Carne guisada is one of those iconic Texas comfort foods that usually starts with beef, but not this time. After harvesting a beautiful black bear in Alberta, Canada, Matt Pittman brought the meat home and turned it into something unexpected: homemade Bear Guisada. Instead of the traditional chuck roast, Matt cubes up rich bear meat and builds a deep, savory gravy loaded with peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, cumin and layered with Meat Church seasonings.
Bear is one of the most underrated wild game meats out there and this recipe proves it. Low and slow cooking transforms it into fork-tender bites that soak up every bit of that classic Texas-style guisada flavor. Serve it over rice or pile it into warm tortillas and you’ve got wild game comfort food that tastes right at home in Texas.
From the Alberta backcountry to the Dutch oven, this might be the wildest Carne Guisada Matt has ever made. And after one bite, you will see why Matt has claimed Bear > Beef.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs of bear shank, cubed
- 1 large bell pepper, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 roma tomatoes, diced
- 4 - 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 T Meat Church Blanco
- 1 T, Meat Church Chili Seasoning
- 1 1/2 t cumin
- 1 T tomato paste
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 4 T all purpose flour
- 3 C beef broth
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped for garnish
- 1 T corn starch and water (optional)
Other & tools
- Olive oil
- Beef tallow
- Dutch oven (or large skillet and slow cooker)
- Optional fresh tortillas
Prepare Dutch Oven
Prepare a dutch oven or large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Prepare the bear
Remove the bear shank meat from the bone and cube into bite sized pieces no more than 1". Season lightly with Blanco.
Sear\brown the bear on all sides making sure not to crowd the pan. If necessary use multiple pans or cook in batches. Cook for 6 - 8 minutes.
Remove the meat and set aside preserving all the juices in the pan. Using 1 cup of your beef broth, deglaze the pan. Pour the deglazing liquid back over the bear meat.
Prepare the veggies & gravy
Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent.
Add the tomatoes and cook for an additional 1 -2 minutes.
Add the Meat Church Blanco and Chili seasoning, cumin, tomato paste and beef bouillon. Stir well.
Add the flour over the veggies to start to create a gravy and stir well. Allow to thicken and cook for 2 minutes. Incorporate 1 C of beef stock.
Cook the Guisada
Return the meat to the dutch oven (or slow cooker) and add 1.5 - 2 C of beef stock. Stir, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer.
Continue to cook for about 4 hours or until the chuck roast is fall apart tender.
Add a corn starch slurry if gravy is too thin. Equal parts water and corn starch. Add more beef stock if the gravy is too thick.
Remove from the heat. Optionally, garnish with cilantro and serve over rice or on fresh tortillas.
