Recipes
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.
By Craig and Samantha Wall
Stuffing, dressing, filling. Whatever you may call it, by the time the holiday season comes to an end, you may have had your fill of this delicious side dish. Here is a great recipe though to change up the flavor of this classic while also introducing a new way to utilize your bear meat. The bear sausage itself can be used in anything from gravy to pizza toppings, and the use of the crockpot to cook the stuffing makes this a simple set it and forget it recipe.By Craig Wall
Paying a meat processor for a batch of summer sausage can get expensive. Here is a delicious recipe for smoked wild game summer sausage that you can do at home on your own.By Chef Jade Berg
This recipe is an easy one to make. I like to make the Chorizo in a large batch and freeze it into meal size portions. The potatoes can always be boiled the day before and left in the fridge so it's a quick meal the night you're making it. I like to think of a recipe as more of a guideline so feel free to add less or more of anything, whatever tastes good to you!By Dante Zuniga-West
Native Americans and other “old-timers” believed that the spirit of a bear resided in its heart. For this reason, consuming the heart was thought to be a way of absorbing strength from the animal they revered as “man without fire.” Whether or not you ascribe to this belief, one indisputable fact is simple: a properly prepared bear heart is delicious. So, the next time you’re elbow-deep in your field dressing process, don’t pass up the opportunity to harvest this tasty treat. Here’s a no-nonsense, easy-to-pull-off recipe for bear heart that can be cooked at home or at camp.Gumbo with Bear-Lard Roux [History & Recipe]
My Mom's Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
By Ken Wells
"With butter generally absent from the diets of most colonial Louisianans, early roux relied on oil rendered from local bear lard. Bear oil was not only in wide circulation... but with a higher smoke point than butter; cooks could achieve a darker, more robust roux."
Bear oil or rendered bear fat can be used in substitute for any recipe calling for oil or Crisco. Bear oil has almost zero odor and ads no negative flavors, but is actually renowned for making baked goods light and fluffy. Liven the conversation around desert with some bear oil cookies this winter. Typically cookie recipes call for Crisco. Substituting oil will make the batter and finished cookies much more crumbly. The batter is best made into a ball shape. Be prepared for them to be light, flaky and quite crumbly. They will not melt down and flatten while cooking. However, the taste will be excellent.