bear meat, proper care of ???

[canadian]

Is there anything different in the care of bear meat?  I hear you have to freeze it for 30 days before comsumption.  Is this true?  Or can I eat it right away?  Does all the fat have to be removed prior to freezing?  Can I treat it the same as I would a moose or deer?  Thanks Jonathan

[BigRonHuntAlot]

I am guessing you are talking about the risk of trchinellosis due to the freeze for 30 days before consumption question. This will probably answer some of your questions...

How can I prevent trichinellosis?
Cook meat products until the juices run clear or to an internal temperature of 170 o F.
Freeze pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5 o F to kill any worms.
Cook wild game meat thoroughly. Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, even for long periods of time, may not effectively kill all worms.
Cook all meat fed to pigs or other wild animals.
Do not allow hogs to eat uncooked carcasses of other animals, including rats, which may be infected with trichinellosis.
Clean meat grinders thoroughly if you prepare your own ground meats.
Curing (salting), drying, smoking, or microwaving meat does not consistently kill infective worms.

 I would remove as much fat as possible if I was preping for the freezer.

 Check out this web site...

 http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/magazine/black.htm

  Good Luck

[canadian]

Thanks Ron

[Carbon Caster]

Murph,

I have not processed as many as some, but I have been a quick study and because of it prefer Bear meat to almost any game.  Here is what I do.

Get it gutted RIGHT away.
Skin as soon as possible.
Quarter and cool quarters ASAP.
Trim ALL fat (It can go rancid in the freezer even)
I also freeze for 30 days prior to consumtion.
If you eat sooner than that, be sure and cook to well done.
The faster you get it from bush to freezer the better it will be.

[Pete W]

leaving it on the bear makes it last for years. LOL
{I don't like bear meat .}
Pete

[Carbon Caster]

Originally posted by Pete W:
leaving it on the bear makes it last for years. LOL
{I don't like bear meat .}
Pete

I think you are just scared of them!!!  LOL!!!

I KNOW Pat is.  LOL!!!

[Gordon martiniuk]

I Know pete is scared of bears when I showed him the video of my bear hunt he went strangly quiet and said no bears for him I wish he would try as I know after the first one he would be hooked on the great thrill to hunt somthing that can eat you that would put his trad skills and thousands of arrows of pratice to good use there are too many dam bears and Pete& Pat could use a new hobby to shoot at good luck also young Bear is good table fare

[Pete W]

I made a pact the first time I saw a Grizz track bigger than my boot.
 So far it has worked quite well for me and the bears have no trouble with it either.
 Absolutely no need to shoot a sharp stick at something that would just as soon eat you as a blueberry.

Scared .. No, Just keeping  my word.

Pete

[Brian Krebs]

um - this would be a real nice time to get off of the pepperoni recipes your hanging onto as if your going to mass produce bear pepperoni someday and become millionaires.
  I totally agree with Carbon Caster and the input from bigronhuntalot.
  Bear meat can be excellent; and yet bears can live for 30 plus years; and they can get tough.
  I would love to make pepperoni from my bear meat; but seems like a secret.
   I suppose you know you cannot get into heaven if you don't share your pepperoni recipies    \\
  ( first thing St Peter asks you!!!!)