The Bear Minimum Chili

On the topic of black bears (note the bear hunting closure posted earlier here), if you happen to have a pound of ground bear meat taking up real estate in your freezer, your freezer is a little more interesting than some others’ freezers, but this is what you should do with it.

This Best Ever Bear Chili comes from Allie Doran of Miss Allie’s Kitchen, who makes a pretty convincing case that black bear is underrated. It’s fattier and a little sweeter than venison or elk, which makes ground bear particularly good chili material. Instead of trying to turn it into something fancy, this recipe lets it settle into a big pot with peppers, beans, tomatoes, beer, cumin and plenty of chili powder.

The beer and apple cider vinegar are especially smart additions. The beer adds depth, while the vinegar gives the meat a little acidity so the whole thing doesn’t become one giant bowl of brown heaviness. And there’s an entire can of tomato paste in there, because apparently subtlety has no place in bear chili. I support this.

One important bear-related footnote: cook the meat thoroughly to 165°F. Bear can carry parasites, so this is not the occasion for anyone to get creative with medium-rare.

Best Ever Bear Chili

Recipe by Allie Doran, Miss Allie’s Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 green bell peppers, diced
• 1 lb. ground bear meat
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 12 oz. beer, preferably a milk stout or lager (beef broth works too)
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, juice included
• 1 (14 oz.) can black beans
• 1 (14 oz.) can pinto beans

How to make it

Heat the olive oil in a big pot over medium heat. Add the onion and peppers and cook for about 8 minutes, until softened and starting to brown around the edges.

Add the ground bear and brown it thoroughly, about 8–10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and cook another 2 minutes so the spices get a chance to wake up.

Pour in the beer and apple cider vinegar, scraping up everything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Let it bubble for about 5 minutes, then add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, black beans and pinto beans.

Stir it all together and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer for at least 20 minutes. If you have an hour or more, even better. Chili most likely will not throw a fit when you leave it alone.

Pile on whatever toppings you like and serve.

In short, basically, bear meat doesn’t need a complicated ritual to prepare. Brown it, season it, give it beer and tomatoes, simmer the heck out of it, and you will have a seriously hearty (for lack of a better overused-for-chili word) chili that makes a pound of ground bear disappear quickly.