So who actually eats bear?

[Nick Muche]

We eat 2-4 bears a year. Breakfast sausage, hunter sticks and bear hams are our go-to's. I also love a bear roast and bear backstrap. It's all really good, but our bears do not eat fish, so the meat is very good.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Black bear tastes great! Stir fry, fajitas, pot roast, burger, sausage...

My favorite has been making a ham out of a whole, bone-in hindquarter. Brine it for a week with Tenderquick and pickling spices. Inject the brine into the meat daily, making sure it gets all the way to the bone. Remove, pat it dry and let it reach room temp. Then smoke it low and slow until internal temp hits about 160. You can add a glaze like you would with a pork ham if you want. Either way it comes out delicious.

 

[Crippledsledge64]

Been wondering this myself, going spring bear hunting for the first time soon and trying to get trichinosis out of my mind.

 

[Breckenridge]

When you make sausage are you using the fat or adding pork fat or something?

pork butt from cash and carry

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Been wondering this myself, going spring bear hunting for the first time soon and trying to get trichinosis out of my mind.

Just make sure to cook it thoroughly. Medium-rare is a no go, but 160 degrees should be fine.

 

[Fireman03]

Tastes like dog shit, dont let em fool ya

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

Bear and cougar are both delicious...a lot of people seem to have an irrational aversion to predators but it's usually pretty selective, most people still eat salmon

 

[Ryan Avery]

It’s delicious!


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[chasenr]

We usually smoke a bear shoulder every year. Pulled bear on tacos... tasty!

 

[TNsavageman]

Bear breakfast sausage is pretty tough to beat. The whole family enjoys it.

 

[nsuok02]

It’s great!

 

[Jim1187]

As a general rule bears under 250lbs have seemed to eat better than larger bears. They are probably the most widely variable game meat I have encountered. Most eat somewhere between good and great but some, with little indication until the meat starts cooking, are a little rough in regards to flavor. I have never encountered one that didn't make acceptable pepperoni or spicy sausage of your preferred style. I have had best results with spring bears and fall bears that have been feeding in berry or corn/grain fields.

 

[fish impaler]

Only experience with one So.California bear, less wild game flavor than local deer. Best so far has been Pozole, girlfriend didn’t believe it wasn’t beef until she found a nice black bear hair in it. Low/slow cooking methods provide less stress about trich, even though there’s a good chance the local variety doesn’t survive freezing.

 

[Jimbob]

Marinate Bear roast in a ziplock bag with red wine, olive oil, and Italian seasoning, into the fridge overnight. The next day make a flour mixture with spices and coat the roast, sear it in bacon fat then into the slow cooker with beef broth, red wine, garlic, fresh rosemary, and a bay leaf.

We love bear meat in our house.

 

[Elkslayer67]

Eat it!! Shoulders make great hams.

 

[Saylean]

Eat it all the time

 

[Squamch]

I could understand if this conversation was about wolves or cougars but not taking bear meat would be an absolute travesty. The meat is a great contrast to all the super lean ungulates we eat. It has a fair amount of fat/oil in the meat which makes it far more desirable for summer sausage, pepperoni sticks, roasts, cook down, pulled bbq sandwiches, smoking, canning, breakfast sausage... I use it for anything except steaks. Take the 4 quarters, neck, and back strap and remove as much fat off the deboned meat as possible then prep and freeze it how you would any other animal. You won’t regret it.

Why wouldn't you eat cougar? It's outstanding!

 

[HuntWyld]

Why wouldn't you eat cougar? It's outstanding!

I have and it is surprisingly good but I could see where people would shy away from it

 

[Theringworm]

First meal I ever had when I met my wife’s (then girlfriend) parents. Her dad made a bear roast with some sort of mustard horseradish marinade. I am from TX. Never heard of such a thing. It was amazingly good. Let’s just say things worked out. I won’t give all the credit to the roast lol, but it was dang good.

 

[CTR]

Eat it every year here from ones we get in Northern MN.