Why bear pepperoni

Rugdoc said:
I can't believe the number of times I've read on hunting web sites that a guy has shot a bear and is looking forward to having it made into pepperoni.

Do people really eat that much pepperoni?

In my opinion it's a waste of perfectly good bear meat.

What's wrong with roasts, ribs, burger and stew?

Maybe they don't know how to care for bear meat and they have to have it processed with a pile of spices before they can eat it.

Or maybe they can't cook.
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I have a couple hunting pals that will turn an entire deer or bear into sausage and pepperettes. I will save some of the scraps and less choice cuts to make up my own sausage but I cut up the roasts and steaks first. To each their own I guess as long as it's not wasted.
 
^^Like he said. I am very interested in hearing your recipes for various game animals.

Question: is it true that bear meat when smoked cold may contain some kind of parasite? I love cold smoked pork, I would hate to think that cold smoked bear meat is a bad idea.
 
Jerky and pepperoni keep for a very long time and dry storage doesn't take any power unlike a freezer. I can take a pile of jerky in my backpack for a two week trip and it weighs next to nothing. I don't need to keep it cold or worry about it going bad.

Not that I don't like a good steak, or roast or stew. But there are huge advantages to dried and cured meats, so I'm not surprised that guys would get a lot of meat made up this way.
 
I've only tagged one bear (P&Y) and after tasting it I would definitely give the next one away if I ever hunted them again.
 
Northman999 said:
Yup. Now I'm surfing the internet trying to find some recipe for bear peperroni or jerky that involves fully cooked meat. Not really too hopeful...:(
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The pepperoni or jerky needs to be cooked to an internal temp of 150 degrees F ( minimum 140 with a 10 degree safety margin) which can easily be done in a good smokehouse. That is standard procedure for a lot of pork sausages. Why would it be difficult to find a recipe?
I made some pretty good garlic sausage, pepperoni, and pastrami from my 2011 bear. My family definitely wants more pastrami, but all was good, including a couple stews.
 
After gutting a few bear over the years whose body cavity was literally full of roundworms, I've decided it's not that great....


Enjoy your pepperoni's !!! :D


roundworm2.jpg
roundworm.jpg
 
bearkilr said:
After gutting a few bear over the years whose body cavity was literally full of roundworms, I've decided it's not that great....
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While i have never had a desire to hunt bears, cause i like bears, unless they are trying to eat me. That what you said right there makes it official.cp:
 
Conventional home smokers rarely, if ever, get internal temperature of meats to 140, let alone 160F. Help yourself, but please don't lead other people down that path.

Trichinosis is a terribly painful and debilitating disease. Have you ever met anyone who had contracted it?

Ted
 
I stay away from bears and the meat they offer.
When I was in my teens, dad cooked up some meat
I am almost certain was bear.
I was sicker than a dog for almost a week.
There are a couple friends I hunt with that have a hangkering
for Yogi.
This is about as far as I will eat bear meat.
They know what they're doing with it and know how to make
a gourmet meal out of Boo-Boo.
I have never bought a bear tag.
 
Dunno what kinda junk smoker you're using, but mine can reach temps of up to 600 degrees if i want it too.. But then again I built the beast myself... Don't YOU going scaring people.. There are hot cookers/ smokers that are commercially available that will do the job. Pretty sure i quantified my response with specific temperatures as acquired from the CDC to kill trichinosis... All a person should do is be well informed and careful when cooking/smoking their bear meat or any other kinds of meat for that matter.

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). It should be noted that these times and temperatures apply only when the product reaches and maintains temperatures evenly distributed throughout the meat.

Prevention & Control
•One way to prevent trichinellosis is to cook meat to safe temperatures. A food thermometer should be used to measure the internal temperature of cooked meat. Do not sample meat until it is cooked. USDA recommends the following for meat preparation.
For Whole Cuts of Meat (excluding poultry)
•Cook to at least 145° F (63° C) as measured with a food thermometer placed in the thickest part of the meat, then allow the meat to rest* for three minutes before carving or consuming.
For Ground Meat (excluding poultry)
•Cook to at least 160° F (71° C); ground meats do not require a rest* time.
For All Poultry (whole cuts and ground) •Cook to at least 165° F (74° C), and for whole poultry allow the meat to rest* for three minutes before carving or consuming.

Here's a cheap smoker @ crappy tire that will more than do the job...
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/2/OutdoorLiving/BBQs/Smokers/PRD~0851153P/Cuisinart+Electric+Smoker.jsp?locale=en
go to the manufacturers website and it's capable of temperatures of 94℃-107℃ (200°F – 225°F) slow cooking

So please do take my advice folks AND BEAR JERKY!

.
Why not? said:
Conventional home smokers rarely, if ever, get internal temperature of meats to 140, let alone 160F. Help yourself, but please don't lead other people down that path.

Trichinosis is a terribly painful and debilitating disease. Have you ever met anyone who had contracted it?

Ted
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I have eaten bear twice in my life and both times left me with the same thoughts. That is nasty, vile stuff best left to run around the woods. I won't ever shoot a bear unless it becomes a nuisance or protection problem. They taste so horrible IMO that I have no good reason to harvest one myself.
 
gmctech,

Thanks for clarifying your post. You designed it, and your smoker that you built yourself will certainly do the job.

If you read again my post, I specifically said, "Conventional home smokers rarely, if ever, get internal temperature of meats to 140, let alone 160F."

Ted
 
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