Couple a BEAR recipee's fer y'all......

Now...I knows that most of y'all out there a read'n this here column don't have too many opportunities to either hunt or eat Bear...but fer those that do...these be some real fine eat'n recipee's fer BEAR........and they tells me that some folks tried to substitute Lib's and Demi's fer the bear meat but it was horrid (real bitter taste)....so stick with the bear......OH...BTW...take a look at m'family pitchers in the post below this un........

I’ve got two great recipe’s for Pot Roast of Bear and German Bear in this column. The main issue with bear meat that you must always be concerned with is Trichinosis, a parasitic disease that will make you very ill. I personally know two people who have Trichinosis to this day because they did not cook their bear meat properly. I’m old school regarding bear meat, that is, cooking the meat until it’s WELL DONE! I’m told by Conservation Officers that if you freeze bear meat at 10 degree’s below zero for thirty days it will also eliminate the threat of Trichinosis. Its up to you. I know from experience that a properly prepared and cooked Bear meat is extremely tasty and delicious.

*A MUST TIP: Always trim ALL bear fat off the sections of meat you are
going to cook! The bear fat is very strong in flavor and will
definately ruin your meal if not trimmed off.

**One of my online buddies...Patrick Joubert Conlon...who is himself a Chef (Oooo how I envies him I do)...made a comment on this post that reminded me of sumthin when preparing the Bear meat. To tenderize the meat even more...place your roast or whatever piece of meat your going to cook inta an open plastic zip lock bag and beat the livin hell out of it with a Meat Mallet.

*** Anuther factor which will help to determine how tender yur roast will be is the age of Bear, 3-5 years old being optimal. The best way to "age the Bear" is to ask him how old he is afore ya shoots his ass.....

POT ROAST OF BEAR

5-6 pounds of bear shoulder or round meat 1 ½ Cup Beef Broth
3-4 Tablespoons Bacon drippings 3 whole cloves
3 large Onions, sliced 1 crushed Bay leaf.
3 stalks of Celery with leaves 1 Carrot, halved
1 Cup of Red Wine Salt & Pepper

Brown the meat well on high heat on all sides in the bacon dripping. Remove and season with Salt & Pepper. Place the roast in a roasting pan with vegetables and ALL other ingredients. Tightly cover and roast for 8 hours at 225 degrees. When done, remove roast. Strain the stock, discarding all vegetable and herbs. Skim off any fat and make a gravy using a flour and water mix.

“GERMAN” BEAR

This recipe came from my German grandmother who cooked it regularly in the old country and here in the USA. If you like German cooking you’ll surely enjoy this old recipe.

1 ½ pounds of lean bear meat in ½ inch slices. 3-4 Tblsp Bacon Drippings
1 pound of Sauerkraut(cooked & hot) ½ tsp pepper
1 ½ large onion, finely chopped. ½ Cup white wine
1 ½ Apples, finely chopped 1 tsp salt
½ tsp paprika ½ to ¾ cup sour cream

Brown the bear meat on all sides on high heat. Lower heat, add the chopped onions, salt, pepper and paprika and sauté for 5-8 minutes, or until onions are soft. Add the wine and simmer until the wine is almost evaporated, adding more wine if needed, until the meat is tender. This takes about 40 minutes. Once the meat is tender, add the hot, drained Sauerkraut and chopped apples. Stir in the sour cream just prior to serving. Garnish each plateful with a little chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy.........Cookie