Question about black bear meat

[Chris_Stout]

If I go out into prince william sound this year and get one early in the spring, does it taste good? Is all the fishy taste gone? Is the meat still a bit fatty, or is it lean and tough?

Chris

[Hawaiian Hunter]

Black Bear Meat

I took a nice boar last May, he was lean (no fat), no fish taste, but like all big game meats, how you prepare and season the meat will make all the differences in the world. I soaked the meat in a cooler with ice and baking soda for 24hrs, then marinated the meat in brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic cloves for 5hrs then half went to smoke the other half went to frying pan, everyone thought it was the wild pig I shot in Hawaii! Good luck!

[mudman1]

baking soda?

what does the baking soda do for the meat? and do you just rinse it after?

[DoubleSHOVEL85]

baking soda

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it is believed to have meat tenderizing capablities and it might also get rid of some of that coagulated blood in the meat. Some people believe it; others don't, it's personal preference.


ROB

[akdd]

Spring black bear is great eating. Not a lot of fat. I cook it like I would any other wild game. Never had any that was strong tasting. Makes great hamburger, steaks, roasts,stew meat.

[Vince]

the thing to remember about bear meat is that the mussel is much tighter then moose or beef... think of it like the growth rings in a tree...

Moose, Beef, deer..... might have 10-12 rings per inch of meat...

a bear will have 50-100... so SLOW cook it. add bacon, for fat ... keep it moist and it is WONDERFUL!!!


i grind 3/4 of mine into sausage... makes great breakfast sausage. and burgers... even the most ardent people against trying it... have eatin it when at my home....I dont tell them till they are full of praise for dinner...

[dirtface]

The best...

I put a roast in a crock pot and left it all day with just a covering of water and no other flavorings at all. The dang thing came out 8 hours later...and I have never had a better tasting piece of meat. It fell apart at the touch of a fork. YUM! YUM!

[AKFishOn]

Or have sausage made out of it...that worked well for me. Good breakfast sausage and use in egg rolls, other dishes where you would use smaller amouts of burger can be replaced with mild breakfast sausage also. Last Spring I took mine to Mikes Meats in Eagle River, quick, good price and good product.

[Vance in AK]

My wife prepares bear roast the same way she does moose roast & folks that swore they would never like bear meat (had never tried it) raved about it. They thought they were eating moose!

[bushrat]

Main thing to remember with bear meat...

...is that it must be cooked thoroughly, just like pork, because if it is eaten medium rare or rare you could get trichinosis. So any steaks and such have to be well done. We like bear steaks and we tenderize them first like chicken-fried steaks and do them well done. Bear burger is also very good, just cook it well done. The bear roasts that you simmer all day are great too.

Good luck on your hunt this spring, Chris. Let us know how you liked the bear meat if you're successful,

[Amigo Will]

I hang my bear for about a week in a dry place to age before cutting up and freezing

[akflyfisher]

All this talk of bear meat is making me hungry.
I wish I knew were all these folks get their info about black bears not being any good to eat.????

[fishermann222]

not so true

Not so true with pork anymore Mark, They changed the feeding practices years ago. You don't have to have that pork chop cooked to a cracker anymore.

From the US CDC website

Is trichinellosis common in the United States?

Infection was once very common and usually caused by ingestion of undercooked pork. However, infection is now relatively rare. During 1997-2001, an average of 12 cases per year were reported. The number of cases has decreased because of legislation prohibiting the feeding of raw-meat garbage to hogs, commercial and home freezing of pork, and the public awareness of the danger of eating raw or undercooked pork products. Cases are less commonly associated with pork products and more often associated with eating raw or undercooked wild game meats.

[Alaskan22]

Had a springer turned to sausage and it is yummy!! Had it as burger before, and was good. However, the steak I tried....well, it wasn't the best. Just tough, but that is to be expected.

[Vince]

Had a springer turned to sausage and it is yummy!! Had it as burger before, and was good. However, the steak I tried....well, it wasn't the best. Just tough, but that is to be expected.

Hmmmm not so sure about a guy who eats his dog.........................