Bear meat

[Fishy Wishy]

So most are saying trim all fat...it gives a bad taste.
Then we have a recipe for black bear bacon with equal fat to lean.
And I know I've seen a show where some trapper and his wife (IIRC In Labrador) live entirely from the land (he traps bear) and she swears by lard rendered from bears for everything from frying donuts to baking cakes.

I'm confused.

[Cintax]

I had bear for the first time a few weeks ago. I over cooked it a bit but it was still amazing. If you know a place that there are bear, I'd suggest giving it a go.

[JoePa]

Don't be confused - yes bear, pigs and other animals can have trichinosis - even certain fish - when butchering a bear you are told to cut away the fat because it will give the meat a certain taste that most people may ont like - because someone uses bear fat to fry things just means that person doesn't mind the taste - pigs are now raised under much different conditions then they were years ago and as a result the instances of trichinosis has gone way down - I remember years ago hanging around a farm that had a pig pen some distance away from the house - the pigs were fenced into a yard that was completely mud - one pig would take a crap and the others all rushed in to eat it - man you talk about being filthy - one thing hasn't changed though - they still sink to high heaven - but to be safe you should definitely cook it to at least 165 F - actually when you butcher your deer and leave a lot of fat on the meat it will have a different taste then deer meat where the fat is cut off - there are parasites all over the place and in a lot of the food that we eat - the only recourse we have is to cook our food enough -

I remember when I first married - many years ago - my wife was making pork chops and she had the habit of scraping the meat with a knife before cooking it - after scraping the meat she let it set on the counter for a spell - when she went back to preparing it she noticed white things sticking out of the fat - upon closer look she saw that they were worms - I called up the health department and had a guy met me at the store where I bought the pork chops - basically what I was told that this is common in high protein foods - including cod fish - and the only thing to do is make sure you cook it enough - we didn't eat pork for a long time after that - I think if we know half the things that is in our food we would all be vegetarians -

[topher]

So most are saying trim all fat...it gives a bad taste.
Then we have a recipe for black bear bacon with equal fat to lean.
And I know I've seen a show where some trapper and his wife (IIRC In Labrador) live entirely from the land (he traps bear) and she swears by lard rendered from bears for everything from frying donuts to baking cakes.

I'm confused.

When you render fat don down it removes air of the yucky taste... (AFAIK) supposed to make amazing pastrie... use it instead of Crisco.

[trimmer21]

From what I've read from other provinces,Ontario is the only one that requires Bear meat to be eaten (ie:not wasted). Other provinces,from Newfoundland to The Yukon,have no such regulations for Bear meat,citing public health guidelines from contaminated meat. Hunters are only required to remove the pelt and submit it for analysis before it gets sent to a taxidermist or tanner. Why only in Ontario are we required by law to put ourselves at risk?

[Hunter John]

I would word it the other way Trimmer. Why do other provinces allow the wanton waste of delicious meat ? It has been proven bear is safe when cooked properly.

[greatwhite]

In NS and I think NB you can keep and sell the Gall bladder as well. I think only in Ontario you cannot.

From what I've read from other provinces,Ontario is the only one that requires Bear meat to be eaten (ie:not wasted). Other provinces,from Newfoundland to The Yukon,have no such regulations for Bear meat,citing public health guidelines from contaminated meat. Hunters are only required to remove the pelt and submit it for analysis before it gets sent to a taxidermist or tanner. Why only in Ontario are we required by law to put ourselves at risk?

[trimmer21]

I would word it the other way Trimmer. Why do other provinces allow the wanton waste of delicious meat ? It has been proven bear is safe when cooked properly.

Your comment is just for arguments sake,right? There are very few people that would describe Bear meat as "delicious",especially "dump" Bears that feed exclusively on garbage. We don't eat Coyotes,either,but,still use the pelts. Why are Bears any different? I'm not being critical,just askin'.....

[Hunter John]

Partly for arguments sake but I do prefer bear over other game meat and I know I am not alone. Never shot a dump bear cause I don't hunt near a dump ,heck I haven't shot a bear over 225 pounds so that's what I can base my experience on and I am not sure I would shoot 300# bear for fear it wouldn't taste good.
I don't buy the public health guidelines argument either as lots of meat can be harmful if not prepped and cooked properly, salmonella from chicken comes to mind first. Although I see what you are saying I think the bear , coyote comparison is a bit of a stretch.

[topher]

We don't eat skunk, raccoon, muskrat... all thoes are used for fur... I'm sure Martin, lynx, Fisher, cougar,bobcat as well is only used for fur... comparing bear to coyote is a little different