Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
I killed a bear last week, and this dish alone made the whole hunt worthwhile. Bear meat is delicious and may be the best meat to introduce first-timers to wild game. Its flavor is mild and sweet and lacks the flavor that deer species often have. If you didn’t tell people, they would assume it was beef.
If you’ve eaten Butter Chicken at an Indian restaurant, then this dish will be familiar. Butter Bear is rich and creamy, and simmering any meat in this sauce for a while will make it tender and delicious. This would be a great choice for wild turkeys and various game birds.
I was inspired for it by a sauce I bought at Walmart to eat in camp while hunting. The pouch meal was terrific, and for $3 I can recommend it. Still, it’s worth cooking your own so you have enough for leftovers. This scales well — double or triple it and feed the whole family reunion. Even my pickiest child asked for seconds, so I’m certain your crew will love it, too.
SEE MORE: Simple Gourmet: Venison Sausage Dutch Baby
Butter bear great in camp, too, because it’s got about a million calories per serving so you get lots of energy without having to eat a lot of food.
For eating in camp, you can make the sauce ahead of time and heat it on the stove with fresh meat. I used cuts of the bear off the ribs and neck and this was still tasty. The acids from the tomatoes and yogurt, and the oil from the butter tenderize even poor cuts of meat.
What You Need For Butter Bear
This makes enough to fill a 12″ Camp Chef skillet and will probably feed at least 8 adults. Cut it in half for a 10″ pan, or use a Dutch oven or another saucepan to double it.
- 2 pounds of bear meat (or deer, elk, turkey — anything!) cut into 1″ cubes
- 2-6oz cans of Tomato Paste (and two cans’ worth of water)
- 1 1/2 Cups heavy cream or coconut cream for milk-free (1 can of coconut cream)
- 1 Cup plain yogurt
- 4 to 6 Tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 ginger root, minced, or 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3 Tablespoons yellow curry powder ( or equal parts cumin and turmeric)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, more to taste
- Cooking oil — extra points for using bear grease (I used raccoon grease)
- Cayenne powder (optional)
- Rice — use jasmine rice if you can
What You Do
Preheat your skillet over medium-high heat — hotter than you’d use for cooking eggs. Use plenty of cooking oil to sear each piece of meat on both sides, but be careful not to put too much meat in the pan at once — it just won’t brown because too much juice comes out of the meat and it ends up steaming instead of browning. Sear in batches and set the meat aside.
*Note: Don’t season the meat; it’ll get salt from the sauce.
Keep an eye on the heat so that the brown bits in the pan don’t burn — keep oil in the pan.
Now add the onions to the pan with more oil and brown the onions. Use a spoon or spatula to scrape the pan and bring the brown bits from the meat up. Saute the onions until their juices start to come out. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute.
Add the tomato paste and use the cans to add two cans of water to the pan. Stir it all together until the water and tomato paste are blended. Add the butter and blend into the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to keep the sauce simmering without splattering.
Next, mix in the cream, then the yogurt. Using a whisk makes it easier to blend it all together.
SEE MORE: Simple Gourmet: Perfect Wild Game Steak with Garlic Butter
The spices are the final touch. sprinkle the curry powder over the whole pan and blend it in. 3 Tablespoons might be a little light for your tastebuds but don’t add more until after you add the salt.
Add the meat back into the skillet. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for at least 20 minutes. Check the meat tenderness and simmer longer if needed.
Serve your butter bear hot over rice. Jasmine rice is nice if you’ve got it, and it goes well with crusty bread, too. If you’ve got more people, add small potato chunks and simmer until they are tender to stretch the fill. You can also add more yogurt or cream to make it creamier.