If you are looking for The Best Black Bear Stew Recipe so you can put your bear steaks, bear backstrap or bear stew meat to use, this is the one.
Fall is time for hunting in the United States, and at this time of year we find ways to cook up different wild meats according to what we are blessed with! This season we were gifted some wild bear meat.
Despite the bear species, whether brown bears, grizzly bears, cave bears or black bears, this recipe will work the same.
- Prep Time 30minutes minutes
- Cook Time 35minutes minutes
- Natural Release Time 15minutes minutes
- Total Time 1hour hour 20minutes minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 416kcal
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet or large skillet
- Instant Pot/Electric Pressure Cooker or Slow Cooker
- Tongs
- Plate
Ingredients
- 2 lbs bulk black bear meat, cubed
- 2 Tbsp bacon grease or olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced small
- 3 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 6oz can tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 4 cups rough chopped veggies carrots, celery, potatoes, radishes etc.
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 Tbsp tapioca starch or corn starch alternately use 1 tsp glucomannan
- 1/3 cup dark red wine optional add in at broth step for flavor
Instructions
- Start by preheating a skillet over medium heat. Lay the bear meat out onto a plate in one layer. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
- Put bacon grease or olive oil in preheated skillet. Sear meat chunks in skillet not touching each other. Do this in batches if you need to.
- Once meat is all browned, add the chopped onion to the skillet and cook until softened and the browned bits have come up.
- Whisk in the beef broth and wine, if using, and cook till simmering and all browned bits have come up from the bottom of the skillet.
- Pour all from skillet into your electric pressure cooker or crockpot.
- Add in the spices, worcestershire sauce or soy sauce and tomato paste at this time and whisk to mix up. Save the glucomannan or starch for the end of the recipe.
- Pour browned meat over the top and stir. Now add the roughly chopped veggies over the top of the meat and stir once more.
- If cooking in the ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER, cook on HIGH for 35minutes. If cooking in the SLOW COOKER, cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.
- With the ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER, after time has expired, leave it alone for 15 minutes which is called a natural release.
- With the SLOW COOKER, after time is up, do a quick stir and proceed.
- With either method, once cook time is up, take the 2 tbsp starch and mix with 2 tbsp cold water with a whisk. Now stir into the stew. With the ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER, turn to SAUTE mode for 5 minutes until it simmers, then it is done.
- With the SLOW COOKER, turn to HIGH and let it cook 10 minutes until small bubbles appear and it thickens to your liking.
- Serve up hot! Leftovers keep well. 5 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 416 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 17.3g | 22% |
| Saturated Fat 4g | 20% |
| Cholesterol 90mg | 30% |
| Sodium 8892mg | 387% |
| Total Carbohydrate 16.8g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber 2.7g | 10% |
| Total Sugars 6.8g | |
| Protein 48.4g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 40mg | 3% |
| Iron 11mg | 62% |
| Potassium 711mg | 15% |
Nutrition Facts do not include optional: dark red wine, potatoes, or tapioca starch. If you want to use these ingredients, the carb count increases to 34.5g