Bear Meat

[Gene Roberts]

Is bear meat fit to eat??? I've always heard that it isn't. If it is then could anyone tell me their recipes?  I might be going bear hunting sometime so just pm me if you can tell me anything.   Thanks

[Kevin L.]

Bear has been some of the best and some of the worst meat I've ever had. It's vital to remove ALL fat and connective tissue. Keep the fat for projects, like patch lube and leather treating. I'm sure those way more knowledgeable than I will give you more and better info here shortly.

[Curtiss Cardinal]

the bear needs to be dressed out and cooled down and, processed and frozen as quickly as possible with as close to sterile conditions as possible. Bear fat makes great lard. Bear that has been left too long or handled inproperly will be 9 times or more out of 10 the bad bear meat.

[Apex Predator]

When I killed mine (362# boar) the guides left it until the next day.  It was close to freezing though.  They said that they never field dress them!  I was worried.  We gutted and cleaned it the next day.  It went into the freezer in quarters about 18 hours after the kill.  I got it home half frozen and cleaned it up and cut it into steaks, roasts, and stew like I do most of my venison.  It was as good as any wild game I have ever had.  It was awesome any way I chose to cook it.  One of my favorites for sure!

[Kingwouldbe]

It depends on what they have been eating, some of the bears I have killed from way up high have been eating nothing but berry's and I think the meat is some of the best meat on the planet.
 

[Daddy Bear]

Angus beef would taste off if poorly handled after harvest. Bear is just as tasty as good beef if properly handled and prepared.

I would recommend you try one of the old dutch oven stew recipes that uses cubed bear meat. I go through a bunch of bear meat each year making dutch oven stew and have never had a bad batch and have never had a single complaint.

Daddy Bear

[Charlie Cole]

MMMmmmm. Bear stew. Do a search and you'll get a couple good threads on some of the best eating there is.

[Sharpster]

Just had this conversation with Stripstrike1 today. One of the best meals that I ever had was a smoked black bear shoulder. I didn't kill or prepare it myself but, it sure was some fine eatin!

Now if they'd just let us start huntin them here in the People's Republic of New Jersey again. I had 19 daylight sightings in my yard last year. Who knows how many came by during the night.

Ron

[Toklat1]

Bear Stew is very good, Bear steaks are good, If you have someone make Breakfast sausage out of your Bear. I think you will agree that it will be the best sausage you have ever eaten! Good Luck

[Gene Roberts]

Thanks guys  What do you put in the stew?(vegetables,spices,ect)

[Vig]

The best campfire meal I've ever had was at bear camp last year.  We took the fresh ribs of a my bear and slow roasted them over the fire while adding bbq sauce and seasoned salt while they cooked.  They were delicious!  I've had a lot of bear stew and sausage and have never heard a complaint.

Vig

[longbowben]

Bear meat is a lot better the i thought great tasting.butter, onion, salt, pepper cooked real slow on stove .

[homerdave]

anybody have a recipe for brining bear for ham?

[Jerry Jeffer]

Sharpster, I see bears almost every time I hunt in NJ. Too bad Komisar Korzine goes along with the rest of the many ignorants in that state. Any way, If the bear is eating well, he taste good. If he eats trash.... Well you are what you eat.

[Daddy Bear]

This will start you off on the correct foot:

4 to 5 lbs bear meat cut in 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup flour
1 tbs italian seasoning
4 tbs butter
2 tbs vegetable or corn oil
1 large onion diced
1 8 oz. tin beef broth
4 bay leaves (do not eat)
2 lb small. potatoes
1 lb fresh mushrooms if button size do not slice
5 carrots sliced
1 turnip cubed
5 parsnip sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 Deg.. put flour with seasonings in plastic bag and shake until bear meat coated, combine oil and butter in skillet and brown meat and drain off grease from meat.
In a large dutch oven add 2 or 3 qts. of water and all ingredients. Cook approx. 2 to 3 hours adding water if necessary checking every 30 minutes.
Serve with fresh rolls or italian bread.

later,
Daddy Bear

[J-dog]

I have had it good and bad - but I htink the bad stuff was due to the meat being handled incorrectly. When the meat is odne proper i tis some of the best.

J

[Whip]

That's exactly right J-dog.  Handled correctly I think it is a wonderful meat.  Heck, my wife is pretty fussy about what she will eat, and she personally would eat bear over deer!  I think it has a somewhat "sweet" taste to it.  Very tasty!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

cook it slow.... take the backstrapes and smoke them for 3 hours.... Take one of them and cut it up to make stew with, The other slice them up and finish cooking them. Now You have 2 meals from 2 back strapes....


Note: take off as much fat as you can....Cook it slow....really slow....

[J-dog]

We have "cornfield' bears here in Eastern NC, would like to try "mountain berry" bears!

J

[Frank Warnke]

We got a PA black bear several years ago.  It was handled correctly (field dressed and cooled ASAP).  We marinated one of the bear steaks overnight and cooked it on the grill.  We also prepared a beef steak for those who were scrunching up their noses at the bear steak.  Well the bear steak was so good, that is was even better than the beef steak.  And this opinion was from them who swore they would not like the bear steak.

We were told to treat it like pork and make sure it is thoroughly cooked.