How does bear meat taste?
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Tristate
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Many years ago a friend of mine killed a bear that he had processed. We ate some sausage from it. It wasn't bad. I could eat that again. A while later he grilled some cutlets steak style. That was pretty bad. I have never had jerky from one. I could see that as being difficult because of the very high fat content.
OLDHORNHUNTER
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tastes like Chicken ha ha all of the bear meat I have had has either been really Oily or really dry !! I found that grinding it into hamburger & mixing either pork or chorizo sausage into it made it really good !! I have also taken chunks of bear meat tossed in chunks of potatoe & onions & put in the crock pot or dutch oven & about 1/2 way thru cooking it added chunks of different sausages & makes for a very good meal
smitty
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Bear meat varies in taste greatly due to their diet at the time. If they haven't been on dead carcasses they can taste a lot like good beef.
If they've been on dead salmon, or rotten meat, it's probably not going to matter what you do to prepare it. If they've been gorging on berries they may very well have a sweet berry flavor. Especially the fat.
Just remember to cook it to 160 degrees to kill any bugs.
I for one really like bear meat.
If they've been on dead salmon, or rotten meat, it's probably not going to matter what you do to prepare it. If they've been gorging on berries they may very well have a sweet berry flavor. Especially the fat.
Just remember to cook it to 160 degrees to kill any bugs.
I for one really like bear meat.
rmanwill
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We kill bears every year in Idaho in the spring. All the locals have nothing but good to say about the meat.
For us it works out great. The bear we bag we give to a couple locals that have a chest freezer waiting for us. They are very appreceative and love getting the meat. We will pack out, quarter and have it to them within hours or first thing the following morning if killed late in the evening.
They will have it processed after the hunt weather one or four or more bears and then each year when we show up for the following hunt they will give us a meal of sausage or chops. That way we can say we have tasted it, but they get the meat and no waste and in freezer immediately. We hunt for ten days and if we bag on the first day pretty hard to keep in coolers till we travel back to our home state.
This is a win - win for us and them. They get meat and we get first hand advice, weather and snow reports, tools and shop if needed for any problems or situations that arise, showers, clean drinking water and some great freinds made in the great state of Idaho over the past 15 plus years.
The sausage has been great. One thing about it, is their processors deal with bear every year where here in Utah our processors really don't specialize in bear like in Idaho. Probabely a big plus!!!
We have always heard about the bugs and tricanosis and worry probably more then we need to, but this works for us and my freezer stays full with deer and elk anyways most years
For us it works out great. The bear we bag we give to a couple locals that have a chest freezer waiting for us. They are very appreceative and love getting the meat. We will pack out, quarter and have it to them within hours or first thing the following morning if killed late in the evening.
They will have it processed after the hunt weather one or four or more bears and then each year when we show up for the following hunt they will give us a meal of sausage or chops. That way we can say we have tasted it, but they get the meat and no waste and in freezer immediately. We hunt for ten days and if we bag on the first day pretty hard to keep in coolers till we travel back to our home state.
This is a win - win for us and them. They get meat and we get first hand advice, weather and snow reports, tools and shop if needed for any problems or situations that arise, showers, clean drinking water and some great freinds made in the great state of Idaho over the past 15 plus years.
The sausage has been great. One thing about it, is their processors deal with bear every year where here in Utah our processors really don't specialize in bear like in Idaho. Probabely a big plus!!!
We have always heard about the bugs and tricanosis and worry probably more then we need to, but this works for us and my freezer stays full with deer and elk anyways most years
Blank
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Bear meat is a lot like pork, only greasier. Shoot a Spring bear, and the meat is definately leaner, and they have pretty much been on greens since coming out of hibernation. The spring bear meat I've had has been pretty good, and makes a good sausage. Fall bear is much much much fatter, and the thick layer over the rump and back reminds me of blubber. They will be eating any at all that's edible! I do not care for Fall bear at all. A good friend used to take every one we killed and make "corned bear" out of it, and it was alright. Definately freeze below -10 degrees for several weeks to a month or cook it well done, above 160. Trichinosis is not worth the risk!
WVHUNTER
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I have friends that bear hunt a lot and have eaten some of theirs. If you ask them if bear is good to eat they will say it is if you know how to cook it.
I think that means if you put enough salt, pepper, barbecue sauce, onions, garlic, Worcester sauce, A-1 sauce, Montreal steak seasoning and Old Bay on it so that it doesn't taste like bear you might be able to choke it down.
I think that means if you put enough salt, pepper, barbecue sauce, onions, garlic, Worcester sauce, A-1 sauce, Montreal steak seasoning and Old Bay on it so that it doesn't taste like bear you might be able to choke it down.
llamapacker
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The best way to eat bear is to cure the hinds into hams. Tastes almost exactly like pork, with a little coarser grain. Everybody likes ham...
As for ordinary steaks, kabobs, etc., the secret is to broil the meat and let the fat drip away. The fat can be pretty bad, and give the meat a tallow feel and taste. When cooked on a grill, or any method that lets the fat drip away, bear meat is generally quite good.
Bill
As for ordinary steaks, kabobs, etc., the secret is to broil the meat and let the fat drip away. The fat can be pretty bad, and give the meat a tallow feel and taste. When cooked on a grill, or any method that lets the fat drip away, bear meat is generally quite good.
Bill
Ask BuckSnort what he thinks of Bear Meat? He was sick for a long time from eating some. My granny use to soak the meat in lemon juice for a day I think, drain it off and cook it well done. My mom said she did not like it, but my grampa like it.
Brian
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Brian
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live4muleys
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The bear that I go was delicious. If I knew everyone was going to taste like that I would spend way more time bear hunting.
idelkslayer
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Bear meat is great. I think it has a texture very similar to pork. When butchering bear and cutting pork side by side the only difference I notice is the color. I usually make bratwurst or sausage from my bears and it turns out great.
I typically do not do whole cuts or steak from my bears because I get plenty of steak and roasts from deer and elk. This year, I did smoke a bear ham and unless I told you it was bear you would have sworn it was pork.
Every bear I have killed has been a spring bear and so they had very little fat. I did get enough fat off of my bear a couple years ago to make some breakfast sausage using only bear meat and bear fat. (normally I use pork fat, not pork shoulder, more on that later) I then took the sausage that I had used the pork fat in and the sausage with bear fat to a family reunion and the consensus was that the bear fat sausage was better.
My hunting buddy has killed mostly fall bears with thick layers of fat several inches thick. He removes the fat and renders it into lard for cooking. He uses it for frying and in place of crisco or butter in baking. Everything I've eaten that used his fat was excellent. You have to get past the idea that cooking in lard is bad for you. Think about it, man has been cooking with lard for thousands of years but only after we switched to other cooking oils did we suddenly have an obesity epidemic. Lard isn't the problem, sedentary lifestyles are the problem.
I use straight pork or beef fat, I don't use pork shoulder in any of my meat processing because I am not trying to increase the volume of meat that I have. If you use pork shoulder you end up diluting your wold game with pork meat in order to get a good meat to fat ratio. I want to eat bear sausage not bear/pork sausage, and I want to eat elk burger not elk/pork burger. I use straight fat when mixing with wild game. I scrounge every bit of fat I can get off my bears to use in my sausage and I wouldn't hesitate to use bear fat to mix with elk burger if I ever have any left over from making bear sausage.
I typically do not do whole cuts or steak from my bears because I get plenty of steak and roasts from deer and elk. This year, I did smoke a bear ham and unless I told you it was bear you would have sworn it was pork.
Every bear I have killed has been a spring bear and so they had very little fat. I did get enough fat off of my bear a couple years ago to make some breakfast sausage using only bear meat and bear fat. (normally I use pork fat, not pork shoulder, more on that later) I then took the sausage that I had used the pork fat in and the sausage with bear fat to a family reunion and the consensus was that the bear fat sausage was better.
My hunting buddy has killed mostly fall bears with thick layers of fat several inches thick. He removes the fat and renders it into lard for cooking. He uses it for frying and in place of crisco or butter in baking. Everything I've eaten that used his fat was excellent. You have to get past the idea that cooking in lard is bad for you. Think about it, man has been cooking with lard for thousands of years but only after we switched to other cooking oils did we suddenly have an obesity epidemic. Lard isn't the problem, sedentary lifestyles are the problem.
I use straight pork or beef fat, I don't use pork shoulder in any of my meat processing because I am not trying to increase the volume of meat that I have. If you use pork shoulder you end up diluting your wold game with pork meat in order to get a good meat to fat ratio. I want to eat bear sausage not bear/pork sausage, and I want to eat elk burger not elk/pork burger. I use straight fat when mixing with wild game. I scrounge every bit of fat I can get off my bears to use in my sausage and I wouldn't hesitate to use bear fat to mix with elk burger if I ever have any left over from making bear sausage.
Longbow6360
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The spring bears I've killed in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Prince Of Wales and Kuiu island Alaska were great! The steaks on my son's and my Kuiu bears were tough and chewy but I put a roast from each bear in the crock pot and they both turned out awesome! The fall Kodiak bears my friend shot last year and the one I shot this year were terrible. I tried to bottle, jerky and crockpot them and I couldn't get past the stench and nasty taste. I wouldn't hesitate to save the meat off a spring black bear.
ElevenBravo
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Just cooked up a pound of bear sausage from last May's hunt. It was pretty rich. The Mrs. liked it. Served with a side of Beanee Weenies.
hounddawgs
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If you like coon you will like bear
smitty
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Had grilled bear tonight with my kids. Damn good. I disagree that it is similar to pork, totally different color and flavor. The bear that I've had resembles good beef. Lion on the other hand is very similar to pork in color and texture.
Bear in fact is becoming one of my favorite meats.
Bear in fact is becoming one of my favorite meats.
