One of my more memorable meals was a pot roast from a fall bear. Absolutely delicious.

Render the fat and you will have the best leather dressing known to man!

I've never been bear hunting, so this is probably going to be a dumb question.

But, I read over on the European hunting board that in Lithuania on a boar hunt - hogs - they gut it first then a sample is taken for trichinosis testing. Then they do the butchering. Is there any good reason that couldn't be done here with bear, since apparently bears do get that?

Btw, the closest I came was an invitation to bear hunt in E TN, but something happened with the guide and it was cancelled.

Rinella mentions having a sample tested in an older bruin he killed, the sample was 100% infected, but thorough cooking (IT 145º for solid meats, 170º for ground) takes care of it.

http://www.petersenshunting.co...acts-on-trichinosis/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/heal.../DSECTION=prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/

here s some recipes.

if you know how to cook a gulasz or a bourguignon replace by bear meat in the slow cooker you ll love it,

Backstrap or tenderloin : cook well small cubes in the pan with oïl, then pour oignons, butter and beer ... very good with a drink of wine ...

here s one nice link
http://www.env.gov.yk.ca/publi...on_boot_grease09.pdf

When we processed the bear I killed in Idaho in 2010, we made bone-in chops from the ribs all the way to the pelvis. Hands down, they were the best wild game chops we ever had.

Cooked over mesquite and they were fabulous.

Really want to go kill one or two more.

Carved a couple of steaks in camp and they were OK. I made some german sausage from him and it was pretty good. I plan to brine and smoke a hindquarter like a ham soon.

I ate one taken in Northern CA and it was good for beef stew. I believe much depends on what the bear eats. If it's wild and eats berries etc the meat will be good. If it's near humans and eats garbage, the meat will be gamey and wormy as some have experienced.

My wife renders the lard and it makes the best pie crust one would ever want.

Cut into steaks, tenderize and dip into a milk/egg mixture, dredge through seasoned flour, repeat and then fry, make pan gravy from the drippings, MMMN MMN, Chicken Fried Bear with mashed taters and biscuits !

Bear meat done right is fantastic, there is a new online bear publication, and in every issue does some interesting and well done recipes. The magazine is really a great read through and through.

http://bearhuntersonline.com/

I love bear meat. Steaks and bratwurst are my favorite but it makes the best summer sausage I've ever eaten. 100% go kill one and put some meat in the freezer.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ:
No.
A local state game biologist says most if not all bears in Alaska have trichinosis. I don't want that.
If your going to skin them, wear thick rubber gloves. You can get trich. from a nick on your skin.
It's not worth the gamble for me.

I can find no evidence of the transmission of trichinella by cuts. You have to eat the undercooked infected meat and the cysts containing the larvae are dissolved by your digestive processes.

Lucky for us Texans, since there are probably tens of thousands of wild pigs with trich skinned with bare hands each year.

That's not to say it isn't prudent to wear latex when preparing any wild game, because it is, but many don't for deer and hogs.

Had a very good black bear roast for dinner last night yum yum.