Black Bears can be Dangerous!!

chopper 1, We were a bit too far north for saskatoon berries. But the low bush blueberries grew in unbelievable abundance.
Stewed blueberries over pancakes was a major food item. I never got tired of it and to this day is a favourite food of mine, blueberries over pancakes. The only trouble is the domestic, store bought blueberries of today can in no way match the delicious flavour of the wild blueberrie.

Edited, forgot to mention pies. Pies made from fresh, or even canned, wild blueberries are absolutely mouth watering great!
 
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Bear fat has to be rendered into lard before it's edible. Trust me - nobody uses the 'fat' in it's original state for anything to do with cooking, unless they really really hate the person they're cooking for :D
 
Here you go, for all you bear meat connoisseurs.
This is from a hand out I picked up when I was wandering around Whitehorse during my demented youth.

Titled:
Yukon Bear Bacon & Boot Grease Recipes
From the department of renewable resources – Hon H. Tracey April 1983

Pickled Bear Paws

4 bear paws skinned and washed
water to cover (about 1 L)
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
125ml white vinegar
15ml tarragon wine vinegar
15 – 20ml brown sugar
2 bay leaves
15ml salt 3 or 4 pepper corns

Method:
Put the paws in a 2 litre saucepan and add water, onion, carrots, vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, salt & peppercorn. (Norton comment: in other words throw every thing you can find in your kitchen cabinets and what is growing in your back yard in the pot, it won’t make any difference because its going to taste like #### anyway)

Cook gently until the gelatinous part of the paws is soft and the liquid has reduced to about one cup (N com: the word “gelatinous” is enough for me right there, tells me, boil it like it has herpes)

Cool, cut the paws into pieces and place in a sterilised jar. (N com: fook that, I would let the dog sniff it and see what he thinks and go from there)

The jelly that forms is delicious and should be served along with the meat (N com: the dog didn’t think so and I bet the magpies wouldn’t even put their feet in it)

:evil:
 
Demonical said:
Ummm, going back a bit, I think that Camp Cook was trying to say that bears are Omnivores, just like pigs and people.
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He might have been trying to say that but it still doesn't mean they are related. The old wives tale about bears and pigs being related has been going on forever and is simply false. As Sheephunter pointed out both are mammals and that is as close as they get to being related on the family tree. Or another way to look at it; they are just as closely related to the platypus as one another.
 
LOL Norton...sounds like my cormorant recipe.

1 large cormorant (plucked)
2 lbs.wet dulse
salt
pepper
5 lb. rock
bring to boil
discard cormorant and dulse...serve rock
 
Norton said:
difference because its going to taste like s**t anyway)

Cook gently until the gelatinous part of the paws is soft and the liquid has reduced to about one cup (N com: the word “gelatinous” is enough for me right there, tells me, boil it like it has herpes)

Cool, cut the paws into pieces and place in a sterilised jar. (N com: fook that, I would let the dog sniff it and see what he thinks and go from there)

The jelly that forms is delicious and should be served along with the meat (N com: the dog didn’t think so and I bet the magpies wouldn’t even put their feet in it)

:evil:
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Perfect Norton...thanks for the chuckles, LOL!
 
Excellent points being made it's good to see discussions that are positive...

Foxer I will add to the fat being rendered...

After it is rendered down only the clarified parts should be used and the rest discarded. Simpliest way to understand what I mean by clarified is melt some butter in you microwave/pot allow the cloudy portion to settle to the bottom what is left on the top is the clarified oil/fat.

As Demonical stated I was refering to the Omnivours and they are closer related to bears due to having almost the same digestive systems.

No fish yesterday, about the worst I have seen it for this time of year there were not many boats out either.

edit to add;

Forgot to mention the water level is extremely high for this time of year as well.
 
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Camp they have the same digestive system as humans, coyotes, chickens and horses too. You know what, this is likely one of those times to just say, hey, I learned something today and not say any more. No shame in learning something but definitely loads in going on about something you know nothing about. Omega is right...it's a old wive's tale! Bears are no more closely related to pigs than you are.
 
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Demonical said:
Ummm, going back a bit, I think that Camp Cook was trying to say that bears are Omnivores, just like pigs and people.
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And so are a hundred other animals omnivores but it still doesn't make them related....well other than they are all mammals........Old wive's tale....pure and simple!
 
I like my bear trimmed well, and barbecued. It lets the fat drip off, and eliminated the "gamy" taste contained in the fat.
Done that way, cooked well, but not dried out, bear can taste as good, or better than beef. Tender and tasty!
 
Camp they have the same digestive system as humans, coyotes, chickens and horses too.
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well, no not exactly - chickens digestive systems are very different than ours - all birds are for the most part. Humans don't have a crop or gizzard for example. Being a bird owner, i'm aware of some of the differences, because many foods fine for us are very dangerous for birds. Horses are a lot closer to humans, being a non-ruminant (sp?) they just have the one stomach, but it's still a little different. humans and coyotes Are very similar - but then again i don't eat human or coyote either :D


I HAVE noticed that bear tastes very different depending on what they eat. A bear that's been eating in a salmon stream isn't going to taste good at all. But - all animals are kind of like that, ducks taste a lot different in the prairies than they do here due to diet. I don't know much about 'absorbing impurities' or anything.
 
Omega said:
Sorry man you REALLY need to try Alberta beef!:D
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actually, you've got to try some free range NZ beef, LOL! stuff is $5.00/lb cheaper and tastes darn good! :D

and Foxer, what I've read is about the same as what you just said. get a bear when it's feasting on vegetation and it'll be a good one (tastes good) but get something that's been feasting on flesh and it's not so pleasant. :runaway:
 
Foxer said:
well, no not exactly - chickens digestive systems are very different than ours - all birds are for the most part. Humans don't have a crop or gizzard for example. Being a bird owner, i'm aware of some of the differences, because many foods fine for us are very dangerous for birds. Horses are a lot closer to humans, being a non-ruminant (sp?) they just have the one stomach, but it's still a little different. humans and coyotes Are very similar - but then again i don't eat human or coyote either :D


I HAVE noticed that bear tastes very different depending on what they eat. A bear that's been eating in a salmon stream isn't going to taste good at all. But - all animals are kind of like that, ducks taste a lot different in the prairies than they do here due to diet. I don't know much about 'absorbing impurities' or anything.
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My point was that they are all monogastric........
 
Mr Freindly, What stores in Kamloops can you get that NZ beef? Years ago they used to market beef directly off grass in the Chilcotin. It was great, too. One reason being the famous wild bunch grass they fed on and the other being the beef was at least three years old when it was butchered in the fall. It takes three or four years to produce the choicest of prime beef.

Edited: I guess we have strayed, just a bit? from the subject of the thread!!!
 
I've hunted NZ a couple of times and ALL their poultry, dairy and meat products have a gamy, funky taste. When you see what they live on it is no wonder!
 
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