Got my bear

I now have a small array of roasts, some loin pieces, two lovely tenderloins, some Italian sausage and a smoked hind quarter. It was a small bear. I have eaten bear before but either in a smoked sausage or in a braised stew full of sweet glop. I am seeking other alternatives. The Italian sausage is a no brainer, as is the smoked and cured hind quarter. I can find a multitude of recipes which add a whole"mess" of "stuff" but that is not my style of cooking.

I want to enhance the natural, or tame the natural flavor, of the animal. It is a young bear and was killed, field dressed,cooled,transported and processed in the best ways possible. Bear must be cooked well done. I would like to hear from those who have actual experiences. I don't have a lot of meat to experiment with after doing the necessary sharing so I want want to get it right. Among my dinner guests I am know and trusted in my preparation of wild game. I see a bear entree as a great excuse to serve some wonderful red wines.

I've never had bear. Is it a red meat/taste like beef? Does it taste wild?

I too am interested to know how the meat tastes. I've never put in for a bear tag because I've heard that the meat is tough and gamey, but come to think of it, these stories are all 3rd hand. And while I waited unsuccessfully for a deer to cross below my stand last weekend, an upwind black bear cruised the meadow. Any game works as sausage if mixed with pork, but steaks and roasts tell the tale. I hope you will post your tasting / cooking notes.

George, Hi...

I have dined on bear meat on several occasions – once many years ago in China and three times more recently in Washington State and in Colorado. I cannot vouch for what kind of bear it was in China but the meat on which I dined in Washington and Colorado was from black bears. I have seen bears in the wild but have never hunted for them (except with a camera) and have never prepared the meat but a few things that I have picked up along the way.

Perhaps the least appetizing of those things is that one has to take care with bear meat which may carry trichinosis. If the liver of the bear was checked and found to be clean, no problem and the meat can be cooked to a level of medium. If the liver was not checked the meat should be slowly and thoroughly cooked in order to eliminate any potential danger.

More appetizing – those I know who have prepared this meat in Europe and the USA all recommend that prior to cooking the meat be marinated for 3-6 hours in a mixture of olive or canola oil, white wine, lemon juice, whole juniper berries and cracked black peppercorns. Bear meat can be rather tough so the marinating is important and the marinating should be done after the excess fat has been trimmed.

As to cooking, I have had what I can only think of as "bear chops" – that is to say meat still on the ribs, that done to the point of "medium" by grilling after the marinating process, the exterior nicely charred and the interior still showing pink. I have also had it as a slowly cooked stew, that together with an ample amount of root vegetables, the liquids of the stew invariably with white wine and quite generously seasoned. Again, in order to avoid toughness, make sure the liquids in the stew pot do not dry out.

Over-generalized perhaps, but hope it will help somewhat.

Best
Rogov