Moose stew is a staple of Newfoundland game cuisine. Moose are not native to the island: a first pair released at Gander Bay in 1878 failed to take hold, and the present population descends from four moose brought from New Brunswick and released near Howley in 1904. They now thrive at the densest moose population in North America, and moose hunting is a widespread cultural activity. The stew is slow-cooked with potatoes, carrots, onions, turnip and broth, often with salt pork or bacon for fat since moose is very lean, and usually seasoned with savory, the herb Newfoundlanders favour. It reflects the blend of Indigenous and settler subsistence traditions on the island, and wild-game stewing is a winter staple.
Dark, rich, deeply savory gravy with tender chunks of lean moose, the root vegetables soft and soaked, a faintly gamey, wild depth that beef cannot match. Eaten with bread to mop the gravy, it is hearty, restorative and unmistakably wild.
Moose is extremely lean, so it must be browned in added fat (salt pork, bacon, or butter), then braised long and slow in liquid until tender, which can take 2-3 hours. The browning builds the fond that flavours the gravy. Root vegetables are added in stages, the firmest first. The long braise is non-negotiable; undercooked moose is tough and stringy.
Variations
A version with dumplings steams them on top at the end. Some cooks add a splash of red wine.
On the Palate
Where Moose Stew sits in the Canadian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8
How it's made
6 steps · 30 min
- 18 min
Cut 800g moose meat into 4cm cubes; toss in seasoned flour.
- 212 min
Render 100g diced salt pork in a heavy pot; brown the moose in batches in the fat; set aside.
Watch outBrown the lean moose hard in the pork fat — that fond is the gravy's flavor, and moose gives up none of its own fat.
- 38 min
Add 2 chopped onions, 4 cloves garlic and 2 tbsp flour; fry 5 minutes.
- 430 min
Return the meat; add 1 litre beef stock, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp savory and salt and pepper; simmer covered 90 minutes.
Watch outBraise a full 90 minutes before the vegetables go in — undercooked moose stays tough and stringy, there's no shortcut.
- 520 min
Add 4 diced potatoes, 4 diced carrots and 1 diced turnip; simmer 45 minutes until the meat and vegetables are tender.
- 64 min
Taste, adjust salt, and serve hot with bread or biscuits.
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