Bear Meat

[Mckinnon]

Is it good? I don't want to shoot one if the meat isn't good....

 

[Ryan Avery]

Black Bear meat is Great. It's kills me that people leave the meat. Fall bears taste better than spring bears to me. I think it's because of the berry's in the fall. Just make sure you cook it well.

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

I have a buddy that roasts them on a spit like a pig (one quarter at a time) and it's good. The meat has a lot of fat content so it tends to be more like pork in some regards and stays moist. It's also really good smoked, but I'm not sure that's the safest method to prepare it due to trichonosis concerns. May be fine if you crank up the heat or have it professionally done. I never had any issues eating it that way. You could probably have a really good pig roast in an underground, Hawaiin style pit barbeque also. That might be the best way of all. Peporoni ans sausage sticks taste good but have a way of staying with me for a while if you know what I mean - bear peporoni burps can clear out the truck.

Coop

 

[Swede]

Bears are omnivores. I have had good bear meat and very bad tasting bear meat. Much more than deer and elk, it depends on what they have been eating. A garbage dump bear or one feeding off of dead fish etc, tastes terrible from my limited experience. A healthy bear that has been living and foraging in the forest will be fine.

 

[BuckSnort]

I'll never eat it again it almost killed me last year..... Be careful how you cook it! Read this and see my post (#23)

http://www.rokslide.com/forums/show...ating-Bear-Meat!!!!!!!!&highlight=trichinosis

 

[justin davis]

I like bear meats! Bear brats are tasty!!

 

[Becca]

I was pleasantly surprised how tasty black bear is after Luke and I came home with one apiece last spring. I thought the steak was great marinated and grilled, but I found having to cook it well done with a meat thermometer kind of a hassle. Since we have plenty of safer varieties of steak in the freezer, I had our meat processor turn the two bears into cured sausage. Both the pepperoni and teriyaki sticks we had made were incredible, and I don't have to worry about the risk of trichinosis (though slight) or the hassle of making sure I cooked it right. Worked great for us, and now I am not sure I like any other species of snack stick quite as well

I also have a recipe someplace for making pressure canned chilli with bear meat, and that's probably another good option as pressure canning for close to two hours kills all the bugs...will have to try that next time we are lucky enough to have black bear meat around...

 

[JNDEER]

I have only taken two bears as I was afriad for a long time that they would not taste great.

Both tasted just fine. I ground most of it up and mixed whatever meat I wanted with it and made a lot of sausage. Also had some burger.

 

[Bearcat]

Bear meat is definately good! Depending on what they are feeding on. In my experience people will like bear meat better than deer as long as you dont tell them first. I think its just a mind set thing. That being said, I have only hunted them in the fall in the blueberry patches and instantly bone the animal out. Years ago my dad read an article about a old bear hunter that said his secret to good meat was to bone the animal asap to get the meat cooled down, being they are big boned and hold alot of heat. It has always seemed to work for us. I read up on the trichinosis thing sometime back and what I remember was the northern hemisphere bears that eat alot of meat in there diet have the trichinosis that just freezing will not kill it. You have to cook it to a temp of 165 degrees. I have heard of people trying bear meat and saying it was really awful, but I also see guys that shoot a bear bring it out whole and drive arount in the 60-70 degree sunshine to show all there buddys all day and who knows how long till they get it processed. Yuck! ... Just take care of your meat and don't pass up that bear next time and enjoy!

 

[shanevg]

My wife and I eat more bear meat than anything. We're not huge fans of the steaks but a smoked hind quarter is a great Thanksgiving meal in addition to the turkey and the burger and pepperoni/sausages/landjaegers are amazing! We really like bear meat a lot!!!

 

[shanevg]

You do need to be careful with trichinosis - be sure to cook the meat all the way through! 165 degrees minimum and freezing will not kill it like it will in pork.

 

[bearguide]

i agree =- depends on their food source and how they are cooked

 

[tri2hunt]

I took my first bear last fall. We put it in a buttermilk and seasoning marinade for a day and smoked it for about seven hours. I made sure the internal meat temp was about 175* for around 2 of those hours. I did this for my wife's birthday party, so alot of people got to try something new. They were all extremely impressed with how good bear meat was. I am hoping to put another one down this season. Good Luck.

 

[Mckinnon]

Bear it is! My little brother and I just got tags, can't wait!