# Tell me all about cooking with bear meat



## Whit90 (Dec 27, 2020)

I’ve never had bear meat. I also don’t know anyone who eats it. I love to cook, especially with what I kill. I’d love to kill me a bear because I’ve heard it is some great eating and I would love to learn to hunt them. 

Couple questions:

What do you guys do about trichinosis? Would bear meat be tough and dry from trying to get it to a safe enough temp to avoid trichinosis? 
What about the fat? Deer fat sucks, I hear bear fat is good though. So do y’all leave some fat on when cooking, or grind the fat in when making ground product? 
What else is there to know about eating bear meat? 
Recipes??

thanks!!


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## Buckman18 (Dec 27, 2020)

My favorite way to eat bear is to smoke or crockpot a roast.

I ALWAYS carve all the fat I can. Then I'll boil the roast in a stock pot for a half hour, change the water, and repeat. Then I'll smoke it the same as a Boston butt. Its good. Sometimes instead of smoking I'll crockpot a roast like I would a beef roast with vegetables. 8-10 hours is usually how long i crockpot them.. Something about bear meat and Heinz 57 go good together.

Maybe there's someone out there who likes bear fat, but it sure isn't me. YMMV.


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 27, 2020)

Bear meat is one of the best meats out there. It can be cooked any way you would cook pork. It could be used any way you cook beef, except for the risk of trichinosis you mentioned, which puts it in the cook like pork to 160* category, for the same reason. Bear meat tastes like a cross between beef and pork. It makes excellent roasts, steaks, bbq, burgers, sausage, anything you would do with other meat. And the fat is excellent, comparable to pork lard. Render it, and it is fine cooking oil. I grew up on bear grease biscuits. Bear grease is also great for waterproofing stuff. It is comparable to olive oil in that is is mostly liquid at room temp, and looks like crisco refrigerated. You can even cure bear bacon and ham. When I was growing up, it wasn't unusual to see bear quarters hanging in the smokehouse with the pork, and bear lard in the lard bucket. In the early days, people killed bears to eat, and deer for their hides.


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## Railroader (Dec 27, 2020)

I have eaten bear fixed by THE GUY in this neck of the woods as far as bear cooking goes.

I wanted very badly to like it, since I had helped chase that bear and the dogs a few miles into the roughest crap The Swamp has to offer, and helped drag that thing back to the nearest two path for loading.  I had spent all day involved with this thing from start to finish.

So the next weekend at camp, all were excited that JW's Famous Bear would be the bill of fare...

Everybody said what a good job he did, on the stew, loin cuts, etc.

The best description I can come up with is...

Greasy Liver 

As long as there is something else to eat, I will pass on bear.


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 27, 2020)

Railroader said:


> I have eaten bear fixed by THE GUY in this neck of the woods as far as bear cooking goes.
> 
> I wanted very badly to like it, since I had helped chase that bear and the dogs a few miles into the roughest crap The Swamp has to offer, and helped drag that thing back to the nearest two path for loading.  I had spent all day involved with this thing from start to finish.
> 
> ...


I have eaten bear all my life. Hundreds of pounds of it. I have certainly NEVER tasted ANY that tasted even REMOTELY like "greasy liver." I guarantee you that most people can't tell it from beef or pork. Sounds like either that guy didn't know how to cook, the bear was gone bad, or you are very squeamish and prone to to psychosomatic reactions to stuff that you think is nasty.


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## Athos (Dec 27, 2020)

I don’t pretend to know anything about bears, and hillbilly has probably forgot more than I know about fixing game, but doesn’t trichinosis die off about 130?

 I usually take pork to about 140 and the whatever it comes to at rest.


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## bear claw (Dec 27, 2020)

Bear is good eating pilgrim. I cut some of mine up in small chunks and make a chilli with it.


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## Railroader (Dec 27, 2020)

NCHillbilly said:


> I have eaten bear all my life. Hundreds of pounds of it. I have certainly NEVER tasted ANY that tasted even REMOTELY like "greasy liver." I guarantee you that most people can't tell it from beef or pork. Sounds like either that guy didn't know how to cook, the bear was gone bad, or you are very squeamish and prone to to psychosomatic reactions to stuff that you think is nasty.



I'm far from squeamish, NCH, been known to eat all kinds of things regarded as inedible.  I wanted to like it, and looked forward to the chance to eat it.  Especially since I was part and parcel to the hunt.

I ate me a belly full, stew, roast, and some fried.  I just didn't care for it.  

All of it had a distinct liver vibe to it, which I detest.

You might just fix some I would like, sounds like you know your bear.

But your backwoods psych-eval needs serious work...


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Dec 27, 2020)

Some people's taste buds just register differently.  I don't doubt your story about wanting to like it, but being put off by it.  I'm that way with wild turkey.  If it ain't fried nuggets, I don't like it.

As far as bear, I think it's among the best of all wild game meats.  Bear backstrap makes an excellent steak.  We can a lot of our bear meat, but if canned meat isn't your thing, crockpot roasts are a fantastic substitute for beef. 

Unlike hog lard, rendered bear grease is completely odorless.  It's highly prized around here for cooking purposes.


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## Nicodemus (Dec 27, 2020)

I`ve only eaten bear once, off a north Florida bear that had fattened on acorns and swamp palmetto berries, and if I hadn`t known what it was, I would have sworn I was eating beef pot roast.

I do have a couple of small bottles of rendered bear oil that I use to oil my muzzleloaders with. It`s purty stuff.


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## Whit90 (Dec 27, 2020)

@Buckman18 why do you boil it? Why not straight to the smoker?

@NCHillbilly do typically age your bear meat?


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 27, 2020)

Railroader said:


> I'm far from squeamish, NCH, been known to eat all kinds of things regarded as inedible.  I wanted to like it, and looked forward to the chance to eat it.  Especially since I was part and parcel to the hunt.
> 
> I ate me a belly full, stew, roast, and some fried.  I just didn't care for it.
> 
> ...


Something was wrong with the way it was handled or cooked, then, because bear has absolutely no "liver flavor" to it. Or maybe it had been eating something nasty. Trust me, I HATE liver. I love bear meat.


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 27, 2020)

whitney90 said:


> @Buckman18 why do you boil it? Why not straight to the smoker?
> 
> @NCHillbilly do typically age your bear meat?


Any meat is better aged for at least a week. At least get it through rigor mortis.


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## Whit90 (Dec 27, 2020)

@northgeorgiasportsman what temp do you cook a bear steak to?


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 27, 2020)

Athos said:


> I don’t pretend to know anything about bears, and hillbilly has probably forgot more than I know about fixing game, but doesn’t trichinosis die off about 130?
> 
> I usually take pork to about 140 and the whatever it comes to at rest.


160 is supposedly the magic number for trichinosis. Ask Steve Rinella about it. He had some really bad issues and went through a lot of pain. 140 is risky with grocery store pork, even, but domestic pork nowadays has a much lower risk of trich than it used to.


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## Buckman18 (Dec 27, 2020)

whitney90 said:


> @Buckman18 why do you boil it? Why not straight to the smoker?
> 
> @NCHillbilly do typically age your bear meat?



The only logical answer I can give you is thats the way my dad, grandfather, and great-grandmother cooked it.

I can tell you this: the absolute worst bear meat I've ever had was a Backstrap that was sliced and fried like a deer or hog. Once and done. But grilling it is good.

Make sure you cook bear well done, to avoid the illnesses. ?


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## Whit90 (Dec 27, 2020)

NCHillbilly said:


> Any meat is better aged for at least a week. At least get it through rigor mortis.


Right. I age my deer meat, and figured bear would be no different... what’s your say on the fat? If you were going to smoke a ham or shoulder would you trim all the fat or leave it?


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Dec 27, 2020)

whitney90 said:


> @northgeorgiasportsman what temp do you cook a bear steak to?



I don't generally check the temp.  It's one of the few meats that I'll cook past pink.


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## antharper (Dec 27, 2020)

I’ve only ate bear a couple times and it was delicious . But it was cooked by Mr Dale Thomas if anyone knows him , quite possibly the best outdoor wild animal cook in the hills. He smoked some and had summer sausage made out of some. Best summer sausage I’ve ever had . Hope to get me one one day and try my culinary skills with it .


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## Railroader (Dec 27, 2020)

NCHillbilly said:


> Something was wrong with the way it was handled or cooked, then, because bear has absolutely no "liver flavor" to it. Or maybe it had been eating something nasty. Trust me, I HATE liver. I love bear meat.



Well, it was about a 200# skinny male, chased half a day by dogs, shot out of a tree, and skull dragged a mile thru the woods.  His diet would have consisted of gallberries, palmetto, and probably roadkills, along with whatever filth was in the bait barrel he got into the night before we turned the dogs on him.

Maybe he just wasn't the best specimen, but he's the only one I ever ate from, and all I have to judge from.

After this conversation, I guess I would give it another try cooked by one of you bear cooking gurus.


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## Whit90 (Dec 27, 2020)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> I don't generally check the temp.  It's one of the few meats that I'll cook past pink.



Is it not dry and chewy? I guess I’m somewhat hesitant to kill a bear if I’ve got to cook it all well done.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Dec 27, 2020)

Railroader said:


> Well, it was about a 200# skinny male, chased half a day by dogs, shot out of a tree, and skull dragged a mile thru the woods.  His diet would have consisted of gallberries, palmetto, and probably roadkills, along with whatever filth was in the bait barrel he got into the night before we turned the dogs on him.
> 
> Maybe he just wasn't the best specimen, but he's the only one I ever ate from, and all I have to judge from.
> 
> After this conversation, I guess I would give it another try cooked by one of you bear cooking gurus.



I've not eaten bear that's been dogged, I know Hillbilly has and he can speak on that.  But I've often wondered if a bear that's been run by hounds and had its adrenaline and lactic acid built up would taste differently.  And as you say, if it wasn't taken care of promptly, it will begin to turn quickly.  Personally, I think most people that have had bad experiences with bear meat (or wild game in general) the fault lies with how the animal was handled after the kill.  Driving it all around the county to show it off is a sure recipe for spoiled meat.


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## Athos (Dec 27, 2020)

I’ve heard Rinella talk about how bad it was. Certainly not something to play with. 

Here’s a pretty interesting read on it

https://honest-food.net/on-trichinosis-in-wild-game/


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Dec 27, 2020)

whitney90 said:


> Is it not dry and chewy? I guess I’m somewhat hesitant to kill a bear if I’ve got to cook it all well done.



You don't have to turn it into jerky to get it done.  I think I read once that freezing bear meat for 30 days or something like that will kill the trichinosis.  Maybe that's why I don't bother checking temps.


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## Athos (Dec 27, 2020)

Apparently some types are killed by freezing, while others are not.

Just saw that in the article


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## Whit90 (Dec 27, 2020)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> You don't have to turn it into jerky to get it done.  I think I read once that freezing bear meat for 30 days or something like that will kill the trichinosis.  Maybe that's why I don't bother checking temps.



Lol I hear ya. I have seen you mention that your really like it multiple times, so I assume that you are able to get it up to temp and it’s still moist and tender.


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## Buckman18 (Dec 27, 2020)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> I've not eaten bear that's been dogged, I know Hillbilly has and he can speak on that.  But I've often wondered if a bear that's been run by hounds and had its adrenaline and lactic acid built up would taste differently.  And as you say, if it wasn't taken care of promptly, it will begin to turn quickly.  Personally, I think most people that have had bad experiences with bear meat (or wild game in general) the fault lies with how the animal was handled after the kill.  Driving it all around the county to show it off is a sure recipe for spoiled meat.



This is true especially during bow season. Bear spoils very quickly. 

Ive had dogged bears plenty of times and I personally can't tell a difference.


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 27, 2020)

whitney90 said:


> Lol I hear ya. I have seen you mention that your really like it multiple times, so I assume that you are able to get it up to temp and it’s still moist and tender.


Think grilled pork chops. Same scenario-backstrap steaks cooked past pink. A little brining would probably be good, too.


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 27, 2020)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> I've not eaten bear that's been dogged, I know Hillbilly has and he can speak on that.  But I've often wondered if a bear that's been run by hounds and had its adrenaline and lactic acid built up would taste differently.  And as you say, if it wasn't taken care of promptly, it will begin to turn quickly.  Personally, I think most people that have had bad experiences with bear meat (or wild game in general) the fault lies with how the animal was handled after the kill.  Driving it all around the county to show it off is a sure recipe for spoiled meat.


Absolutely. A bear that has been dogged hard and fought all day is not as good as one you sneak up and shoot. But they're still usually pretty durn good.

I remember my dad talking about killing one out in Washington state that had been eating salmon. He said it was absolutely inedible.


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## tree cutter 08 (Dec 27, 2020)

Sausage, crock pot, smoked like a butt and pulled for bbq, canned or ground. My favourite is to cut into bite size chunks and season with salt and pepper. Fry up taters, onions and peppers on the Blackstone and when it's almost done turn the heat up and toss on those bear bites and sear till pink is nearly gone. I could eat that meal every day.


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## Whit90 (Dec 27, 2020)

tree cutter 08 said:


> Sausage, crock pot, smoked like a butt and pulled for bbq, canned or ground. My favourite is to cut into bite size chunks and season with salt and pepper. Fry up taters, onions and peppers on the Blackstone and when it's almost done turn the heat up and toss on those bear bites and sear till pink is nearly gone. I could eat that meal every day.



Ok, I’m hungry now!


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## ddd-shooter (Dec 27, 2020)

Get the fat off immediately. It’ll turn the meat, but KEEP IT and render it, it’s delicious. 
All good recipes thus far. My favorite is bbq in the crockpot. Cook it like beef roast for a few hours, then add sauce and simmer for a few hours. It’ll be better than any pork bbq you’ve ever had. I guarantee it. We also do “bear balls” similar recipe to pork sausage balls and they’re awesome as well. Ive never really grilled any bear, but I’ll be looking for a good recipe there myself.


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## splatek (Dec 27, 2020)

Sous vide then sear on the black stone. my woman and her mom couldn’t get enough of it. Thanks to @Buckman18  for sharing, but now these ladies are dogging me to get some bear! 
They told me BHA stands for bear hunters anonymous for those of us that long to kill one but suck at it... funny girls ? but serious on the sous vide. Awesome on deer and hog as well.


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## Whit90 (Dec 27, 2020)

splatek said:


> Sous vide then sear on the black stone. my woman and her mom couldn’t get enough of it. Thanks to @Buckman18  for sharing, but now these ladies are dogging me to get some bear!
> They told me BHA stands for bear hunters anonymous for those of us that long to kill one but suck at it... funny girls ? but serious on the sous vide. Awesome on deer and hog as well.



I have yet to venture in the the sous vide world, but I have heard great things.


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## splatek (Dec 27, 2020)

whitney90 said:


> I have yet to venture in the the sous vide world, but I have heard great things.



Do it. You won’t be disappointed. literally the sous vide Plus black stone griddle, life changer.


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## Whit90 (Dec 28, 2020)

splatek said:


> Do it. You won’t be disappointed. literally the sous vide Plus black stone griddle, life changer.



I am totally down with the sous vide, but isn't the black stone just a glorified cast iron skillet?


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 28, 2020)

whitney90 said:


> I am totally down with the sous vide, but isn't the black stone just a glorified cast iron skillet?


More like a restaurant flattop. I love mine.


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## Thunder Head (Dec 28, 2020)

Ive had some biscuits with bear in them from a raybun county lady. They were excellent.

I killed one off bait years ago up north. While the back strap made good cube steak. I did not trim all the fat off the rest. I canned it. I tried but could not eat it. It left the inside of your mouth covered in a layer of grease you couldnt get rid of. 

When i get another all the fat will be trimmed or boiled out.

By the way i donated my canned bear to a guy who fosters shelter animals. He said it started multiple fights among the dogs.


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## Whit90 (Dec 28, 2020)

NCHillbilly said:


> More like a restaurant flattop. I love mine.




redneck hibachi


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## EyesUp83 (Dec 28, 2020)

From everything I've read on bears, black brown, grizz... the meat is certainly indicative of the diet they have been eating (along with proper preparation and post- kill care). Bears that have been feeding on berries and mast/ crops can taste wonderful. Bears that have been regularly feeding on carrion or dead fish (even mixed with fresh fish and mast) will be a horrid tasting meat. 
Our bears in north Georgia are 90% mast eaters and should always be a good tasting bear meat provided they are properly cared for in the field- gutted, skinned, meat cooling ASAP- and the meat is properly prepped for the meal.


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## Whit90 (Dec 28, 2020)

EyesUp83 said:


> From everything I've read on bears, black brown, grizz... the meat is certainly indicative of the diet they have been eating (along with proper preparation and post- kill care). Bears that have been feeding on berries and mast/ crops can taste wonderful. Bears that have been regularly feeding on carrion or dead fish (even mixed with fresh fish and mast) will be a horrid tasting meat.
> Our bears in north Georgia are 90% mast eaters and should always be a good tasting bear meat provided they are properly cared for in the field- gutted, skinned, meat cooling ASAP- and the meat is properly prepped for the meal.



I have read and heard the same regarding the taste of the meat resembling their diet. Makes complete sense.


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## splatek (Dec 28, 2020)

You are what you eat ate


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## chrislibby88 (Dec 29, 2020)

Thunder Head said:


> Ive had some biscuits with bear in them from a raybun county lady. They were excellent.
> 
> I killed one off bait years ago up north. While the back strap made good cube steak. I did not trim all the fat off the rest. I canned it. I tried but could not eat it. It left the inside of your mouth covered in a layer of grease you couldnt get rid of.
> 
> ...


Sounds like deer fat. Leaves a waxy residue on the roof of your mouth and tongue. My wife hates it. Doesn’t bother me, I usually trim what I sometimes some pockets get left in neck roasts and ribs. Anyone else had that experience with bear fat too? I’ve gathered from others here to trim bear fat ASAP as it goes rancid rather fast and will taint the meat, especially early season.


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## Fletch_W (Dec 29, 2020)

The foxfire books talk about rendered bear fat as being clean and mild enough to drink straight from the jar, and is also touted as a cure for tummy aches.


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## NCMTNHunter (Dec 30, 2020)

I've never eaten a bear that wasn't run with dogs so I can't speak to the difference but I can say that a bear that has been run with dogs is dang good eating. 

One of my bear hunting mentors would always gets cuts off of a bear that are like a standing rib roast or prime rib.  He cuts the ribs off with a sawsall but leaves about 6" of rib and the backstrap still attached to the backbone.  Then splits the backbone down the middle.  Slow cooked in the oven or over coals it will melt in your mouth.


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## Deleted member 35556 (Dec 30, 2020)

Athos said:


> I don’t pretend to know anything about bears, and hillbilly has probably forgot more than I know about fixing game, but doesn’t trichinosis die off about 130?
> 
> I usually take pork to about 140 and the whatever it comes to at rest.


Pork is no longer a problem in this country if you purchased it from a grocery.  However, I wouldn’t mess around with bear.  You will get Trichinosis if you don’t cook it properly.


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 30, 2020)

chrislibby88 said:


> Sounds like deer fat. Leaves a waxy residue on the roof of your mouth and tongue. My wife hates it. Doesn’t bother me, I usually trim what I sometimes some pockets get left in neck roasts and ribs. Anyone else had that experience with bear fat too? I’ve gathered from others here to trim bear fat ASAP as it goes rancid rather fast and will taint the meat, especially early season.


Bear fat is nothing like deer fat. Deer fat is tallow. Bear fat is like pork fat.


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## O-Country (Dec 31, 2020)

It’s what’s for supper ribeyes right
Bear loin steaks on left.


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## O-Country (Dec 31, 2020)

It’s what’s for supper ribeyes right
Bear loin steaks on left.


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## EyesUp83 (Jan 20, 2021)

Reading this is making me hungry! I've got some bear sausage in the fridge...think I'll make some this evening


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## Raylander (Jan 27, 2021)

Don’t know how I missed this one.. I did some time in AK and the bears up there were less than desirable. I believe the ones we ate mainly fed on fish, carrion, bait, and trash. Southern Appalachian bear will make a fine meal! It’s all about diet! Anything that’s staple is akerns is top shelf!


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## Thetrooper (Jan 30, 2021)

Bear is delicious. Steaks, burgers and roasts are phenomenal.  It can be cooked in a crockpot like others have said, but I usually salt and pepper a bear loin or roast, pan sear it in the cast iron on all sides then finish it in the oven for 35-40min.  For a 2-3lb hunk of bear meat it will be at the appropriate 140° mark.  Meat is cooked thoroughly but still moist and delish.  Get a meat thermometer if you are concerned about trich. And most important let that meat cool for 10-15 min after cooking before you slice it!!!


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## crackerdave (Feb 13, 2021)

NCHillbilly said:


> More like a restaurant flattop. I love mine.


You are dang good on it...I can vouch for that!


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## strothershwacker (Feb 13, 2021)

Bear soup, bear stew, bear burger, bear steak, bear kabobs, bear chili, bear gumbo, bear sausage, bear spaghetti, canned bear, smoked bear, grilled bear, fried bear, baked bear, 1 bear, 2 bear, red bear, blue bear. So long as it's cooked well done ye can do anything with it. Best meat on the planet in my opinion.


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## jbogg (Feb 13, 2021)

strothershwacker said:


> Bear soup, bear stew, bear burger, bear steak, bear kabobs, bear chili, bear gumbo, bear sausage, bear spaghetti, canned bear, smoked bear, grilled bear, fried bear, baked bear, 1 bear, 2 bear, red bear, blue bear. So long as it's cooked well done ye can do anything with it. Best meat on the planet in my opinion.



Just had a flashback to Bubba and Forest Gump talkin shrimp.


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## C.Killmaster (Feb 20, 2021)

Thetrooper said:


> Bear is delicious. Steaks, burgers and roasts are phenomenal.  It can be cooked in a crockpot like others have said, but I usually salt and pepper a bear loin or roast, pan sear it in the cast iron on all sides then finish it in the oven for 35-40min.  For a 2-3lb hunk of bear meat it will be at the appropriate 140° mark.  Meat is cooked thoroughly but still moist and delish.  Get a meat thermometer if you are concerned about trich. And most important let that meat cool for 10-15 min after cooking before you slice it!!!



You sure you don't mean 160?  140 won't kill trichinosis.


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## NCMTNHunter (Feb 22, 2021)

C.Killmaster said:


> You sure you don't mean 160?  140 won't kill trichinosis.



It supposedly will but I would run the temp on up to make dang sure.

https://honest-food.net/on-trichinosis-in-wild-game/


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## C.Killmaster (Feb 22, 2021)

NCMTNHunter said:


> It supposedly will but I would run the temp on up to make dang sure.
> 
> https://honest-food.net/on-trichinosis-in-wild-game/



Yes, but you would really need to hold the internal temp above that for a while with sous vide


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## Thetrooper (Feb 25, 2021)

C.Killmaster said:


> You sure you don't mean 160?  140 won't kill trichinosis.


137° kills trichinosis. And somewhat like pasteurization you can even hold it at a lower temperature like that for a longer period it will also kill it.  Anyhow I was saying the 140° as an arbitrary minimum # the method I mentioned will have it cooked medium well to well done which is significant above 140°


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## Son (Feb 25, 2021)

After trying bear meat killed in the Fl everglades back in the 60's. Dad said, cook it with chunks of oak, when done. Throw the meat away and eat the wood. Nobody like it' and we didn't shoot another one.


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## chrislibby88 (Feb 26, 2021)

C.Killmaster said:


> You sure you don't mean 160?  140 won't kill trichinosis.


If you pull it at 140 and let it rest the internal temp will continue to climb as the heat dissipates from the outer (hotter) layers towards the center of the meat. There’s a certain amount of time at temperature that kills the trich. I’m pretty sure by time it hits 160 everything is dead, so 160 is generally the safe recommended temp since it’s very difficult to hold the meat at a constant temp without a souvide cooker. A few minutes at 140 kills it, and a longer period of time at 120 will kill it. At least this is my understanding from reading up on it.


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## C.Killmaster (Feb 26, 2021)

chrislibby88 said:


> If you pull it at 140 and let it rest the internal temp will continue to climb as the heat dissipates from the outer (hotter) layers towards the center of the meat. There’s a certain amount of time at temperature that kills the trich. I’m pretty sure by time it hits 160 everything is dead, so 160 is generally the safe recommended temp since it’s very difficult to hold the meat at a constant temp without a souvide cooker. A few minutes at 140 kills it, and a longer period of time at 120 will kill it. At least this is my understanding from reading up on it.



The problem is that pretty much all the literature on this subject is limited to Trich in pigs which tend to have lower infectivity rates and lower parasite loads.  Those parasite loads will impact the safe temperatures or time at temperatures needed to effectively kill all the parasites.  CDC still recommends a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees for bear meat, but they recommend the same for all wild game.  In the absence of any data on bear meat and knowing that parasite loads will be considerably higher, the safest bet is to cook to 165.  If you are willing to assume some risk, as I sometimes do, then going by a temperature that is well above the temperature known to kill the parasite (137 to kill it) for considerably longer than specified for pigs is appropriate.  For that, I agree with Hank Shaw that sous vide cooking at 145 for at least an hour should accomplish this as it will allow all portions of the meat to exceed the temperature needed to kill the parasite for probably 20 minutes or more.


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## Wire Nut (Mar 7, 2021)

I made burgers for some yuppie women one evening. Them subdivision girls came back for seconds and wanted to know what I season my “beef” with. Never told them what it was and didn’t put any seasoning on it. A few of them came back for more.


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## EyesUp83 (Mar 8, 2021)

Does anybody have any tried and true crock pot/ roast recipes? I've got 2 roasts and want to do them right!!


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Mar 9, 2021)

EyesUp83 said:


> Does anybody have any tried and true crock pot/ roast recipes? I've got 2 roasts and want to do them right!!


Mississippi roast.  If you haven't tried it, you need to.


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## splatek (Mar 9, 2021)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> Mississippi roast.  If you haven't tried it, you need to.



Yessir!


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## Bobby Bigtime (Mar 13, 2021)

Many moons ago a local outfitter/ mountain man would host a wild game feed which featured all kinds of wild game dishes, good company, local bands etc....one of my favorite dishes was his planked bear steak. They were fried in a giant skillet nicely coated in seasoned flour. Then the skillet gravy was finished with a couple big spoons of chokecherry jelly. Sounds funky but it was loved and devoured by all


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## longrangedog (Mar 15, 2021)

Best meat I've ever eaten was a young bear roasted in the oven with just salt and pepper as seasoning. Even the grease was delicious poured over biscuits. This particular bear had been feeding in a corn field and was dropped in his tracks with one shot from a 30-30.


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