Bear Grease

[Honfor500]

Anyone render down their bear fat and cook with it wondering if it would be gamey tasting I've tried it with blacktail and it was really good.

 

[VernAK]

The old gals in this neighborhood that are known for their pies, all swear by bear fat for tor the crust. I've been fortunate to eat some of those pies and they are great.

 

[hibernation]

Most definitely. Cook steaks in it, make pie crusts with it, it's a lot like lard and has a similar melting temp. Shouldn't be gamey at all if you render it down well.

Deer and elk fat are more like tallow but with too high a melting point for me, it can end up like wax in your mouth if it's not piping hot.

 

[SixteenG]

It’s awesome to render down. I’d recommend doing it outside though.

 

[DawnPatrol]

If you liked deer fat, you’ll love bear lard. It’s very useful for frying and baking (I like it to make tamales).

If you are concerned, render a tiny bit and taste it first before you go all in—if your particular bear was eating something nasty (trash, rotten salmon, etc) maybe that would create an unpleasant flavor.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

I cook with it for some things. I like the way bacon grease tastes better. I have not tried it for biscuits/pie crusts, which is where I’ve heard it shines best. I have liked using it for conditioning my hunting boots and using some on a baseball glove to help it break in.

 

[Halky010]

There's a podcast called Bear Grease. It's some folks from Arkansas. They talk a lot about hunting, outdoors and history. I listen to it regularly. It's part of the Meat Eaters podcasts.

 

[Erict]

I'm sure there are others, but this was an informative and detailed description of the process:

How to make Bear Grease - MeatEater

 

[tkhuntsman]

Anyone render down their bear fat and cook with it wondering if it would be gamey tasting I've tried it with blacktail and it was really good.

I've never had gamey rendered bear fat and I've used it for years as grease to cook with and for baking. I us it as patch lube for my muzzleloader, and to condition and weatherproof leather. I think it's really good stuff.

 

[mtnbiker208]

quick question when rendering bear fat, does black bear or grizzly bear matter?
ie do this only on black bears, not grizzlies?

 

[cumminsbassguy]

I did this on my bear in 20, I got 1 gallon of rendered oil, I'm still using it today and have 2 qt jars left.. I use it when I cook on the Blackstone, when I get to make rolls, basically any time I get to cook. Used it to oil some leather gloves. It freezes nice and the open jar lives in the fridge

 

[NRA4LIFE]

It’s awesome to render down. I’d recommend doing it outside though.

Do this. My dad used to render down deer fat because he swore by it to waterproof his leather boots. It stunk up the house something terrible. Mom was not too pleased.

 

[jlong17]

I just rendered a whole pile of bear fat. Pretty simple process, and I’m pleased with the results. My wife is making chick stuff with it - body butter and hand creams. I’m using it for my boots and cooking purposes… and trying it out as a “bear-ometer”. Just made a bowl of popcorn with it. Good stuff

 

[danhuntingmi]

I've used it for frying and seasoning pans and it was pretty mild. But it probably depends on the bear. Worst comes to worst, you could probably use it for leather, guns, tool handles etc. If one was a traditional muzzleloader I'll bet they'd have things to experiment with

 

[Fowl intentions]

It's GOLD! A commodity for bartering. I pressure can up a bunch of elk bone stock and trade for bear fat as I can't seem to kill a bear.

Cures what ails ya!

Boot grease, baking, cooking oil, salve, lip balm, soap, the list goes on.....