I looked it up, 158 will kill trichnosis, so they reccomend 165 for 15 seconds, just to be safe.
How good is bear meat?
- Thread starter Snake Eyez
- Start date
I looked it up, 158 will kill trichnosis, so they reccomend 165 for 15 seconds, just to be safe.
I really like bear meat. My experience has been only with spring bears and I would think it depends a lot on where you shoot it and what it's eating. Bear meat shouldn't be hung like deer so once you shoot it make sure you gut it and skin it immediately and get it to a cooler right away, unless it's very cold you can't really hang it in a tree like a deer and expect to get decent meat.
Growing up bears were a big problem in the oat fields in the fall. We ate all we shot & we shot alot. I can't comment on spring bear but also can't remember a bad oat fed fall bear. I shot my first bear in over a decade last fall(barley fed) that was very good as well. I'll second the comment on the fat renderings for baking!
trying to eat a bear
I have to chime in with my two cents worth about eating bear. I have been served bear twice the first was great, rich and tender. It had been cooked in a stew and was marinated before hand. I do not recollect there being any fat, or bones so maybe removing them mellowed the flavour. The second time was less than successful. 8 of us, at moose camp, tried to eat parts of a bear I that I had shot just a couple of days previous; The damned thing expired only 3 paces from my toes after I shot him for the second time. It was slow roasted with plenty of onions garlic and spices. I remember the gravey being good but the meat was a strong tasting and as tough as anything I had ever tried to eat. When I said tried, I mean tried, we all failed to be able to eat the meat.
good luck,
I have to chime in with my two cents worth about eating bear. I have been served bear twice the first was great, rich and tender. It had been cooked in a stew and was marinated before hand. I do not recollect there being any fat, or bones so maybe removing them mellowed the flavour. The second time was less than successful. 8 of us, at moose camp, tried to eat parts of a bear I that I had shot just a couple of days previous; The damned thing expired only 3 paces from my toes after I shot him for the second time. It was slow roasted with plenty of onions garlic and spices. I remember the gravey being good but the meat was a strong tasting and as tough as anything I had ever tried to eat. When I said tried, I mean tried, we all failed to be able to eat the meat.
good luck,
Count one more who enjoys bear meat. For me, the trick is to marinade it for at least 24 hours before it hits the grill. For reasons I've never quite understood, bear meat seems to pick up the flavour of the marinade more than other meats -- which is good, because I've never really enjoyed bear meat that was cooked without a long seasoning period.
One thing I've really come to appreciate about bear steaks is that it's almost impossible to overcook them -- even cooked well done, they retain a great deal of moisture and flavour. This is a world apart from deer meat, which in my experience turns into shoe leather once you go much past medium.
One thing I've really come to appreciate about bear steaks is that it's almost impossible to overcook them -- even cooked well done, they retain a great deal of moisture and flavour. This is a world apart from deer meat, which in my experience turns into shoe leather once you go much past medium.
