Recipes

Black Bear Jaeger Schnitzel

By Timothy Fowler

During a recent interview with a senior carnivore specialist responsible for bears, he said it was my fault that bear hunters and bear hunting harvests had increased by 50% in the last decade or so in the jurisdiction he oversaw. It was not an attack. He observed that bear meat on the table has become much more popular over the previous decade, and it was guys like me who made it so. We share delicious bear meat. We share recipes and methods. Guests come back for seconds. 

At the same time dinner, guests are more adventurous in trying game, and bear hunters are pushing on various preparations of bear to make it delicious. He was saying nobody used to eat bear meat. It is not that big of a deal to have some delightful, cooked bear. I know that black bear makes a regular appearance on my entertaining menu, whether Jaeger Schnitzel (keep reading), smoked bear leg––now our Easter Dinner go-to––pan-fried bear back bacon for brunch guests or molasses baked beans made with wet-cured and hot-smoked bear shanks. You will find several different kinds of homemade black bear sausages on our grill when camping or just hanging out in summer evenings in the backyard. People are curious. They want to give it a try. Here is another way to present bear that is delicious. And the name is a celebratory nod to the hunter.

Enjoy!

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • Boning, slicing, and chopping knife
  • Measures
  • Cast iron frying pan
  • Enameled cast Dutch oven
  • Wooden spoon
  • Meat Mallet or cleaver for flattening cutlets
  • Oven and Stovetop

 

 

 

Ingredients

  • 4 thumb-sized shallots, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 250 ml / 1 cup game stock (I used bear stock, but beef, pork, or venison would work fine.)
  • 796 ml can of whole Italian Tomatoes squished by hand
  • 60 ml / 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 15 ml / 1 Tablespoon grainy mustard
  • 5 ml / 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • Flour for dredging
  • Olive oil for frying
  • 1.0 kg or 2 pounds single muscle bear meat, use round steak or loin
 

Method

 
            1. Wipe bear meat with paper towels to ensure the surface of the meat is dry.
            2. Cut meat across the muscle grain into 90 gram or 3-ounce portions.
            3. Place the cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap on a solid surface and smack with a                          cleaver or meat mallet to make a 1/2 centimetre or 1/4-inch-thick cutlets.
            4. Spread the cutlets out on a plate and sprinkle season with coarse salt and pepper. Let rest                        while you assemble the other ingredients.
            5. Prepare a dredging pan with a cup of flour.
            6. Peel and dice the shallots, crush the garlic. 
            7. Heat the oven to 350F.
            8. Assemble the other ingredients and warm the frying pan.
            9. Once the cutlets have had 45 minutes to warm and absorb the salt, dredge in flour and fry in                  olive oil over medium-high heat.
            10. Removed seared cutlets to the Dutch oven.
            11. Add a bit of oil if required and sauté garlic and shallots until the shallots are transparent.
            12. Deglaze the frying pan with the stock. Pour over the cutlets in the Dutch Oven.
            13. Add the tomatoes, cover, and bake for about 2 hours.
            14. At 30 minutes, add potatoes to bake and squash (if you like).
            15. Prepare Brussels sprouts (if you are having them) by washing, draining, trimming, and                            cutting in half.
            16. When schnitzel cooking is complete, remove it from the oven.
            17. Sauté the Brussels sprouts season with salt and pepper.
            18. Dish up dinner: Jaeger Schnitzel, baked potatoes, squash, and sprouts. (Or whatever sides                      suit you and your guests.
 
Sharing what I have harvested, carefully prepared, and graciously served gives me tremendous pleasure. I hope it does for you too.

Permalink: /2022/6/black-bear-jaeger-schnitzel

Related Links