Black bear temperature (trichinosis)

[idcuda]

This is kind of a dead horse, but there's no consensus. 160F is the old school, safe temperature to kill trichinosis. That's well established. Newer info is saying 137F will do it.

Does anyone have anything definitive saying 137F is okay? I go to 140+ just to be sure, but there's no way to know if I just got lucky or if it killed actually killed it.

 

[TSAMP]

I have read the same data. Always went to 160 myself. One thing I found interesting is the same article stated that it can be killed in the freezer if held beyond 3 weeks. But only in domestic animals. Seems odd to me..from mayoclinic website below.

• Freeze pork. Freezing pork that is less than six inches thick for three weeks will kill parasites. However, trichinella parasites in wild-animal meat are not killed by freezing, even over a long period.

 

[idcuda]

I have read the same data. Always went to 160 myself. One thing I found interesting is the same article stated that it can be killed in the freezer if held beyond 3 weeks. But only in domestic animals. Seems odd to me..from mayoclinic website below.

• Freeze pork. Freezing pork that is less than six inches thick for three weeks will kill parasites. However, trichinella parasites in wild-animal meat are not killed by freezing, even over a long period.

Yeah, I've read there's a variant in bear (and other non-domestic animals) that isn't killed as easily by freezing.

 

[Slugz]

Ep. 191: Sicker Than Hell | MeatEater Podcasts

Steven Rinella talks with epidemiologist Timonthy Sly, Sam Lungren, and Janis Putelis.Topics discussed: The meaning of the word "epidemiology"; tularemia and rabbits; ashing deer meat; on being trichinosis positive; cannibalism; what’s up with eating raw freshwater fish?; beaver fever; ribbony...

www.themeateater.com

In my opinion, this is worth listening to more than once and taking notes. If I remember correctly it discusses sous vide and freezing while putting facts out to dispel rhetoric, rumour and many rich hunting old school isms. Hope that helps. It set me clear on how I eat my bear

 

[crich]

Experts recommend cooking to 165 because it kills bacteria instantly. Lower temps will as well with longer exposure... its a sliding scale. With that said no way Im risking getting trich. 160* it is

 

[fish impaler]

I found a paper a while back that suggested the thrichinella variant in colder climates is resistant to freezing , while domestic animal/warmer climate bears trich. is not. I couldn’t find any evidence of Southern California bears testing positive for the more hardy variant, but still cook 140+.

 

[hodgeman]

Bears....are a well done proposition.

Undercooked bear may be delicious, and not worth it.

 

[Slugz]

CDC - Trichinellosis - Trichinellosis Information for Hunters

A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. Parasites can cause disease in humans.

www.cdc.gov

New Freeze-Resistant Trichinella Species Discovered : USDA ARS

FYI

 

[idcuda]

CDC - Trichinellosis - Trichinellosis Information for Hunters

A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. Parasites can cause disease in humans.

www.cdc.gov

New Freeze-Resistant Trichinella Species Discovered : USDA ARS

FYI

Nice... Nothing I have done will kill it (pastrami recipe): "Smoking, freezing, or curing game meat does not kill all Trichinella species. Low –temperature smoking will not kill Trichinella, either".

I'll give it some time in the oven to get to 160F.

 

[Beendare]

Ep. 191: Sicker Than Hell | MeatEater Podcasts

Steven Rinella talks with epidemiologist Timonthy Sly, Sam Lungren, and Janis Putelis.Topics discussed: The meaning of the word "epidemiology"; tularemia and rabbits; ashing deer meat; on being trichinosis positive; cannibalism; what’s up with eating raw freshwater fish?; beaver fever; ribbony...

www.themeateater.com

In my opinion, this is worth listening to more than once and taking notes. If I remember correctly it discusses sous vide and freezing while putting facts out to dispel rhetoric, rumour and many rich hunting old school isms. Hope that helps. It set me clear on how I eat my bear

Agreed, Slugz.....I'm not a big podcast guy but that was probably the best one I've ever heard......that Epidemiologist made it fascinating.

Good info from the Veterinary assoc for hunters and probably the best compilation of info I’ve seen.
Here

_

 

[idcuda]

I steamed my pastrami in the oven at 275 until the internal temp hit 160+.

Doesn't seem to have negatively impacted anything much, but I'll know more once I chop it up. Edges might have dried a bit. At least I know I won't crap my guts out .

 

[JakeSCH]

**EDIT** Removed vaccine comments to not derail the thread.

Cook to 145 or to cook time chart in my later comment.

Trichinosis in Wild Game - What You Need to Know | Hank Shaw

A digest of the science and data concerning the risk and presence of getting trichinosis in wild game, and how to minimize the risk.

honest-food.net

 

[idcuda]

Cooking pork to 165 is like a young healthy person getting the covid vaccine. You don't need to but it helps mitigate the risk.

137 in the sous vide for over an hour will kill it, but I would go to 140 for good measure. This is more for the person who understands the risks and not just accepts the 165F provided by CDC (aka young healthy people choosing to not get vaccine).

Trichinosis in Wild Game - What You Need to Know | Hank Shaw

A digest of the science and data concerning the risk and presence of getting trichinosis in wild game, and how to minimize the risk.

honest-food.net

That's where I got the 137F info, too.

And nice work dragging vaccines into it. If I wanted to start an argument I would have.

 

[JakeSCH]

That's where I got the 137F info, too.

And nice work dragging vaccines into it. If I wanted to start an argument I would have.

LOL yeah I probably shouldn't have brought in the vaccine. I'll edit to not derail.

Here is the USDA info that Hank references.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/import/Trichinella-Compliance-Guide-03162016.pdf

See pdf page 19, document page 14

Minimum internal temperature Minimum time
Degrees F Degrees C
120 49.0 21 hours
122 50.0 9.5 hours
124 51.1 4.5 hours
126 52.2 2.0 hours
128 53.4 1.0 hour
130 54.5 30 minutes
132 55.6 15 minutes
134 56.7 6 minutes
136 57.8 3 minutes
138 58.9 2 minutes
140 60.0 1 minute
142 61.1 1 minute
144 62.2 Instant

 

[TSAMP]

Great thread. Looks like I spent waaaay to long smoking my summer sausage of bear meat to 165.

 

[rclouse79]

I like to brown it and put it in cast iron in the oven for 8 hrs at 300. Delicious without any worry of parasites.

 

[idcuda]

LOL yeah I probably shouldn't have brought in the vaccine. I'll edit to not derail.

Here is the USDA info that Hank references.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/import/Trichinella-Compliance-Guide-03162016.pdf

See pdf page 19, document page 14

Minimum internal temperature Minimum time
Degrees F Degrees C
120 49.0 21 hours
122 50.0 9.5 hours
124 51.1 4.5 hours
126 52.2 2.0 hours
128 53.4 1.0 hour
130 54.5 30 minutes
132 55.6 15 minutes
134 56.7 6 minutes
136 57.8 3 minutes
138 58.9 2 minutes
140 60.0 1 minute
142 61.1 1 minute
144 62.2 Instant

Right on, thanks! And thanks for the links - that's good info. The durations help a bunch, especially during a low-temp smoke.