How much fat do you leave on your bear when grinding?

[Pilsner]

None is the correct answer imo. Bear meat can be the best thing you've ever eaten, or the worst thing you've ever eaten. Proceed with caution.

Correct.
Besides why waste it in grind when you can render it and have BEAR GREASE?!
I add about 10% pork fat to my bear meat grind.

 

[joerotter]

I leave a fair amount. We eat a ton of bear, if it's good fat, not sinewy connective fat, like off the back we'll leave some visible chunks versus whittling away and wasting meat. Ground bear is about the best thing possible to eat. All the big stuff we render for cooking oil. It's easy and delicious. It won't freeze long term but we'll throw it in gallon bags until we have an afternoon to do it, it grinds extremely well when partially frozen and renders much better and faster.

 

[cking96000]

I’ve heard a lot of people remove all the “extra fat” (the fat that’s not connecting within the muscles) and usually render it down to make other products with, rather than putting it back in the meat product as it spoils more quickly. Fat I do add back is usually pork back fat, however I also like to add bacon back to grind for smash burgers.

 

[PSmit21]

Last two bears did two different things, first all the fat trimmed off and rendered and the next did not trim very well. Learned my lesson as the bear that I did not trim well did not keep as well and was not very good tasting. The bear I shot a year prior I am still eating on it and it’s fantastic tasting.

I know it varies from bear to bear but these two bears were killed a couple hundred yards from each other the same time of year and the taste difference was huge.

I am thinking that’s attributed to not trimming the fat that well on last years bear.

 

[COJoe]

I suppose you could trim off most fat and render it, grind the meat and make into burgers and while grilling them, add a scoop of rendered bear fat on them for taste as they cook? Hopefully I'll have a bear by this time next month to try it out.

 

[112Savage]

Trim it off. Rancid fat is one the most off putting flavors and smells to me. Bear doesn’t need much fat to stick together like whitetail or elk. When you feel the meat it’s kind of sticky anyway like antelope. I’ve kept trimmed bear in the freezer for two years with no apparent change in taste. For burgers I do mix it 50:50 with beef just for texture and to please my wife while also extending both species in my freezer.
Bear grease is nice. I only use white fat; none that has blood or hair or meat. I also go very slowly when rendering to prevent burning/pyrolysis. Grinding the fat increases yield and decreases burning. Bear grease has a very low smoke point and isn’t great for searing.

 

[diamond10x]

I trim all fat off before running meat through first grind. Then add back the fat cap off the straps and hams to give about an 80/20-85/15 mix and run through grinder again. Makes the best patties, meat balls, and ground you can get. Leftover fat gets rendered for cooking. Everyone in our house and any guests we’ve cooked for will choose our bear over anything else.

All our bears are killed in the fall and from or very near berries. We also never add any beef or pork to wild game as then you’re not eating wild game.