First time eating bear…great success!

[gentleman4561]

I shot my first bear about a month ago on public land here in the Appalachia and decided to host a bear dinner for a group of friends. What better way for men to gather/fellowship than by feasting on a beast!

I used a recipe from Steve Rinella’s cookbook, and it turned out fantastic. First, I brined the meat in a salt and sugar mixture for five days. Then I slow-cooked it on my Kamado Joe at 225°F for around eight hours, aiming for an internal temperature of 170°F. Eight hours was longer than needed, so I took it slow. About 1.5 hours before serving, I started basting the meat with a honey and brown sugar glaze, with a touch of cinnamon and ginger.

I’ll admit, I was a bit nervous—cooking bear for the first time and for eight friends—but it turned out incredible! Some of the tastiest ham I’ve ever had. I even made biscuits with rendered bear grease as a side.

Half the guys there had never hunted before, and I’m convinced that after this meal, they’d support hunting wholeheartedly. There’s nothing quite like gathering with friends, sharing game you harvested, and embracing what we were made to do!

 

[Rotnguns]

Thanks for sharing your story with us, and for sharing your bear and cooking skills with your friends! That sounds like an awesome recipe.

 

[Drenalin]

I broke my bear completely down into large muscles so I could trim it aggressively, but have been making smoked "ham" similar to yours out of all those pieces. It is amazing. If I could legally kill enough bears to keep the freezer fully stocked, I would never eat another whitetail.

 

[RMM]

I don't know if you meant the title to be read in a Borat accent, but I can't read it in anything other than a Borat accent

 

[COJoe]

Those pics have me salivating..... Well done. That would be a great way to get the church men together. Then go have a knife/hatchet throwing contest!

 

[Tater86]

Bear is by far my favorite wild game! I would likewise fill my freezer with bear over venison.

 

[rclouse79]

Nice work! I love beat meat and need to break the dry spell I have been on the past few years.

 

[Pharmseller]

Trichinosis creeps me out.





P

 

[MNGrouser]

I was dating a girl who hadn't grown up around hunting when I shot my first bear. Decided to make a meal for her out of it. Tried to find a recipe with good flavor in case it was a little strong. She was sitting at the table when I dished it up. Looked like she was going to throw up or pass out. I asked if she was ok.

"I'm just nervous."

"On a scale of 1 to 10 how nervous are you?"

"9"

"9!?!??? I already killed the bear. You can't be a 9 unless I'm asking you to take bites out of a live one!"

She ended up liking it and was sad when the last of that bear meat was out of the freezer.

 

[gentleman4561]

Trichinosis creeps me out.





P

Easily avoided by proper cooking.

 

[Hulky]

Thanks for sharing your story, nice work!

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Trichinosis creeps me out.





P

Good thing digital meat thermometers these days are accurate and not very expensive.

 

[rclouse79]

Trichinosis creeps me out.





P

Cook it all day low and slow and it is completely safe. I have found bear meat is much better than other leaner wild game when cooked this way. According to what I pulled up from the google machine, you have nothing to worry about after the meat hits 140 F.

For example, Trichinella spiralis is killed in 47 minutes at 52°C (125.6°F), in 6 minutes at 55°C (131°F), and in <1 minute at 60°C (140°F).

 

[wyogoat]

 

[Hunt eat repeat]

Excellent ! We love bear brawts in our house. Ham is on the list for sure. Just killed a bear a couple weeks ago.

 

[gentleman4561]

Excellent ! We love bear brawts in our house. Ham is on the list for sure. Just killed a bear a couple weeks ago.

I aught to try that, I make venison brats and love those.

 

[Durran87]

I have a freezer full of wild game and the bear is my favorite. It may be because we feed them cookies and sheet cakes in WI. Have a lot of ground meat, but with the steaks I’ll just sprinkle tequila lime seasoning and fry on the blackstone until 160 and it’s amazing. I need to try this recipe.

 

[OMF]

While what you cooked up looks and sounds delicious, bear is one of my least favorite. I haven't hunted one in a long long time.

 

[dirtshooter]

Which Rinella recipe was it?