Mincemeat originated in England many centuries ago. Due to lack of refrigeration, mincemeat was often soaked in alcohol and stored in canning jars. Today, mincemeat is easier to prepare and store. It is recommended that due to the meat content, prepared mincemeat should be sealed in sterile glass canning jars. Mincemeat can be placed in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks unprocessed. However, brandy, sherry, or bourbon must be added on a regular basis to prevent bacterial growth.
Hearty Mincemeat Filling
Makes 3 to 4 L (enough for 5 pies)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. of finely ground lean beef OR venison - heart or round steak are best (500 g)
- 4 cups of apple or grape juice ( 1 L)
- 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon ( 7 ml)
- 1 tsp of mace (5 ml)
- 1 tsp of ground cloves or allspice (5 ml)
- 1 tsp of grated whole nutmeg (5 ml)
- 1/4 cup of butter (50 ml)
- 1 1/2 cups of white sugar (375 ml)
- 1 cup of finely minced suet (250 ml) *
- 4 apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
- 2 1/2 cups of raisins, either dark or golden (625 ml)
- 2 cups of currants (500 ml)
- 1 1/2 cups of mixed candied peel (375 ml)
- 1 lemon, juice and rind
- 1 orange, juice and rind
- 2 cups of pecans or walnuts or almonds (500 ml)
- 2 cups of fresh whole cranberries (500 ml)
- 1/2 or more cup of brandy or sherry or bourbon (125 ml)
Directions
- Place meat, juice and spices in large kettle or Dutch oven on medium heat. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in remaining ingredients except for the liquor.
- Continue cooking uncovered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for 1 hour. Remove from heat.
- Stir in liquor and pour into sterile canning jars, leaving a 1 inch (2.5 cm) headspace.
- Seal and process in a pressure canner at 10 lb (4.5 kg) pressure for 20 minutes.
* Suet is raw beef or mutton fat (saturated fat) for pastry, especially the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys. It melts at about 21°C (70°F). Ask your local butcher for some suet.
If you don't have a pressure canner, than the unprocessed sealed mincemeat can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Be sure to add small amounts of liquor on a regular basis to prevent the mincemeat mixture from drying out. Other variations of mincemeat includes adding finely chopped fresh mint leaves for a more minty flavour or combining mincemeat with pumpkin pie. When using the mincemeat in a pie shell, be sure to take the mincemeat out of the refrigerator for about one hour before placing into pie shell. Enjoy!
