Slow Cooker Black Bear Beans

Black bear is a great protein for cooking long and slow. A slow cooker or crockpot ensures meat is well done yet extremely tender. This recipe combines bear meat into a batch of home-baked beans—so good you’ll want to freeze meal-sized portions for those busy nights on the go.

Ingredients:

  • 4 lbs bear roast
  • 4 ¼ cups beef broth
  • 2 lbs white navy beans, dried
  • 6 cups water
  • 2, 14-oz cans crushed pineapple
  • 2, 14-oz cans tomato sauce
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp cumin

Directions:

  1. Prepare the bear roast—put it in a slow cooker and cover with beef broth. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, until meat is tender enough to fall apart. Remove from the cooker and let cool, then chop fine.
  2. Rinse beans in a colander under cold water. Put the beans in a slow-cooker and cover with the water, or strained broth from the roast. Cook on high for 1.5 hours, watching that the beans don’t dry out completely. Add more water or broth if needed.
  3. Add the pineapple, tomato sauce, molasses, onion, garlic, black pepper, smoked paprika, cumin and finely chopped meat. Stir well to combine.
  4. Cook on high for 6 to 8 hours, allowing beans to simmer. Check beans for tenderness and serve when ready.

Tip: Black bear hinds make beautiful hams. Most butcher shops will cure and smoke bear hams for hunters. This recipe goes to a new level when made with bear ham.