Our Director, Michael E. Higgins, was busy in the kitchen again and wanted to share a new tasty dish he made up with some Spring Ontario Bear meat, “Black Bear Pot Pie with Chocolate.” You gotta try this one out, it’s crazy good! LIKE & SHARE this new favourite of ours.

Ingredients

  • 2-3lbs Bear Meat cut into 1” chunks (we used meat from the front shoulder “chuck” and some from the hind quarter)
  • 3 Slices Thick Smoky Bacon chopped
  • 1 Large Carrot chopped
  • 1 Celery Stalk chopped
  • 1/2 a Red Onion chopped
  • 1/2 a Yellow Onion chopped
  • 1 1/2 Cups Frozen Peas (optional but highly recommend)
  • 1 Sprig of Rosemary diced
  • 2 Dried Bay Leaves
  • 3 Cups Flour
  • 1/2 tbsp. Smoked Paprika
  • 1/2 Cup Solid Milk Chocolate
  • Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
  • Olive Oil
  • 650ml Dark Beer (Porter or Stout, we used a Smoked Porter)
  • 1 Raw Pre-Made Pie Crust
  • 1 Egg (for egg wash)
  • Beef Gravy

Directions

    1. Preheat your oven to 325°F.
    2. Combine Flour, 1/2 tbsp. Paprika, 1/2 tbsp. Salt, 1/2 tbsp. Pepper.
    3. Dust cubed Bear meat in seasoned flour.
    4. Cook chopped Bacon over Medium-Low Heat in thick oven proof dish (Enameled Cast Iron works best), until Bacon is brown and fat is rendered out, then set bacon aside and add a couple glugs of Oil to the pan.
    5. Turn heat up on the burner to Medium-High, once Oil and Bacon Fat is sizzling hot, brown Bear in small batches, turning over after a couple minutes of cooking until all sides are browned, you will need to add more oil as you go, set all browned Bear meat aside.
    6. In the same pan add another glug of oil then add your chopped Carrot, Celery, Onions, Rosemary, and a good pinch of S&P, turn heat back down to Medium-Low and sauté Veggies for 8min.
    7. Add Bear and Bacon back to pan with Veggies, cover with Dark Beer, Stir in the Chocolate and 2 Bay Leaves. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook in preheated oven for 2.5-3hrs, check every 45min and add a little water if things are drying out a bit, should be a thick bubbling hot mess.
    8. When meat is fall apart tender, stir in frozen peas and top with raw Pie Crust, carefully stretching the pie crust to the edge of the pan, make some slits in the crust and brush with egg wash, cook for another 45min in 425°F oven with lid off until crust is golden brown.
    9. Server with some hot beef gravy.

Recipe by: Michael E. Higgins

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