Venison Bone Broth

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Rich, roasty venison bone broth made from deer bones simmered low and slow with herbs and aromatic vegetables for a deep, savory stock that’s perfect for soups, stews, gravy, and braises. This method scales to any pot size and includes safe pressure canning directions so you can stock your pantry with shelf-stable jars.

Prep Time1

Cook Time10

Canning Time25

Total Time11 25

Course: Broth

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Wild Game Canning Recipes

Servings: servings, makes about 4 to 5 quarts

Equipment

Pressure Canner

Ingredients

4 lbs venison bones with some meat on them
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp juniper berries optional
2 Tbsp rosemary fresh or dried
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1 Tbsp thyme fresh or dried
4 whole bay leaves
2 medium onions quartered
2 large carrots peeled
2 whole celery sticks
1/2 bunch parsley
Water enough to cover bones
salt optional, to taste

Instructions

Coat the bones with olive oil and salt well, then roast in a 400°F oven until brown. If you can stand it, keep some meat on the bones, since trim and shanks make a better broth. Put the bones in a large stockpot. If you’re working with large bones, saw them into big pieces with a hacksaw so you can fit more into the pot, which makes a richer broth. Cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Skim the froth that forms on the surface and simmer very gently for at least 4 hours; overnight is fine. You want the broth to steam and burble a little, not roil.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for another 2 hours.
Using tongs, pull out all the bones and large bits and discard. Set a paper towel in a fine-mesh sieve over another large pot and ladle the broth through to clarify it. Discard the dregs left in the bottom of the pot, which will be loaded with sediment.
Salt the clarified broth to taste.
To freeze, pour into jars leaving about 2 inches of headspace and freeze for up to a year.
To pressure can, reheat to boiling, fill hot jars leaving 1 inch headspace, then process 20 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts), adjusting pressure for altitude and canner type.

Notes

This recipe makes about 4 to 5 quarts, but it’s easy to scale to the size of your pot. Roast as many bones as you have, fit them into your stockpot, cover with water, and use the herbs and vegetables as a guide.

For best canning results, chill the broth first and skim off fat, then reheat to boiling before filling jars.

Broth cannot be water bath canned. Use a pressure canner for shelf-stable storage.

Altitude Adjustments

With pressure canning, the processing times stay the same at higher altitudes, but the pressures change. Here are the altitude adjustments for pressure canning:

For dial gauge pressure canners:

0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure

For weighted gauge pressure canners:

0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure

Nutrition