Bear sausage ....Smoke or Summer???

[processhead]

Anyone have firsthand knowledge on the prevalence of trichinosis in bear meat and how to handle it while processing?

[Big Game]

I am just a hunter, but this is what I have understood. There was a study many years ago that estimated that 13% of black bears in California carry the parasite. For that matter, wild pigs can carry trich too. It is not something to be messed with. I did bear summer sausage last year, and cooked to IT of 160. Unless you do anything other than cook the meat to 160 degrees per CDC guidelines, you could have some risk. Do your own research, I would not take anyone’s word that their process is safe.

Here is the CDC on trich. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/hunters.html#:~:text=How can I prevent trichinellosis,of doneness for game meat

Steve Rinella and his crew got it on a black bear hunt. He talks about it on a MeatEater video, which is on YouTube. Hank Shaw also has a great blog post: https://honest-food.net/on-trichinosis-in-wild-game/

As for uncooked bear meat products like salami, is more complicated and I don’t yet understand how/if that could be done safely.

[processhead]

Thanks for sharing the links. They are both good articles for anyone considering processing their own bear or wild hog.

[Mike Sample]

I have eaten several back bear. I simply cook everything to an IT of 160. For me, anything less is just not worth the possibilities, BUT… As Rinella talks about on his show, getting trich is not that “bad” (I know, define bad). It just needs treated, then you’re a lifetime carrier. He stated he has no lasting side effects.

[Jonathon]

mike SAMPLE Its a good way to prevent being a victim to cannibalism I guess? For Monty Python fans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ZLNBXLcOQ

[Mike Sample]

Jonathon So true, Rinella brings that up, saying something like, really, the only ones negatively affected by his contracting would be zombies that ultimately feast on him during the apocalypses.
Love the Monty Python reference, who can’t use a little Monty in their everyday life!

[deanlorensen]

Dang, If I wasn’t so busy last night I would have taken pictures. A buddy killed a monster black bear (539lb hanging/10+ ft long) in September and took it to a locker to be processed. the butcher cut deboned the back legs and netted them. My buddy brought them over to have me make pastrami out of them. I did it but I wasn’t overly impressed with the final product. The meat didn’t seem to take the flavor like I wanted and the butcher didn’t do the greatest job on the cutting. I’m sure the butcher was thinking he was gonna crock pot the roasts and it wouldn’t matter; tons of tendons left and a little odd piece of meat that just fell apart when I un-netted to slice.

[Big Game]

That sucks. What an amazing bear he got. I killed a bear and didn’t have a local butcher so I went to Yelp. Initially the guy insisted that he could only give me cooked product because of trich danger. I told him to give it back fresh and put a sticker on it, like you get on every package of meat you ever buy. I wasn’t impressed with his Italian sausage. I wish I had butchered it and made sausage myself. Lesson learned, never again.

[Jonathon]

Big Game Where are you located? If you want to try again I’d be happy to ask our commercial salesmen if they know a place in your area that could do a good job?

[Big Game]

Thanks Jonathon. I was actually in Redding CA which is 8 hours north. Weather was hot, bear was huge, and it was all I could do get it chunked up and run into town and get sausage made. There are some decent butchers in that area but many of them will not handle bear, so I didn’t have much choice. That is actually what spurred me to take up sausage making, I figured I could do better than that butcher, and it turned out I can!

[Jonathon]

So, somewhere, on a podcast or a livestream or something I told a story about how I was sure I saw a Mountain Lion in suburban Wichita one day as I was walking my dogs. I talked myself out of it and even said I was crazy…well well well who is crazy NOW? https://www.ksn.com/news/local/caught-on-camera-a-mountain-lion-in-the-middle-of-wichita/

Me, it’s me, I am crazy

Credit goes to Tex_77 for finding this

[processhead]

Jonathon said in Bear sausage ....Smoke or Summer???:

So, somewhere, on a podcast or a livestream or something I told a story about how I was sure I saw a Mountain Lion in suburban Wichita one day as I was walking my dogs. I talked myself out of it and even said I was crazy…well well well who is crazy NOW? https://www.ksn.com/news/local/caught-on-camera-a-mountain-lion-in-the-middle-of-wichita/

Me, it’s me, I am crazy

Credit goes to Tex_77 for finding this

Speaking of lion, a friend of mine shot a lion in Colorado a few years ago and we grilled some of the loin.
It was amazing. Light pink like pork and very non-game like in flavor and texture.
Here kitty, kitty, kitty.

[Jonathon]

processhead I NEED to try some of this, I don’t think I have been as interested in a specific type of meat ever. How many predators are REALLY good for eating…is this the only land animal like that? Some people like Bear but a Bear is a omnivore. I am sure I am missing an obvious one but I can’t think of it.

@The-Fridge-Raider Just brought up snakes…I said land animal to avoid gators and crocs but reptiles. Someone in the room brought up Hyenas…

[processhead]

Jonathon said in Bear sausage ....Smoke or Summer???:

processhead I NEED to try some of this, I don’t think I have been as interested in a specific type of meat ever. How many predators are REALLY good for eating…is this the only land animal like that? Some people like Bear but a Bear is a omnivore. I am sure I am missing an obvious one but I can’t think of it.

@The-Fridge-Raider Just brought up snakes…I said land animal to avoid gators and crocs but reptiles. Someone in the room brought up Hyenas…

I was impressed by the cougar. Never had the opportunity to try bear.
I would try almost anything, but…hyena?

If I remember correctly a hyena is a scavenger and eats mostly carrion. Which is not all that different than a vulture.

Nope, I’ll pass on the hyena

[Jonathon]

processhead Yeah, I would not eat Hyena either but while it is a scavenger it appears to be only able to eat meat. It says that if it does eat something not meat that its body cannot process it. I am no biologist though so could be wrong.