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Q:
Bear hunters: Do you eat the meat from your bear kills? I am not a bear hunter but I have tried the meat, mostly sausage or bologna, from other's kills and did not like it. I found it to be greasy with a very unpleasant taste. There has to be a better way to season the meat. It can't all tatse that way. How do you flavor your bear meat?
Question by DEER30. Uploaded on June 20, 2012
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Answers (13)
I've had black bear meat and it was great. I've said it before, but with bears the seasons are generally late summer, early fall. In Maine its end of August through November. And in places where they have spring seasons it can be quite warm also. Bears need to be gutted and skinned as soon as possible. Meat handling is critical with them. Other than that, nothing beets a good marinade to flavor the meat they way you want it.
Ditto Moose. All the bear meat I have eaten was excellent. It can be a little on the chewy side but otherwise delicious.
Meat handling and planning seems to be the critical factor at least according to my bear hunting friend. He has a chest freezer ready to go and tries to skin and cool as fast as he can.
I tried bear hunting for the first time last year without getting one. Hopefully it will work out this year.
How did you have it? Sausage, burger, steak? Can you butcher a bear like a deer? I know nothing of bears.
I will definatey pass on your suggestions cause these guys eeded some help with the flavor.
We butcher a bear more like you would a hog. Bear is greasy and my wife usually cooks it off a couple of times, changing the water to get rid of as much grease as possible, then BBQ'ing in the oven. One food writer I knew said he liked it on a rotisserie (spelling?) so the fat would drain off. Best I ever had was made into summer sausage.
I have had bear jerky and sausage that was good but never straight bear meat.
I have eaten it in burger, roasts and stew. The roasts were done in a crockpot with hours long cooking times. All were excellent. My buddy usually uses Coke as a marinade as the acid breaks down the tough fibers. Orange juice or olive oil/vinegar combos like Italian dressing can have a similar effect.
The time I helped him cut one up we did it similar to a deer. Cut the roasts off the quarters and package for use. We kept clean trimmings for burger and stew.
My buddy says that the clock is ticking the minute you shoot and that bear is the most sensitive meat to spoilage he has ever seen. He goes full bore until the meat is cooling.
god no bear tastes like death
I like it in stew with carrots and potatoes and dumplings.My friend cooked it all day to make it so it wasn't so tough.
For the reasons listed above, bear hunting is strictly self defense for me. If Brer Bear doesn't try to snack on me, I won't try to make a snack out of him.
Im lucky to live in the Pacific NW. I dont spring hunt bears but i do look for them in the fall after they have had a chance to hit the huckleberries. the berries flavor transfers over to the bear meat and its incredible. No bear like a huckleberry fed bear. YUM!
I have had bear as pot roast and bratwurst. Both were excellent. 007 has it right, you want to remove as much of the fat as possible before you cook it. Trim the roasts well before cooking and do not add any of the bear fat into any of the sausages. Use pork fat instead.
It's my understanding that bear tastes like it's diet. If there are people around, there are naturally landfills, and since bears are scavengers, they'll eat out of the landfill.
HOWEVER, if a bear is out in the wild, and eats a heavy concentration of berries and nuts and other natural stuff, your bear will taste better.
...but that's just to my understanding.
Update, the bear I got this year tastes heavenly. I have had stew, roast and chili. Just as good as it gets.
We also made bear treats one night.
Slice a loaf of french bread in 1/4" thick slices
Brush with a mix of olive oil and italian spices
Place a thin slice of bear and a thin slice of your favorite cheese on top
Bake at 425 till the bread toasts and eat it like you're going to The Chair.
Works with all red meat.
Post an Answer
I've had black bear meat and it was great. I've said it before, but with bears the seasons are generally late summer, early fall. In Maine its end of August through November. And in places where they have spring seasons it can be quite warm also. Bears need to be gutted and skinned as soon as possible. Meat handling is critical with them. Other than that, nothing beets a good marinade to flavor the meat they way you want it.
Ditto Moose. All the bear meat I have eaten was excellent. It can be a little on the chewy side but otherwise delicious.
Meat handling and planning seems to be the critical factor at least according to my bear hunting friend. He has a chest freezer ready to go and tries to skin and cool as fast as he can.
I tried bear hunting for the first time last year without getting one. Hopefully it will work out this year.
We butcher a bear more like you would a hog. Bear is greasy and my wife usually cooks it off a couple of times, changing the water to get rid of as much grease as possible, then BBQ'ing in the oven. One food writer I knew said he liked it on a rotisserie (spelling?) so the fat would drain off. Best I ever had was made into summer sausage.
How did you have it? Sausage, burger, steak? Can you butcher a bear like a deer? I know nothing of bears.
I will definatey pass on your suggestions cause these guys eeded some help with the flavor.
I have had bear jerky and sausage that was good but never straight bear meat.
I have eaten it in burger, roasts and stew. The roasts were done in a crockpot with hours long cooking times. All were excellent. My buddy usually uses Coke as a marinade as the acid breaks down the tough fibers. Orange juice or olive oil/vinegar combos like Italian dressing can have a similar effect.
The time I helped him cut one up we did it similar to a deer. Cut the roasts off the quarters and package for use. We kept clean trimmings for burger and stew.
My buddy says that the clock is ticking the minute you shoot and that bear is the most sensitive meat to spoilage he has ever seen. He goes full bore until the meat is cooling.
god no bear tastes like death
I like it in stew with carrots and potatoes and dumplings.My friend cooked it all day to make it so it wasn't so tough.
For the reasons listed above, bear hunting is strictly self defense for me. If Brer Bear doesn't try to snack on me, I won't try to make a snack out of him.
Im lucky to live in the Pacific NW. I dont spring hunt bears but i do look for them in the fall after they have had a chance to hit the huckleberries. the berries flavor transfers over to the bear meat and its incredible. No bear like a huckleberry fed bear. YUM!
I have had bear as pot roast and bratwurst. Both were excellent. 007 has it right, you want to remove as much of the fat as possible before you cook it. Trim the roasts well before cooking and do not add any of the bear fat into any of the sausages. Use pork fat instead.
It's my understanding that bear tastes like it's diet. If there are people around, there are naturally landfills, and since bears are scavengers, they'll eat out of the landfill.
HOWEVER, if a bear is out in the wild, and eats a heavy concentration of berries and nuts and other natural stuff, your bear will taste better.
...but that's just to my understanding.
Update, the bear I got this year tastes heavenly. I have had stew, roast and chili. Just as good as it gets.
We also made bear treats one night.
Slice a loaf of french bread in 1/4" thick slices
Brush with a mix of olive oil and italian spices
Place a thin slice of bear and a thin slice of your favorite cheese on top
Bake at 425 till the bread toasts and eat it like you're going to The Chair.
Works with all red meat.
Post an Answer