My dog ate my teddy bear once.

The subject makes me cringe so I didn't open any of these but here are a lot of links to bear recipes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bear.

Absolutely, I've eaten bear several times. I don't particularly care for it, and tend to make strongly spiced foods to get past that flavor.

Black bears are the ones that we shoot and eat here in Northern Michigan and they are basically trash eaters and scavengers. (shrug)

I've used ground bear for chili and made a spicy goulash out of cubes of bear meat. I don't tend to "do" roasts or steaks because I just don't like bear well enough to eat a big hunk.

It also makes a passable spicy sausage.

Annie

"Kill it and Grill it."
A book by Michigan's own, uncle Ted Nugent, should have some recipes which may be of interest to you.

Personally, I wouldn't dream of killing an animal for food. Instead, I buy my meat at the grocery store, where no animals were harmed...;-

Seriously, I've tried a variety of wild game in my life, except for bear, so I can't help. Maybe B/Lyra will notice this thread and share his ideas.

Sol

DH hunts, but primarily just deer and moose. Bear doesn't appeal to me for the same reason Annie stated, they eat anything.

Regardless, my theory for cooking game is to treat it like any other meat. We throw moose into chili, tacos, meatloaf, stew, goulash, and anything else we'd use beef in. If you have a particularly strong meat, you may want to mix with veal or beef if possible.

Sol, I don't see our moose until we pick it up from the butcher in labeled, brown paper packages. It's almost like getting it at the grocery. Otherwise, I'm not sure how I'd handle it either. ;-)

It's been years, but I have eaten bear. I don't wake up at night craving it, LOL.

I assume you know there's a risk of trichinosis with bear meat, so it needs to be thoroughly cooked.

Carol

I've never eaten bear but in books about Pioneers that Ive read they made a point of comparing it to pork both in taste and in risks like readinglady brought up. Of course the pioneers were talking about bears that were in a natural environment and eating mostly fish and plants and not like today when they may get into human garbage!!
Joann

I don't have any bear recipes, but trichinosis dies at 137 degrees, which is a fairly low temperature for most meats.

This also means you can eat a slightly pink pork tenderloin, and boy are those delicious! :)

The NY Dept. of Health says go to 150 degrees while CDC still recommends a standard 170; the 150 degrees figure is to provide a margin of safety, allowing for poor placement of the thermometer or inaccuracy of the thermometer.

Freezing can also kill trichinosis worms, but it's less reliable with game meats.

Here's one helpful document.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: CDC Fact Sheet on Trichinellosis

I've had it in chili. It was ok. I've eaten worse things.

The LL Bean Game & Fish cookbook has a couple recipes for bear -- BBQ bear, bear skewer's, something called "Bear Northern Style". I've never actually cooked anything from the book. It was in my in-laws collection and I kept it as a curiosity read.

I'm surprised you Michiganites didn't know this.

A Bear taken in the Spring is good , because there isn't much fat.
In early fall they eat everything they come across to build up the fat, for winter hybre.
I've had Bear chops that were marinated in
Italian Dressing and cooked on a grille,
slow and marinated all the time cooking
They were great, maybe because I didn't cook them !!!
Lou

Mike:
I forgot!!! A friend of mine , who cooks all kind of game, mostly Deer, said he boils it first.
Maybe 3 times and dumps the water each time.
Then cook it like Beef.
Lou

Lou, I know about bears and hibernation. I also know that you can't shoot bear in the spring, hunting season is in September.

So, if you take that spring bear that you say is good to eat and you get caught, it's gonna cost you enough that you could afford to fly the whole forum to your place for dinner.

So, I'm assuming Mike's bear is a legally taken autumn killed bear and stick with my original statement that I spice bear meat pretty heavily because I don't care much for the flavor.

Annie

That is correct AB.

Luigi, being a Michigander doesn't automatically make me an expert in the state's fauna. But Jim was a hunter for many years. So it was through him I learned that a bear taken early will result in about $6000 in fines.

Sol

Here in Oregon we do have a spring bear hunt, but it's a controlled hunt as opposed to the fall season. Even for those lucky enough to win the draw, the likelihood of getting a spring bear is so low not many people would have an opportunity to see what the flavor differences are.

Between the snow, the rough terrain, the bears still hibernating, the limits on which bears you can hunt, there's about a 1% success rate.
And woe betide you if you don't have a tag or hunt out of season.

Carol

A B C ? and Sol
You are all right. I didn't say I took a Bear in the Spring

A friend of mine owned a Gun Shop and we hunted together.

That was for Deer but he hunted everywhere and went on Safari's.
He had meat shipped back to his home.

I built him a Western Rec room for his animals.

When he went to Africa , I built him an addition and
made it an African theme.

Hunting in New Zealand , he sent home some of that meat.
I built him a South Pacific Room, with a Waterfall.

And I had to sample all the meats, including Cougar.

I know about the Game Laws and wouldn't do anything illegal.

The Game Warden here is a friend of mine , he told me about the Spring Bears,
while we were trapping and tagging Bears.

I knew they are very slim in the Spring and are very hungry.

They knock on my door sometimes but I can't feed them.

If you have travel from about mid Michigan, to hunt deer in Northern Michigan,
you would have to leave 2 Days earlier.

There are 2 million auto's and trucks on the Highway going north , on the first day of Buck Season.

Why are you 3 worried about me ?

I could have mixed a batch of Dough.

Isn't there a Beauty Pagent you all can enter.
LOU

What is recommended is different than what is actually safe (and tasty). ;) I personally am willing to go just over the threshold to keep some juciness and flavor, although I am eating commercially available pork, not game meats. The worry about cooking pork until it is no longer pink is outdated and I feel is a disservice to the great flavor of pork meat.

I do have to say this is interesting from seriouseats.com as it does mention the very few cases in the year he quotes likely came from bear:

Serious eaters don't have much to worry about in contracting trichinosisif they take a few basic precautions.

My research yielded the following: The National Pork Board's website says the trichinosis bacteria, called trichinellis, is killed when the meat reaches an internal temperature of 137 degrees Fahrenheit. The usually cautious USDA recommends you cook pork until it's 160 degrees.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only five Americans were diagnosed with the disease in 2004, and most of them probably got it from eating wild game, most likely bear.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pork Board PDF

I've been out of the loop for a bit but thanks for all the input. I am aware of trichinosis problems and unlike venison plan to cook it well done. We're not one for wasting things so when my husband got the 250 lb black bear the meat went in the freezer. The rest will be a full mount for the grandkids to enjoy (it's starting to look like a zoo in here) and bragging rights for him. He got it legally with a bow. We are in a huge farming area and it was eating heavily on white acorn, soybean and corn. The mass is very heavy this year. Don't think much garbage was involved? I have fixed it once. I cubed most of the meat so that marinade would penetrate easily and cooking could be more thorough and yet be tender. I've got a spicy mix I use for blackened chops and fixed it like that. I trimmed most of the fat off because I have heard it was strong and greasy meat. I pan-fried it with just a little coating of oil in the pan so it didn't stick, and much to my surprise everybody loved it. It wasn't strong at all. It didn't taste like the pork and it wasn't like beef but had a wonderful flavor that wasn't strong at all. I have the LL Bean cook book but it basically uses marinades for large roast. I didn't keep any of those. Although after I'd cut it all up wished I'd left one small roast to try corned. Im not looking for another bear to put in the living room so I may never know how that would have been. Again thanks to everybody for the input. Any more ideas let me know.

Marinating venison or javelina in milk over night in the refrigerator removes the strong flavors those meats sometimes have.
I wonder if it would work for bear.
There are no bear around here, so I can't try it.

Rusty

I don't know that being a scavenger is what makes bear taste bad. And scavenging doesn't necessarily mean garbage which actually you would think would make them taste better anyway.
Never known anyone that actually liked bear. Most I've known tried to eat some of it for ethics sake and once they got their rug, didn't take anymore bear. There are many sport hunters though. Not sure what they do with the meat, try to donate it?

Mary, my Uncle Marty used to tell me that the best way to use bear meat was to just give it to someone else. That's how I got it, I think...

Annie

Mike;
If you have a meat Grinder, try mixing a little Pork in with it and make a Meat Loaf.
Not a Roast but it's big.

Google " Lou's Italian Hamburgers "

Sub the Bear Meat for the Beef.
lou

No Bear in this neck of the woods. I have a very large bear sized rifle just in case a bear or elephant attacks me. A member of my family likes to shoot them (doughnuts for bait so not really "hunting"). Ted Nugent is somewhat famous for having guys with dogs chase a bear up a tree... which he then killed while it was helpless. I suppose we don't give cows much chance either but then we don't call that "hunting".

I'm ranting *sigh*....

I recommend shooting something good to eat like a deer or rabbit. If someone has "gifted" you with bear meat soak it in bbq sauce until you can't taste it.

: )
lyra

Mike:
Here is an Article I saw.
I Googled a lot of Articles and Recipes for cooking Bear.

Some were Barbecued like you did. They said it was delicious.
He didn't have time to put them on a platter, they were eating them off the grille.
LOU
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Knight Rifles Home » Hunting Articles » CookingBearMeat
When Cooking Bear Meat, Remember to Keep It Moist and Tender

By Lorelie Scorzafava

Bear meat, if cooked properly, can be every bit as tasty as beef. Those who have harvested a bear and brought it to the table can attest to this. Bear meat is actually leaner than beef, because the fat is on the outside and can be cut away. As a result, once you remove the fat, it has fewer calories and is lower in cholesterol.

But the lean meat can become tough and dry if it's not cooked properly, due to the lack of marbling. To make sure your bear meat doesn't dry out, it should be cooked in such a way as to preserve or add as much moisture as possible.

It's important to remember that unlike other game meat, bear meat must be thoroughly cooked. Bear meat, like pork, may carry trichinosis.

If you remove the fat before cooking, you can tenderize and moisten bear meat by marinating in lemon juice or an oil-and-wine mixture before cooking. To imbue the bear meat with flavor and moistness, baste it often while cooking. Or, cook bear meat in a closed environment, such as a Dutch oven, roasting bag or braising liquid. Bear meat is darker and may be stronger than other game meat. It is a coarser, heavier meat that may take more seasonings or sauces, and more cooking time, to tenderize.

Below is a bear meat recipe that produces fully cooked, yet tender and moist bear meat.

Braised Bear Roast

Slow braising in a Dutch oven tenderizes this shoulder roast. You may substitute any large roast if you don't have a shoulder left in the freezer.

1/2 c. flour
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
3-4 pound beat shoulder roast (at least 2 inches thick)
Vegetable oil (for browning)
1/2 pound diced salt pork or thick sliced bacon
1/2 stick butter
2 large onions sliced
1 large apple peeled, seeded, and sliced
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 12 oz. bottle of dark beer or beef broth
1 small can tomato sauce
¼ c. apple cider
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix the flour, thyme, and salt and pepper in a large paper bag. Add the roast; and shake to coat. In Dutch oven, on the stovetop, brown bear meat on all sides in oil over medium heat. Remove bear meat; set aside. Add the salt pork to the pan and fry until brown and crisp and fat is rendered. Remove salt pork pieces from pan and reserve. Add butter to the drippings in the pan and cook the onions and apple slices until soft. Add sugar and cook and stir until onions are browned. Add beer, tomato sauce, and cider scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan. Return meats to the pan. Add bay leaf and garlic cloves. Cover; bake until bear meat is tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Serve sliced with mashed potatoes and pass the pan juices.

For an autographed copy of Lorelie's award winning cookbook Gourmet Gone Wild, go to www.radicalbowhunter.com or visit your local bookstore.