Sausage, hot links, steaks and roasts are the way to go with a black bear. I still have yet to try grizzly, but if I take a northern grizzly in Alaska, I've heard the meat is excellent so I don't plan on passing it up.

As far as the legality issue, during some parts of seasons, and some areas of the state, you are required to salvage the hind and front quarters and back straps off of black bears. The area that I hunted last year had an interesting rule. The season runs all year, but during the baiting season, which runs April 15-June 30th, you have to salvage the meat off of all black bears harvested up to May 31st, then after June 1st, you are only required to salvage the hide and skull. I'm not sure why it is broken up like this, but in my opinion, black bear meat is too dang good to leave out in the field to rot!