Conference turris::cooks

    From my discussions with a one-time back-woods person from Alaska:
    
    Bear is not the best meat to eat.  In fact, black bear meat is
    not eaten at all.  Before freezing, remove all fat.  Do not leave
    the fat on when you freeze bear, as the fat becomes rancid very
    quickly and ruins the meat.  
    
    Before cooking, most bear requires 24 hours of soaking in an
    oil-based marinade.  I didn't get whether that was for flavor,
    or to make it tender enough to eat, or for another reason.
    
    Most bear recipes call for stewing or pot-roasting.  This is not
    tender meat; do not broil it or you'll end up with shoe-leather.
    Use strong seasonings with bear, since it's quite gamey.
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    --Louise

    I have a cookbook from Washington State that has several game recipes
    in it. Here's the only one for bear.
    
    			Planked Bear Steak
    
    Marinade:
    
    1/3 c. vegatable oil
    1 med. onion
    3 carrots, chopped
    1 stalk celery, chopped
    3 c. beef bouillon
    1 c. vinegar
    8 black peppercorns
    1 clove, whole
    1 large bay leaf
    1/2 tsp. thyme
    1 tsp. marjoram
    1 tsp. salt
    2 bear steaks, 1 1/2-2" thick
    
    Saute onion, carrots and celery in oil until tender. Add remaining
    ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Trim fat from steaks, place in
    bowl and pour cooled marinade over meat. Refrigerate for 2 days
    (it must be tough!) turning meat several times.
    
    
    When ready to cook, drin and pat dry.
    
    1/2 c. butter
    1/2 c. chopped chives
    2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
    3 tbsp. tomato paste
    1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
    1 clove garlic, minced
      salt
      fresh ground pepper
    
    Place butter in saucepan and melt over low heat. Add remaining
    ingredients and stir until well blended. Broil steaks, basting
    constantly with butter and chive mixture, until done. Serve steaks
    on plank, surrounded by mashed potatoes, corn niblets and tomato
    halves.
    
    

    I'd guess you could use the same marinade, soaking for 24 hours,
    to marinade a piece of bear that was to be stewed or pot-roasted.
    I'll bet the extra day is to make the bear tender enough to cook
    using a non-moist cooking method.
    
    --Louise

    All text is taken directly from L.L.Bean cookbook as follows:
    
    ROAST BEAR
    
    "As I've noted, it's as fat as pork and the fat should be thinned,
    i.e., the excess sliced off, leaving only about a quarter of an
    inch on the meat. If the roast is the rump cut, put it on a rack
    in a shallow roasting pan; otherwise stand the roast on the bones
    - fat side up, in either case. Mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts,
    and jellied cranberry sauce go well with this rich roast. Or
    applesauce instead of cranberry, if you prefer.  Serves 6-8.
    
    3 - 4 lb bear roast, loin or rump, fat thinned to 1/2" thick
    2 cloves garlic, sliced
    salt and pepper
    1 small onion, chopped fine
    1/2 rib celery with leaves, chopped fine
    3 tbs flour
    1 1/2 tsp dried, pulverized sage leaves
    1/4 tsp thyme
    1/4 tsp savory
    2 cups water or beef stock
    1 tsp worcestershire sauce or mushroom catsup
    
    Cut deep knife-width slits in top of roast and insert garlic slices.
    Slat and pepper the meat well. Lay a few fat slices under the roast,
    put it in a preheated 500 degree F oven, and roast 20 minutes or
    so until you hear the sputtering of browning fat. Reduce heat to
    300-325 degrees and roast about 2 1/2 hours.
    Look at the roast a few times and if the juices do not seem to be
    cooking out sufficiently stich with a knife the lower edge of the
    meat in a few pplaces - you want browned dredgings in the fat later
    when you prepare the gravy.
    When done, remove roast and the fat cracklings to a hot pan or 
    platter and leave it on edge of oven on it's open door to keep warm.
    Retain 2-3 tablespoons of fat in the roasting pan with the drippings
    and in it saute the chopped onion and celery until onion is
    translucent. Stir in the flour and meld it with the fat. Cook a
    couple of minutes, then stir in the herbs. Add the liquid and 
    Worcestershire or catsup a little at a time, stirring until it
    bubbles, then lower fire and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
    
    Note: Bear meat is delicious rare, but you had better not chance
    it, for even in the Artic, where you would think the animal would
    be immune, there have been cases of trichinosis. Treat bear
    as you would pork."
    
    
    pat

    All text is taken directly from L.L.Bean cookbook as follows:
    
    BEAR FILLET IN BURGUNDY
    
    Serve this roast with saurkraut and mashed potatoes.  Serves 12.
    
    THE MARINADE
    
    4 cups chopped mixed onions and shallots
    1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2/3 cup chopped celery
    2 bay leaves
    1 tsp tarragon
    6 cups dry white wine
    
    THE BEAR
    
    1 fillet of bear 6-7 lb
    10 juniper berries
    salt 6-8 medium onions, peeled
    3-4 large parsnips, peeled
    1 doz medium carrots, scraped
    1 cup sliced celery
    6 cups burgundy
    2 cups beef stock
    
    Combine all marinade ingredients. Handle the wee-hung bear meat
    gently, carefully cutting out all sinews and nerves, and - unless
    you have reason not to - marinade it in a cool place 3-4 days.
    When preparing to cook, pat the meat dry with paper towels. Preheat
    oven to 325 degrees f. Pound the juniper berries into tint fragments
    and firmly run into the meat; salt well. Place the fillet in an
    ample roasting pan and surround it with the vegetables.
    Pour wine and stock over all and put roast in oven uncovered. Baste
    frequently 3 1/2- 4 hours or until center of roast does not bleed
    when pierced with two-tine fork.
    Remove the meat and keep warm. Lift out vegetables and spin in a
    food processor to a course pulp or put through a strainer or
    vegetable mill; reduce wine sauce to about 1 1/2 cups, then add
    vegetable mixture. Stir and serve as gravy."
    
    
    pat

    All text is taken directly from L.L.Bean cookbook as follows:
    
    BEAR LOIN BARBEQUE STYLE
    
    "This recipe comes from Mary Wade, wife of Sonny Wade of Bingham,
    Maine, who was until recently only Maine's most famous bear-hunting
    guide and outfitter who after 1983 has added New Brunswick to his
    domain as well.
    
    Serves 6.
    
    3 lb bear tenderloin
    
    BARBEQUE SAUCE
    
    3/4 cup vinegar 
    3/4 cup catsup
    1 cup water
    1 onion chopped
    1 clove garlic, minced
    2 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp pepper
    1 Tb. Worcestershire Sauce
    1/4 tsp Tabasco
    3 Tbs. brown sugar
    1 tsp dry mustard
    
    Slice meat in 1/2 " pieces and cook 30 minutes in 350 degree oven.
    Meanwhile, mix the sauce ingredients together in a pan and cook
    20 minutes over moderate heat.
    Pour off liquid from meat, cover with barbeque sauce and cook
    1 hour."
    
    
    pat (whew, I'll enter more after lunch!)
    

    All text is taken directly from L.L.Bean cookbook as follows:
    
    BEAR NORTHERN STYLE
    
    "If the bear is old, scar-faced, and skinny, and possibly stronger
    than a young bear, you'll certainly want to marinate. Here is a
    recipe from northern Minnesota that uses either the whole fillet
    or
    loin, to be marinated first for 3 or 4 days, cut into steaks or
    chops, which are then fried and simmered in a pungent sauce.
    
    Serves 8-10.
    
    1 fillet or whole loin bear (6 to 7 lbs)
    2-3 Tbs vegetable oil
    
    
    THE MARINADE
    
    3 medium onions, chopped
    12-15 shallots or scallions, chopped
    3-4 carrots, chopped
    3/4 cup vinegar
    2 tsp salt
    4 cups dry white wine or 3 cups vermouth mixed with 1 cup water
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1 tsp coursely ground black pepper
    4 bay leaves
    2 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped or 1/2 tsp dried
    3 ribs celery, chopped
    
    THE SAUCE
    
    1/2 tsp minced garlic
    1 tsp minced pickled onions
    2 tsp chopped capers
    2 tsp chopped shallots or scallions
    1 tbs chopped parsley
    1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
    3/4 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp black pepper
    3 tbs butter
    3 tbs flour
    1 clove, crushed
    
    Cut out any sinews and nerves from the meat.
    Put all the marinade in a saucepan, bring to boil and cook 5 minutes,
    covered. Let cool and then pour the marinade over the meat, which
    should be placed in a crock or large ceramic bowl - any nonmetallic
    container. Keep in a cool place, covered, for 3 or 4 days, turning
    the meat over daily. Refrigerate only if the weather is warm.
    When ready to cook, remove the meat, reserving the marinade, and
    wipedry. Cut the fillet into 3/4" pieces or the loin into chops.
    Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet, then brown
    the
     meat, several pieces at a time, about 1 minute each side. Remove
    and brown remaining pieces, adding more oil as necessary.
    To prepare the sauce, pound the garlic, pickled onions, capers,
    shallots or scallions, parsley, mushrooms, salt and pepper togethr
    or puree in a food processor. When mixed to a paste, strain 2 cups
    of the reserved marinade into it and blend.
    Now melt the butter in a skillet, stir in flour, and cook slowly
    a few minutes to brown lightly. Add the clove and, off the heat,
    stir in the above marinade sauce. Return to the heat and stir until
    thickened, then add the browned staeks or chops, and slowly simmer
    6 to 8 minutes. Stir frequently and watch to see that the bottom
    doesn't burn; the sauce should be thick and highly flavored.
    Serve with baked or boiled potatoes and stewed dried apricots or
    cranberries."
    
    
    pat

    All text is taken directly from L.L.Bean cookbook as follows:
    
    MARINADE FOR BEAR CHUCKS ON A SKEWER
    
    1/2 cup soy sauce
    1 tbs honey
    1/4 cup peanut oil
    1/4 cup lemon juice
    1 tsp curry powder
    1 tsp chili powder
    1 cup finely chopped onions
    2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    salt, pepper, and ground ginger to taste
    
    Mix all ingredients together and marinate bear before grilling.
    
    
    
    pat