Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Eating Bear

So like we ate Bear Meat tonight. I'm very pleased to report that it is not "Gamy" at all. It was like eating "Sweet Beef". It has to be cooked "well Done" because Bear are Omnivores. I grillled marinated loin chops and Ground Bear (Italian sausage) Patties. Everything was delicious...

I spent the last 2 evenings butchering my Bear. I have 4 Roasts, Probably 10 bags of "Steak Medalions", 14 1.25 lb. bags of lean ground Bear for burgers and Spaghetti/ chili etc. 4 bags of Ribs, 1 Neck Roast.

There is probably 20 lbs. of Bear fat that We will render into Lard. I'm told that bear Lard is the "Best". One of the guys I was hunting with is a Chef and he collected 3 5 gal. pails of Bear fat to use to make Pie Crusts... Each pail weighed 35 lbs.

If I am successful making "Bear Lard" I will use it in place of Crisco and cooking oil til it's gone. According to the inter web, Bear Lard is very high in Vitamin D... I wonder what Grandma K. used to use?

It pleases me greatly to be able to use all aspects of this resource, as living in the 21st. century has so many restrictions on the use of all of the resources we have been given by Our Lord...

sincerely,

andy

5 comments:

  1. I'm curious if you know how much Smokey weighed before you began butchering?

    I'm guessing Grandma probably couldn't get her hands on much bear lard in West Allis. But, I do remember she kept a tin of bacon grease and Dad told stories about eating bacon grease sandwiches during the depression.

    Mmmmmmm, bacon....

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  2. The live weight of the animal was about 180-200 lbs. About "Average" for a Wi Bear. 300 to 400 lbs is "Very Big" and the State record is 700 and change.

    The Fat is in the freezer right now. What you have to do is slowly melt the fat and pour off the liquid thru a strainer (cheese cloth). You can "Can" or freeze the final product. The trick is to make sure there is no "Meat" in it as the meat would cook and give the lard a "Flavor".

    That's this weeks project....

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  3. Matthew and I have been reading the "Little House" books, and the Ingalls are doing the same thing right now....

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  4. Reading the "Little House" Books? Seriously, do they have a recipe?

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