Our first sampling of the bear

Tonight I made some sausage patties with the bear Italian sausage that the processor made. I felt this was a safe place to start. The basic sausage is all bear combined with one of the usual Italian sausage mix of spices. I made a few additions. I chopped a shallot, a stalk of celery, and an equal amount of fennel. I soften these in the microwave after adding a splash of both white vermouth and olive oil. I mixed these with a little chopped flat leaf parsley, some black pepper and kosher salt. I combined everything with a pound of the sausage and added 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and an egg to bind things together.

I made oval patties of an equal thickness throughout and placed them on a cookie sheet that was covered with oiled parchment paper. I baked the patties at 325 using convection. When the tops were browned nicely I flipped the patties and gave them another 5 minutes. Then I turned the oven off and let them sit while I finished the rest of supper. Supper consisted of grilled cheddar cheese sandwiches, tomato basil soup and the patties. We both found the patties to be to our satisfaction. The meat was mild in flavor, having non of the "boarish" characteristics that has been associated with bear. I think I can use the Italian sausage as I would other Italian sausage without having to take any special care to modify the flavor. I plan on freezing some of the patties, leaving out a couple to serve with onions and peppers in a red sauce over pasta.

It was a very late supper so we did not have any wine.

I have loin, roasts and the tenderloins to think about now. I think I will try a roast next. Probably done in some sort of pot roast fashion.

Sounds like success with the first round. I'll be interested in hearing about your future bear dishes.

I have never had bear. Is it reminiscent of any other meat? Does it taste like chicken?

Having just tasted the sausage it is hard to tell. The sausage reminds me of the Uruguayan Chorizo made from range fed beef.

I saw your earlier post on taking a bear. I've never taken one, but this year may be different. Critter food is in very short supply this year, and as a consequence our occasional tourist bear just passing through may become a deluge of hungry bears looking for a meal. That means I may have a bear in the freezer whether I want one or not. Yours is a very timely post as far as I'm concerned, and I'm accustomed to making my own sausage.

If you do "take" one do some research on handling it in the field. The most important thing is to get it cooled ASAP and then skinned and completely cooled down. This has really has alot to do with the meat quality. My son, who guided me, always has 60-80 lbs of ice in a nearby cooler or freezer. He also has made arrangements with a nearby locker so I could bring it in immediately to have it skinned. Then both the carcass and hide were hung and cooled down. My son packs the bear with ice inside and out and wraps it in a tarp to transport it to the location where it is to be skinned and hung. Concerning sausage, according to my research some like 100% bear and others add either beef or pork. My sausage was 100% bear. It should be noted that the bear's diet greatly influences the flavor of the meat. My bear was from an area where he probably consumed very little fish. In WI you aren't allowed to use fish or meat in your baiting so teh last few weeks he ate a hell of a lot of cinnamon roll, braided bread, frosting, chocolate covered lenbtils, sweet corn etc. This year was also a very good year for hazel nuts and acorns.

Sounds like pretty standard treatment for any big game. It certainly is for deer in this neighborhood. I don't intend to use bait. If I do kill one it will be for reasons fortuitous, not deliberate.