Tell me all about cooking with bear meat

Whit90

Senior Member
From everything I've read on bears, black brown, grizz... the meat is certainly indicative of the diet they have been eating (along with proper preparation and post- kill care). Bears that have been feeding on berries and mast/ crops can taste wonderful. Bears that have been regularly feeding on carrion or dead fish (even mixed with fresh fish and mast) will be a horrid tasting meat.
Our bears in north Georgia are 90% mast eaters and should always be a good tasting bear meat provided they are properly cared for in the field- gutted, skinned, meat cooling ASAP- and the meat is properly prepped for the meal.

I have read and heard the same regarding the taste of the meat resembling their diet. Makes complete sense.
 

chrislibby88

Senior Member
Ive had some biscuits with bear in them from a raybun county lady. They were excellent.

I killed one off bait years ago up north. While the back strap made good cube steak. I did not trim all the fat off the rest. I canned it. I tried but could not eat it. It left the inside of your mouth covered in a layer of grease you couldnt get rid of.

When i get another all the fat will be trimmed or boiled out.

By the way i donated my canned bear to a guy who fosters shelter animals. He said it started multiple fights among the dogs.
Sounds like deer fat. Leaves a waxy residue on the roof of your mouth and tongue. My wife hates it. Doesn’t bother me, I usually trim what I sometimes some pockets get left in neck roasts and ribs. Anyone else had that experience with bear fat too? I’ve gathered from others here to trim bear fat ASAP as it goes rancid rather fast and will taint the meat, especially early season.
 

NCMTNHunter

Senior Member
I've never eaten a bear that wasn't run with dogs so I can't speak to the difference but I can say that a bear that has been run with dogs is dang good eating.

One of my bear hunting mentors would always gets cuts off of a bear that are like a standing rib roast or prime rib. He cuts the ribs off with a sawsall but leaves about 6" of rib and the backstrap still attached to the backbone. Then splits the backbone down the middle. Slow cooked in the oven or over coals it will melt in your mouth.
 
Last edited:
D

Deleted member 35556

Guest
I don’t pretend to know anything about bears, and hillbilly has probably forgot more than I know about fixing game, but doesn’t trichinosis die off about 130?

I usually take pork to about 140 and the whatever it comes to at rest.
Pork is no longer a problem in this country if you purchased it from a grocery. However, I wouldn’t mess around with bear. You will get Trichinosis if you don’t cook it properly.
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
Sounds like deer fat. Leaves a waxy residue on the roof of your mouth and tongue. My wife hates it. Doesn’t bother me, I usually trim what I sometimes some pockets get left in neck roasts and ribs. Anyone else had that experience with bear fat too? I’ve gathered from others here to trim bear fat ASAP as it goes rancid rather fast and will taint the meat, especially early season.
Bear fat is nothing like deer fat. Deer fat is tallow. Bear fat is like pork fat.
 

EyesUp83

Senior Member
Reading this is making me hungry! I've got some bear sausage in the fridge...think I'll make some this evening :)
 

Raylander

I’m Billy’s Useles Uncle.
Don’t know how I missed this one.. I did some time in AK and the bears up there were less than desirable. I believe the ones we ate mainly fed on fish, carrion, bait, and trash. Southern Appalachian bear will make a fine meal! It’s all about diet! Anything that’s staple is akerns is top shelf!
 

Thetrooper

Senior Member
Bear is delicious. Steaks, burgers and roasts are phenomenal. It can be cooked in a crockpot like others have said, but I usually salt and pepper a bear loin or roast, pan sear it in the cast iron on all sides then finish it in the oven for 35-40min. For a 2-3lb hunk of bear meat it will be at the appropriate 140° mark. Meat is cooked thoroughly but still moist and delish. Get a meat thermometer if you are concerned about trich. And most important let that meat cool for 10-15 min after cooking before you slice it!!!
 

strothershwacker

Senior Member
Bear soup, bear stew, bear burger, bear steak, bear kabobs, bear chili, bear gumbo, bear sausage, bear spaghetti, canned bear, smoked bear, grilled bear, fried bear, baked bear, 1 bear, 2 bear, red bear, blue bear. So long as it's cooked well done ye can do anything with it. Best meat on the planet in my opinion.
 

jbogg

Senior Member
Bear soup, bear stew, bear burger, bear steak, bear kabobs, bear chili, bear gumbo, bear sausage, bear spaghetti, canned bear, smoked bear, grilled bear, fried bear, baked bear, 1 bear, 2 bear, red bear, blue bear. So long as it's cooked well done ye can do anything with it. Best meat on the planet in my opinion.

Just had a flashback to Bubba and Forest Gump talkin shrimp.
 

C.Killmaster

Georgia Deer Biologist
Bear is delicious. Steaks, burgers and roasts are phenomenal. It can be cooked in a crockpot like others have said, but I usually salt and pepper a bear loin or roast, pan sear it in the cast iron on all sides then finish it in the oven for 35-40min. For a 2-3lb hunk of bear meat it will be at the appropriate 140° mark. Meat is cooked thoroughly but still moist and delish. Get a meat thermometer if you are concerned about trich. And most important let that meat cool for 10-15 min after cooking before you slice it!!!

You sure you don't mean 160? 140 won't kill trichinosis.
 

Thetrooper

Senior Member
You sure you don't mean 160? 140 won't kill trichinosis.
137° kills trichinosis. And somewhat like pasteurization you can even hold it at a lower temperature like that for a longer period it will also kill it. Anyhow I was saying the 140° as an arbitrary minimum # the method I mentioned will have it cooked medium well to well done which is significant above 140°
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
After trying bear meat killed in the Fl everglades back in the 60's. Dad said, cook it with chunks of oak, when done. Throw the meat away and eat the wood. Nobody like it' and we didn't shoot another one.
 
Top