Bear Meat

It is good when made into jerky but sometimes with any meat it depends on who cooks it.

we boil and then smoke them. it taste farly good

It tastes like crap,i give mine to a guy who smokes it and makes it "digestible",i wouldnt go any further than that.

Bear meat is one of our favorites at our home. We have the butcher trim all of the fat off, or as much as possible. Then we cook it like pork or white meat. We have had many people eat it over the years and they all like it. My bride is a quite a cook and really knows how to cook wild game.

Would your wife be willing to send me and my wife some recipes? :-k

You bet, no problem. PM me your address or e-mail and I'll ask the Mrs. to send her some good ones.

For curing 100 pounds of bear hams.

4 gallons water
8 lbs coarse salt
2 oz saltpeter
2 lbs dark brown sugar
1 1/4 oz pot ash

Rub bear meat with course salt and let stand in a barrel for two days. Then rinse off with lukewarm water and let dry. In the meantime, bring the water to a boil and add the ingredients. Wash out the barrel, repack the bear meat and cover with the brine when it has cooled.

Let stand for 6 weeks but take the meat out of the brine two or three days before you intend to smoke the hams. The potash will keep the meat from drying out and become hard.

There are two methods of smoking. One is the cool smoke method where meat and fish is first cured in a salt brine for days, then hung on racks in the smoke house and smoked for days. If you want your meat to last longer, this is the method to use. Meat smoked using the cold smoke method will last a long time, even for years.

Meat smoked using the hot smoked method only has a storage time that should not exceed 3 months. Here the meat is dipped into a salt brine, hung up to partly dry in the sun, and put into a different kind of smoke house, one that will produce a relatively high heat, 180 to 200 degrees for a short time. Two to three hours is usually time enough to cure the meat. Remember, meat smoked in this manner must be used within 3 months.

Bear hams prepared in the summer are delightful and have a slightly gamey taste
Ali

Seeing it is Spring Bear season, I thought I would post a couple of bear recipes for your palette pleasures.



Bear Steaks with Greek Seasonings
2 lb Bear steaks
1/2 c Olive oil
1/2 c Lemon juice
1 tbsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Combination of oregano, marjoram, rosemary and/or thyme
Trim all visible fat from the bear as it turns rancid rapidly.
Whisk the other ingredients together until completely blended. Use the blended mixture to marinate the meat for 2-3 hours, refrigerated. Longer marinading before cooking does not improve the meat as the remaining bear fat will go rancid despite refrigeration. Grill, broil or saute the steaks until WELL DONE. Bear should always be thoroughly cooked as a trichinosis precaution. Serve immediately. Do not try making a gravy from the marinade as it will usually have picked up a gamey taste from the bear meat.


Zesty Bear Tenders
1 2-lb. bear roast, cut into strips
2 packages Italian dressing mix
2 jars peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
Mix dressing according to package directions. Place all ingredients in slow cooker and mix. Cook on Low for 5 hours.


Bear Stew with Spanish Flair
3 lb Bear meat
1/4 c Vinegar
1 tb Salt
4 c Water
1/4 c Shortening
1 Medium onion, sliced
1 Green pepper, chopped
1 cl Garlic
1/2 c Chopped celery
1 7 oz. can tomato paste
2 c Canned tomatoes
1 ds Tabasco Sauce
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Pepper

Trim all fat of meat and wash meat well in cold water.
Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes and soak at least 15 minutes in 4 cups of water to which has been added 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt. Drain and pat dry.
Melt shortening in a heavy fry pan, add bear meat and brown well on all sides.
Add onion, garlic and celery and simmer until onion becomes translucent. Add remaining ingredients, mix well, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until meat is tender.

cheers and happy bear season
Alison

Bear Stew
- 3 sl bacon, cut up
- 4 md onions, quartered
- 4 md potatoes, quartered
- 1 pk fresh or frozen green beans
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 lb bear, cubed (or venison, elk etc )
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 1 pk fresh or frozen peas
- 1 (46 oz.) can tomato juice

Brown bacon in heavy kettle. Add bear and brown on all sides. Add onions and saute. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer 1 hour or until flavors are mixed and vegetables and meat are tender. Remove bay leaves.

Bear Meatloaf
- 2 lb ground meat
- 3/4 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp. thyme
- 1/4 tsp. oregano
- 3/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup onion, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
- 1 small can of mushrooms or fresh mushrooms

Bake at 350 until done (about an hour). When it looks close to being done, maybe 15 minutes, Spread either BBQ sauce or ketchup over the top

Bear Roast
- 4 lb Bear meat
- Pepper to taste
- Celery salt to taste
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 8 oz pork

Boil the bear meat in 2 qts of water and 1 tb soda to eliminate the wild taste. Season the bear meat with the celery salt and pepper and place in a stock pot, adding the garlic, pork, and enough water to cover; Cook `til meat is tender, then drain reserving the pan juices. Place the meat in a roasting pan and top with the onions, roast at 350 degrees F. until brown, basting with the reserved juices. Thicken the remaining juices for gravy and serve over potatoes served with the bear roast.

Bear Chops
- 3/4 inch bear chops
- Salt and pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic
- Onion powder
- 1 cn mushroom soup
- 1 cn mushrooms

Trim fat from chops. Roll in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and onion powder to taste. Brown in hot shortening and place in oven pan. Cover with a can of mushroom soup, a can of water and, if desired a can of mushrooms with liquid. Place in oven at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. If desired, top with canned onion rings during last 20 minutes of baking

Barbecued Bear
- 3 lb bear steak cut in 2" cubes
- 1 sl pork, cut up
- 1 c catsup
- 1/3 c steak sauce
- 2 tb tarragon vinegar
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tb lemon juice
- 1 ts salt
- 1 tb chili powder

Trim all fat from bear steak and cut into 2 inch cubes. Sear meat on all sides with pork in a heavy fry pan. Place meat in casserole. Add rest of ingredients to fry pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour sauce over meat in casserole. Cover and bake for at least 2 hours in a 325 degree F. oven, stirring occasionally until meat is tender.

Bear Sausage
- 20 lbs. ground bear meat
- 10 lbs. ground beaf meat
- 6 tsp. red pepper
- 12 lbs. ground pork butt
- 15 tsp. garlic salt
- 3 lbs. slab bacon, ground
- 7 1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix all together. Fry in pan for breakfast sausage, good on pizza, and makes great meatballs as well.

Roasted Loin with Potatoes and Carrots
- Bear loin
- 1 head cabbage
- 10-12 lg. potatoes
- 10-12 carrots
- Lawry's seasoned salt
- 1 pkg. bacon
- Fresh ground black pepper

Soak loin in cold water overnight as to remove as much blood as possible. Season loin with seasoned salt and black pepper. Wrap slices of bacon around loin until covered and sprinkle with black pepper. Cut cabbage into quarters. Place bacon wrapped loin in roaster pan and cover with cabbage wedges and add about 1 cup of water. Bake covered at 375 for about 4 hrs or until cabbage starts to cook down. Remove cabbage and discard. Add carrots and potatoes cover and cook for another 1-2 hours until vegetables are done. Uncover for last 30 minutes of cooking time. You may need to add a little water from time to time during cooking time.

Black Bear Marinade
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 sliced carrot
- 1/2 tbs of dried tarragon
- Salt and pepper adjust to your own taste

Place meat in roaster, roast or steaks, in marinade and cover and refrigerate overnight turning often prior bedtime. Remove from marinade approx., 2 hrs. prior cooking to allow meat to come to room temp. Strain marinade and reserve liquid for gravy. Pre-Heat oven to 350 Deg. turning the roast and or steaks halfway through cooking time, about 3 hours. for 4 1/2 lb. roast. GRAVY; with broth in pan bring to medium boil on stove top and add marinade liquid, to thicken I use 1/2 cup flour mixed with 1 1/2 cups of water seasoned with celery salt, shake or stir well and gradually pour into pan keeping stirring constant. Carve roast (boneless) into 1/4 inch slices and place on platter pouring gravy over meat, will serve 8.

I found that spring bear meat is better than fall bear meat first of all.
Hams, steaks, and chops just dont taste good imho. The meat is oily and you have to cook it so long before you cook the possible trichinosis out of it so the meat is dry and much gamier than anyother meat.
Hamburger is bearable (pardon the pun) but would not be my first choice. Pepperoni and farmer sausage are your best options, 2nd would be jerky, or italian or dinner sausage. just make sure to cook it well!

click here if you want to try some other http://www.huntingtipsandtricks.com/a/Bear_Meat_Recipes

Bear meat is my fav. I fry it up with garlic salt just like a steak.
Another good one is marinade it and then dutch oven it. Awesome meals.
My buddy gets his made into little smokies with cheese and jalapenos. They are very good also.

SOME OF THE NORTHERN , ALASKAN, AND INUIT WEBSITES HAVE SOME INFO ON BEAR EATIN... RECIPE AND STUFF...JUST HUNT IN GOOGLE..