What do I do with the bear meat?

MNpurple · 08-23-2005, 08:40 PM

I'm going on my first black bear hunt in about a week and a half (getting a little nervous, anxious, excited, etc) Anyway, assuming I get one, what do you suggest I do with the meat? Sausage, steaks, roasts, burger, etc........I have never even tried the meat so I am kind of clueless. Any suggestions will be great. I will be hunting over bait in northern MN if that makes a difference.

Thanks, wish me luck

James B · 08-23-2005, 09:34 PM

You will most likely trim off a lot of fat on a Fall bear. I think the meat is very good. I make Roasts and chops out of most of it. One year I cured the Hams and they were very good as well. The roasts cooked slow in the Crock pot are fantastic. IMO. Good Luck.

Rebel Dog · 08-24-2005, 05:34 AM

Just make sure all your meat is cooked well done you can get triganosis from Bears and Lions I have eaten both and would prefer Bear over Lion.

moosehunter21 · 08-24-2005, 11:45 AM

Yep... Cook the meat untill it is well done you proably dont want to die from eating under cooked bear meat.

Rick7450 · 08-24-2005, 12:07 PM

Go to the web site www.bear-hunting.com. The magazine comes out every other month and has great recipes in the "Bearly Edible" section. This month - meatloaf and roasts. Good luck on the hunt! Rick

Dei and Ducks · 08-24-2005, 02:49 PM

We turn a lot of ours into summer sausage, and keep out the good steaks and maybe a couple roast, but thesummer sausage has always been my favorite.

wyomingtrapper · 08-24-2005, 04:10 PM

"Sausage, steaks, roasts, burger, etc" Yes. Try a variety with it.

RandyA · 08-24-2005, 05:28 PM

Additional bear bait!

Kriesis · 08-24-2005, 05:59 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Dei and Ducks

We turn a lot of ours into summer sausage, and keep out the good steaks and maybe a couple roast, but thesummer sausage has always been my favorite.

Do you have a favorite recipe that you use?

WARedBear · 08-25-2005, 07:42 AM

A couple of things your need to know about bear meat.

1. I lived in Central Washington where a lot of the bear ate Salmon from the rivers. A friend of mine who had hunted bear for many years told me to stay away from those bears. I asked him why and he said the meat will have a fishy taste. Whereas bears that are eating berries and grass will have a sweeter taste or at least a better tasting meat. You might want to consider making a lot of jerky or sausage to cover the taste. The bear I took two years ago was a mountain bear and had a good taste. I cut him like any other animal and made steaks, roasts, and stir-fry out of him.
2. My wife loves the taste of bear above all other wild game...just a little bit above elk. The key to getting a good tasting bear is to get rid of all fat and skew when you prepare the meat. Otherwise you end up with a bad gamie taste. Spend a lot of time, if you process the animal yourself, in removing all the white. That is the key to a good tasting bear.
Now crank up the grill or the smoker and go get that bear.....