So, do you eat the bear(s) you kill???

[Millhouse]

I wish I still had bear meat left. We loved it! I would say it was better than a rutting bull elk any day. My only regret was not having more of it made into burger because that is what we enjoyed the most. I will definitely be hunting her again because it was tasted great.

[firstcoueswas110]

eat a bear? you guys eat vulture too?

[khmer6]

There have been a few people on the forums that contracted Trich from uncooked bear, usually from doing a ham and not cooking it cuz it was so thick. Steve had a recent episode when he was cooking and briefly talked about how he got trich and had the meat tested. He was temping his meat at home.

Surprising you can "undercook" pork now because the chances of getting worms has been lower the past few years because of better habitat. Wouldn't try it on a wild hog but a store pig sure!

[CouesPursuit]

I'm a little late to the party but this was a good link I ran into and thought I'd share.

http://honest-food.net/2015/03/02/on-trichinosis-in-wild-game/

[gonhunting247]

We eat at least one bear a year, sometimes two. I cut my meat myself and bone it out. I separate all muscle groups and remove all the fat and connecting tissue so I'm left with just lean meat. When bear is cut this way, in my experience it has never been greasy (spring or fall). It makes great roast in the crock pot, ground meat for sauces, tacos and chili, but my favorite is to make breakfast sausage for burritos and patties. Here again I do not add any kind of fat, just seasoning. ( I am going to try adding a package of pepper bacon ends and pieces to my next 15# batch just for fun though!) I prefer breakfast style sausage over summer sausage and pepperoni due to the fact that I control the cooking temp and it's easily made at home.

I've heard of people using the bear fat, but I prefer just the lean meat, as that's how I cut the rest of my game meat. It seems to me that most of the taste influence from an animals diet is carried in the fat and the lean meat is much more mild and consistent when trimmed this way. ( Just my preference though!) A side benefit being that it's great tasting protein without extra fat.

I've won over many a skeptic with the bear meat I've cooked and served.

Besides great meat you get another critter to hunt and in some cases twice, both spring and fall! Have a blast it's addictive! Good luck

[Bird Dog]

I personally don't understand people whom don't eat what they kill. I have taken 2 bears of which Casey's processing did the smoked ham approach. We then cooked the hams in a Dutch oven for hours and they all have been great. All meat was ground removing as much fat as possible and sausage/tacos/burritos where the key for us. I am looking forward to bear season again as it looks like will not be elk./antelope in AZ this year.