Bear Recipes

[Chattahoochee Reaper]

The main way I use it is just for ground.
I mostly make burgers and spaghetti and taco type stuff with it.
Near is the most underrated wild game meat in the woods. It gets a bad rap because lots of people here out east don't process their own game. They just take it to a processor. He skins and quarters, cuts and grinds, packages it and gets it back to you. He doesn't take the time to trim excess fat from where you don't want it in the meat. A little know - how and an hour of trimming meat can make the difference between poor quality meat and high quality meat.

 

[Walkstoomuch]

Corned - many uses once it’s bribed and cooked tender
Massaman curry
50/50 with elk or deer for meatballs

 

[DawnPatrol]

Corned - many uses once it’s bribed and cooked tender
Massaman curry
50/50 with elk or deer for meatballs

Share your massaman curry recipe?

 

[Walkstoomuch]

I don't have a written recipe to share, I just follow general procedure and adjust flavors as I go

Cubed meat, doesn't need to be super trimmed, I prefer tougher cuts but you could use backstrap and then skip the braising part
chicken stock or water
Coconut milk
massaman curry paste
palm sugar (or brown or white)
fish sauce
tamarind paste
onions - julienne
potato, something starchy that will hold together like a yukon not russet

I like to sear the meat until brown and crusty then braise in the stock until tender, pressure cooker is helpful
Once the meat is tender, you can do the braising days ahead of time then I start making the curry
Scoop the thick coconut milk that settles at the top of the can off and set liquidy part aside
In a dutch oven or similar pot heat thick coconut milk over medium heat while stirring until oil starts to separate out
Add curry paste and continue to cook for a few minutes
Add sugar, tamarind and remaining coconut milk and braising liquid if you braised the meat
Add onions, potatoes, meat and bring to a simmer
Simmer for 30-45 minutes until potatoes are tender
Taste and add flavor profile - tamarind for sour, sugar for sweet or fish sauce for salty
Serve over rice with toasted peanuts

 

[DawnPatrol]

Thanks! Looks amazing.

 

[ManOfSteel]

I don't have a written recipe to share, I just follow general procedure and adjust flavors as I go

Cubed meat, doesn't need to be super trimmed, I prefer tougher cuts but you could use backstrap and then skip the braising part
chicken stock or water
Coconut milk
massaman curry paste
palm sugar (or brown or white)
fish sauce
tamarind paste
onions - julienne
potato, something starchy that will hold together like a yukon not russet

I like to sear the meat until brown and crusty then braise in the stock until tender, pressure cooker is helpful
Once the meat is tender, you can do the braising days ahead of time then I start making the curry
Scoop the thick coconut milk that settles at the top of the can off and set liquidy part aside
In a dutch oven or similar pot heat thick coconut milk over medium heat while stirring until oil starts to separate out
Add curry paste and continue to cook for a few minutes
Add sugar, tamarind and remaining coconut milk and braising liquid if you braised the meat
Add onions, potatoes, meat and bring to a simmer
Simmer for 30-45 minutes until potatoes are tender
Taste and add flavor profile - tamarind for sour, sugar for sweet or fish sauce for salty
Serve over rice with toasted peanuts

That sounds incredible. Been dying to try bear, hoping my buddy comes through with a roast for me!

 

[Scogin]

We experimented with Instapot beef stew recipes until we felt it was dialed in. Made it this weekend with bear meat and it was perfect.

2 Pounds Bear Stew Meat 1” Cubes
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
½ Large Onion, Chopped
2 Celery Ribs Diced
8 Ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms, Quartered
1 16 Ounce Bag Rainbow Carrots, Cut to 1 Inch Chunks
1 Pound Potatoes, Cubed
2 ½ Cups Chicken Bone Broth or Stock
1 tbsp beef bouillon (Better Than Beef Brand)
1 15 Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
2 Tablespoons Water

Salt the beef stew meat. In an enameled Dutch oven, add the olive oil and heat over medium high until just smoking. Add the meat in single layer batches and brown on all sides. Put browned meat in Insta pot. Lower heat to medium then put mushrooms in the Dutch oven and cover for five minutes to sweat the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms to the Insta pot. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven and return heat to medium high. Add the diced onions and celery and sauté until translucent. Add 3 cups of chicken stock to deglaze the Dutch oven, then add 1 tablespoon of beef bullion. Stir until beef bullion is dissolved, making sure to scrape off all the flavorful brown bits from the bottom and sides of the Dutch oven. Then pour the contents of the Dutch oven into the Insta pot. Add potatoes, carrots, tomato sauce, tomato paste, pepper, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and bay leaves to the Insta pot. Stir until combined.

Close the lid and steam valve on the instant pot.

Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release.

Mix together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl and stir into the stew until thickened.

 

[speedyjay400]

In moving down to Tennessee soon and wanna get in to bear hunting... only I hear it's greasy?....how do yall feel ? I have always butchered my own deer and jar it even as well ...I feel I could do a bear just fine as well...are bear roasts any good like a deer roast ?

 

[Yoteassasin]

Bear Birria made In To quesabirrias de oso

 

[gonhunting247]

Bear makes excellent breakfast sausage. I make at least 1 bear into it a year. Just keep it simple with whatever seasoning you prefer for breakfast patties. My whole family loves it browned with eggs and cheese for breakfast burritos. My wife and my step-sons didn't grow up around hunting and they love it too! I can't keep enough made it seems.

 

[go_deep]

Just had smoked bear ring bologna for lunch. Bear brats are always good!

 

[bpeay4]

keep the back strap either whole or cut in a couple sections. marinade. and grill it like you would tri tip or on a traeger style smoker if you got one. Cook it to whatever temp you have determined to be safe for bear meat.

 

[haywoodhunter]

In moving down to Tennessee soon and wanna get in to bear hunting... only I hear it's greasy?....how do yall feel ? I have always butchered my own deer and jar it even as well ...I feel I could do a bear just fine as well...are bear roasts any good like a deer roast ?

Bear roasts are delicious. For the most part I prefer it to a deer roast.

 

[dla]

Throw out some recipes. Ill take some odd exotic ones even.

Put bear meat in Instant pot. Add 2 cups of chicken broth. 1 packet of ranch dressing mix, 1 packet of au jus. Add peeled potatoes and whole carrots.
Set Instant Pot for 2.5 hr pressure cook. After which you can be sure that all the trichinosis eggs, ocysts, larva and adults are dead and tenderized.
And the meat will taste good.

 

[Thegman]

Bear makes excellent breakfast sausage. I make at least 1 bear into it a year. Just keep it simple with whatever seasoning you prefer for breakfast patties. My whole family loves it browned with eggs and cheese for breakfast burritos. My wife and my step-sons didn't grow up around hunting and they love it too! I can't keep enough made it seems.

That's what I do with almost all my fat fall AK black bears, and have it most mornings. I grind plenty of the fat into the sausage and render the rest for all my cooking and butter. I don't buy oil or butter, ever. I'm not sure how the fat is in other places, but where I am, it's always good. Have never had a bad black bear.

 

[DawnPatrol]

I don't have a written recipe to share, I just follow general procedure and adjust flavors as I go

Cubed meat, doesn't need to be super trimmed, I prefer tougher cuts but you could use backstrap and then skip the braising part
chicken stock or water
Coconut milk
massaman curry paste
palm sugar (or brown or white)
fish sauce
tamarind paste
onions - julienne
potato, something starchy that will hold together like a yukon not russet

I like to sear the meat until brown and crusty then braise in the stock until tender, pressure cooker is helpful
Once the meat is tender, you can do the braising days ahead of time then I start making the curry
Scoop the thick coconut milk that settles at the top of the can off and set liquidy part aside
In a dutch oven or similar pot heat thick coconut milk over medium heat while stirring until oil starts to separate out
Add curry paste and continue to cook for a few minutes
Add sugar, tamarind and remaining coconut milk and braising liquid if you braised the meat
Add onions, potatoes, meat and bring to a simmer
Simmer for 30-45 minutes until potatoes are tender
Taste and add flavor profile - tamarind for sour, sugar for sweet or fish sauce for salty
Serve over rice with toasted peanuts

I finally tracked down some tamarind paste and tried this recipe. It was pretty good.

I cubed some bear back strap, browned it, then put in a crockpot all day with a can of Rainer and some stock. Turned out very tender.

The curry was pretty good. Unfortunately, my family is afraid of spicy food, so the curry paste I used was pretty bland and I didn’t use a lot of it. Has a lot of potential, though!

 

[DawnPatrol]

I hear it's greasy?

Everyone says that like it’s a bad thing. It’s not as greasy as pork. The fat is the best part!

 

[DWinVA]

I haven't found a bad way to prepare bear yet. My wife much prefers it over deer meat. Fortunately (and unfortunately for the deer hunting) the bear population where I hunt has exploded. The landowner at one spot I hunt gets kill permits due to crop damage so I've been able to get the meat from 3 of the 5 bear killed there this year...all on permit expect one I killed late season and used a regular bear tag. Pressure canning bear has been the best for me.....no issues with Tric and you can do a lot with the meat when you open a can. Sous Vid is another great option.

God Bless.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Hank Shaws Chile Colorado with bear meat is fantastic.

 

[AKBC]

Pressure can bear meat chunks in pint glass jars (~1 pound). Use as taco meat. Simple and safe (canning kills the trichinella).