Canadian Black Bear Roast

Our dinner was pretty impressive last night. We had a lovely chunk of black bear meat that Darren shot with a bow in Canada. Before I tell you how I marinated it and cooked it, let's meet the bear:

He was big and strong and brave, and full of blueberries. (Actually, that describes both Darren AND the bear....)  This photo was from when they crossed back into the US.
Darren and Shannon WOD at Crossfit Countdown and were generous enough to give us a big chunk of that beast. After checking with a local bear guru and doing a little research, here's how I honored the bear:

I hadn't eaten or cooked bear before, so I didn't know if I wanted to cut the "game" taste or not. I did know that bear needs to be cooked very thoroughly and that the more tender it is, the better, so I marinated it overnight in:

1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 tsp basil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 TBSP garlic oil (garlicgold.com)
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Cherry Wood Smoked Sea Salt

The next morning I poured off and threw away the marinade.
I put the following items, in this order,  into my slow cooker:

1 TBSP coconut oil
1 1/2 cups organic chicken stock
2 stalks celery, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
the big chunk of bear meat
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
2 tsp smoked sea salt
1 TBSP minced garlic (garlicgold.com)
1/4 tsp red pepper

I put the lid on and set it for 9 hours on low. (it was BIG)
I wondered all day how wonderful my kitchen might be smelling.... and in a huge gifted and talented meeting at the high school, I asked if there were any questions... My son, Isaac, asked what was for dinner! Now, this wasn't a gifted class scheduling question, but it proves that he was thinking about that bear for dinner, too! (He told me later that some of his friends didn't believe that he was having Canadian Black Bear for dinner....)
I got home and peeled a lot of organic carrots and cooked them in a pot of water with a lid so they would hurry. Then I threw them into the slow cooker and stirred everything up.
WOWZA!

If you have some bear in your freezer, thaw it out and get busy! (I'm doing this with deer soon, too)