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Slow Cooker Bear Shoulder Ragu

I made this with a bone in bear shoulder. I used a slightly modified version of my venison roast ragu recipe. This is the perfect comfort meal, and it’s so quick and simple.
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Ingredients  

  • 1 bear shoulder
  • 2 cups bear or beef broth
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp dry oregano
  • ½ tbsp black pepper
  • 3 large carrots peeled, diced, and cooked until soft
  • 3 stalks celery sautéed until soft
  • 1 500 mL jar crushed tomatoes
  • 6 cloves garlic diced
  • 2 tbsp bear fat or olive oil
  • 8 oz egg noodles or linguine cooked al dente
  • Parmesan cheese for topping

Instructions 

  • Mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and oregano. Rub the bear shoulder down with this mixture.
  • Heat the bear fat or olive oil in a pan or skillet over medium heat. Sear the bear shoulder on all sides until browned. This helps to seal in that flavour.
  • Place the bear shoulder into a slow cooker. Add the broth, diced garlic and any remaining onion powder, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and pepper mixture.
  • Cover and cook on low for 8–10 hours, or until the bear shoulder is fork tender and easy to shred.
  • While the bear cooks, boil the carrots until soft. Sauté the celery until tender. I’ve thrown this in with venison when I’ve made this in the past also and it works fine,
  • Add the cooked carrots, celery, and crushed tomatoes to a blender. Blend until smooth. You might need to add more moisture - like broth - to help blend.
  • Once the bear is cooked, shred the meat and stir the blended tomato mixture into the slow cooker. Crank that heat up. Let everything cook together for another 20–30 minutes so the flavours combine.
  • Toss the ragù with cooked egg noodles or linguine, or serve the sauce over top. Top with freshly grated Parmesan before serving and enjoy.