BEAR STEW

Bear Stew image

A stew of bear meat is made similarly to a beef stew. The meat is dredged in seasoned flour and browned in oil, then simmered in beef broth with turnips, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms.

Provided by CHEF GRPA

Categories Meat

Time 2h20m

Yield 8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

4 lbs bear meat
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup beef broth
4 bay leaves
2 lbs red potatoes, diced
1 lb fresh mushrooms
5 carrots, sliced
2 turnips, cubed

Steps:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, oregano, salt and pepper. Place bear meat in the bowl a little at a time and coat well.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Fry the bear meat until browned. Let drain on paper towels.
3. Fill a large Dutch oven with 2 to 3 quarts water. Add bear meat, onions, beef broth, bay leaves, potatoes, mushrooms carrots and turnips. Cook on medium-high heat for 2 to 3 hours. Add more water as needed.
My Note: I have been making this receipe for over 55 years -- when I was first introduced to bear meat! It is fantastic! I have also altered the water ingrediant and used a can of cream of mushroom so that there is some "gravy" to pour all over. On occassion, I have seen some people wrinkle their nose at the thought of eating bear meat but when I serve this, they change their minds! Many times, they can't even tell the difference! A stomach doesn't care as long as it's good and this is one of the best. Add/subtract you favorite veggies and enjoy!
I also added 3 stalks celery, sliced, and sometime a can of cream of mushroom soup.
Or I added Guinness beer to the slow cooker with out one quarts water.
I fried the meat in a pot, so when I added water, it would get all the brown bits stuck in the pan. Since we were given this meat, not harvested by us, I was unsure how old it was and how it was prepared, so I added 1 T of vinegar to the water. This tenderizes the meat while cooking and does not leave a vinegary taste. Also added the salt at the end.
If you didn't have any bear, but beef stew meat. And needed a recipe for turnips and this is very good. I also added some whole allspice and parsnip, as well as whole pepper kernels instead of ground. I'd only suggest to add the turnips and mushrooms about 1/2hr before the end as they got rather soft. Otherwise it's very tasty, even my 15mo old enjoyed it!