Bear
Once bear meat was a common butcher shop commodity along with venison, and a furry black carcass suspended from its hook attracted no more attention than did the half of a steer hanging beside it. Sturdy residents of the northern middle states still remember the bear steaks and roasts on which their youth was nourished. Squaws prized the meat, and knew how to prepare it; bear fat not only took the place of lard but was a prime cosmetic, and a leather softener.
The saddle and hind quarters are the best parts. They must be very thoroughly cooked. The flesh is dark colored and inclined to be tough. It should be soaked in a vinegar marinade, then in milk, although our ancestors did not always go to this trouble when hungry. Broil the steaks, roast the hams and shoulders, and make ragouts out of the rest. If stewed, skim off every bit of rank fat, and eat the meat with currant jelly.
In Eastern and Northern Eastern Europe bear meat is served with sour cream gravy, and the hind paws are especially esteemed. So fritter the feet of your next Bruin.
This is a method entry rather than a measured recipe: it tells you which cuts to use, how to tame the flavour, and which cooking method suits each part. A few of its assumptions need updating before you cook bear.
- Internal temperature is the hingeBear is the single most common source of trichinellosis in North America, and the northern parasite Trichinella nativa survives freezing, so the old advice to freeze pork does not transfer. Cook every cut, steaks included, to at least 160-165F on an instant-read thermometer with no pink remaining. "Very thoroughly cooked" is the one instruction in this entry that is not negotiable.
- Rare steaks are off the tableBecause of the above, the broiled steaks and the ragouts have to be taken to the same doneness. Treat bear more like a braising meat than a grilling meat: the flesh is dark, coarse-grained and sinewy, and long moist cooking gets you a better result than a hot fire pushed to well-done.
- SourcingBear meat is no longer a butcher shop item in the United States; state and federal law generally prohibits the sale of wild-harvested game, so in practice the only supply is a licensed hunter's own animal, under state season and tag rules. Inspected wild game, including bear, is sold in parts of Canada and northern Europe, but availability is limited.
- The vinegar and milk soakA day in an acidulated marinade followed by several hours in milk is a period technique for pulling down strong flavour. Keep both soaks refrigerated, not on a porch, and discard the liquid.
- Skimming the fatBear fat carries most of the rank flavour and it is soft and low-melting, so it liquefies early and stays on the surface. Chill a stew overnight and lift the solidified cap off rather than trying to skim it hot.
- "Hams and shoulders"Here these mean the whole hind leg and foreleg of the animal, not cured meat. On an average black bear a hind leg may run to 10-20 lb, with the foreleg considerably smaller; either wants a slow oven at 300-325F and several hours, covered.
- Currant jelly and sour creamBoth serve the same purpose: acid and sweetness against a dark, fatty, gamey meat. Redcurrant jelly is still sold; lingonberry preserve or a sharp cranberry sauce does the same job. For the sour cream gravy, stir the cream into the pan juices off the heat so it does not split.
- The pawsBear paws are eaten in parts of northern and eastern Europe and were prized in Chinese cookery, but commercial trade in bear parts, paws included, is now restricted or banned in many jurisdictions, and rules vary by state and country. They also need many hours of cooking to become edible, and carry the same parasite load as the rest of the animal.