Recipes
Canning Bear Meat
Pressure canning is a perfect solution for preserving meat.
By Timothy D Fowler - @timothydfowler
I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the canned meat was on our last hunting trip. I emptied the contents of a jar into a carbon steel fry pan over the blazing blue flame of the Coleman 425. As soon as the meat was heated through and the juice evaporated down to a thin gravy, I dished it into bowls, added a thick slice of buttered homemade sourdough and handed it over. I can report it was delicious. Peter, my hunting partner recommended I just eat it plain. He knows first-hand how much I like to mess with stuff. “Just taste the game before you get fancy” was his advice. The just-canned recipe was delicious, but the possibilities for fancy are nearly endless. You can can anything from bears to moose and rabbits to squirrels––using pretty much the same process. - Tim Fowler | @timothydfowler -By the Bear Tech | @Kolby_Morehead
Osso Bucco, meaning ‘bone with a hole’ in Italian, utilizes a part of a bear that would typically go to the grind pile. In this dish, we are using the shank, or lower part of a bear leg. This meat would not typically be used by itself because of all of the connective tissue, tendons, and sinew running from the knee down to the paw of the bear.The ingredients for Osso Bucco are common and cheap, so that’s a big win for this guy. That combined with the flavor and how the meat falls off the bone after cooking makes this a new go-to. Oh, and it’s made with only seven ingredients, too. It is easy and at the same time unique enough to be a hit in any environment. I’m definitely going to try it with other wild game as well because only the best of friends will be getting it with bear; it’s too good.
Osso Bucco is traditionally paired with risotto, but a bed of grains or noodles of some kind would do just fine too. You don’t have to put it on anything with a lot of flavor; the flavor of the meat and sauce will make up for that.
By Timothy D Fowler - @timothydfowler
Bacon is beautiful. Bacon is glorious––without bacon, where would we be? Bacon is simply salt, sweet and smoke. Bear bacon is simple to make and a special treat for you and your guests.By Lorelie Scorzafava
We all have hectic lives. Dash to work in the morning, rush home to get dinner on the table, with barely time to catch your breath some days. The slow-cooker is the friend of the harried. You can prepare a meal in a few minutes leave it slowly simmering and come home to a meal almost table ready. Bear meat must be cooked thoroughly and the gentle heat of a crock-pot or slow cooker will bubble in tenderness and infuse your bear meat with flavor, while you are free to go about your day. The Slow-Cooker Mongolian Bear recipe is tender and scrumptious and the sauce does not stick or burn in the crock-pot. Simply add rice or noodles and a veggie and your dinner will be on the table in no time.By Lorelie Scorzafava
We are all getting those grills going. Nothing tastes better than steak from the grill. Just keep in mind that bear steak needs to be cooked so no pink remains inside. Please be on the side of food safety and use an instant meat thermometer. That does not mean a dried out piece of meat. It just means that you need to grill over medium high heat, flip often and do not pierce the bear steaks. Also letting the meat rest, tented with foil, on a warm serving platter will allow the juices to redistribute through the meat while you make the scrumptious sauce. The sauce is a red wine base, so make sure you get a good bottle of red because you can finish off the bottle in a glass as you enjoy your meal.By Michael Vialpando
Bearclaws are a classic pastry, fluffy, flaky, sweet, and a solid almond filling. What isn’t so classic, is bear fat in the recipe. Let me assure you, these belong in your hunting camp. Early morning perc coffee and one of these bad boys is sure to satisfy that morning sweet tooth.The use of bear fat is in place of butter in the dough. Butter is used as a mechanical leavening agent in pastry. The layer of a solid fat in dough that is laminated creates a barrier for steam to push against. It also keeps the layers from sticking to each other, which makes that classic flakey crust.
You could use the dough recipe to make croissant, turnovers, or anything you can think up.
For a warming, savory dish to ward off the damp showers of early spring there is nothing like a rich hearty stew. Simmering the cubes of meat with veggies brings together flavors that melt in your mouth. This is not for a hurry-up-get-dinner-on-the-table meal, but a blending of time and old fashioned goodness. It can cook unattended, mostly, after you pop it in the oven, just make sure the liquid doesn’t totally evaporate, if so add some more stock or water.