it thin and fry it for sandwiches. I have also stuffed the heart and baked it for a main course. Serve it with mashed potatoes and country gravy, a salad and bread for a satisfying dining experience. The hunters around here seem to lean towards the pickled delicacy. That is another thing they can not find in a supermarket.
Today I have started to pickle those hearts. I have washed them well several times and sliced them into 1/2-inch slices. I put them in a glass gallon jar and sprinkled each layer with canning salt. I placed the jar in the refrigerator and let it stand for about 8-hours. After that time I will take them out of the jar and rinse them with clear water. Then I put them in a pot of water to cook until they are fork tender, usually 30-45-minutes on simmer.
Meanwhile I make a pickling solution of 2-quarts vinegar, 1-small hot pepper, 2-tablespoons fresh grated horseradish, 1-teaspoon whole black peppercorns, 1-teaspoon whole allspice and 1-bay leaf. I bring this solution to a boil. When the sliced heart is fork tender I discard the water it was cooked in. I pack the heart slices in jars, pour the boiling vinegar solution over them, making sure they are covered. Then I put the lids on the jars and process them in a pressure cooker at 10-pounds for 30-minutes.
If I only have a small number of hearts I just boil the sliced heart for 10-minutes in the vinegar solution and pack them in a large jar, pour the hot vinegar over them and when the jar is cooled off I keep it in the refrigerator.
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