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Homeowner Forum / Rural Living / May 2006Uses for Bear Fat
I took a black bear on a trip to Newfoundland last Sep, he was pretty fat, around 400lbs, lots of blueberries up there. When I got it back from the local butcher he included all the fat in a couple of bags and I just threw it in the freezer.....I don't want to thow it away, I feel that would be an insult to the animal.....anything in particular I can use it for. One buddy says I should render it down (not sure how to do that) and use it as a gun oil...any other uses? My wife is Korean and a few of her friends say they want some....something to do with traditional Chinese medicine. >I took a black bear on a trip to Newfoundland last Sep, he was pretty >fat, around 400lbs, Wow! That must have been expensive. I took my cat on a trip once and had to pay extra for him in the motel rooms and he only weighed about 10 lbs.  SignatureSlimes-Daily motto: 1) Tax and Spend, 2) Change the Constituion to make it easier to do (1). > >I took a black bear on a trip to Newfoundland last Sep, he was pretty > >fat, around 400lbs, > > Wow! That must have been expensive. I took my cat on a trip once and > had to pay extra for him in the motel rooms and he only weighed about > 10 lbs. lol ;o) > -- > Slimes-Daily motto: 1) Tax and Spend, 2) Change the Constituion to make it easier to do (1). I took a black bear on a trip to Newfoundland last Sep, -- Thorpe Andy comments: I understand that if the bear is under 2 years old, he can fly for free....... Did you have any problem getting him thru airport security?? :>)))))) Andy (sorry, I just couldn't resist ) > I took a black bear on a trip to Newfoundland last Sep, he was pretty > fat, around 400lbs, lots of blueberries up there. When I got it back [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > a few of her friends say they want some....something to do with > traditional Chinese medicine. Make a gift of at least some of the fat to anyone interested in Chinese medicine. It should earn you some friends, and should increase your wife's prestige in the community. I suggest this because, at least in some states, sale of parts of a game animal is illegal, but you can give them away. Next time, save the gall bladder. I understand bear gall bladders are worth a fortune on the black market, and a legally taken bear gall bladder would be a treasure for someone. In pioneer days, bear grease was used to grease wagon axles. You could always render a little and see how it tasted, but I bet it will find a better use in the Oriental community. >> I took a black bear on a trip to Newfoundland last Sep, he was pretty >> fat, around 400lbs, lots of blueberries up there. When I got it back [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > always render a little and see how it tasted, but I bet it will find a > better use in the Oriental community. Agreed that the Oriental community would be the best destination. But, since the unrendered fat is approx 8 months old, I'd first thaw some, cook it well, and taste it to see if it's rancid. (My guess is that this test won't get past the cooking part.) If so, consider it a lesson learned and plan ahead next time. >>> I took a black bear on a trip to Newfoundland last Sep, he was pretty >>> fat, around 400lbs, lots of blueberries up there. When I got it back [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >> always render a little and see how it tasted, but I bet it will find a >> better use in the Oriental community. Bear grease is better than mink oil for waterproofing boots!! It is a high quality tallow, but the smell may take some getting used to. What about making soap out of it? Can it be used for candles? Oh, I saved the gall bladder, had a rough time finding it, it's so small. My wife froze it, sliced it into fifths, and dropped each piece into a bottle of flavored vodka......everyone was going gaga over getting some from her. She says there's some uses for bear fat in Chinese medicine but they're not as well known or popular as the gall bladder. I never made the effort to find someone that knew what to do with it...........I was thinking about something like rendering it down into a gun oil, but even then it would be a conversation piece. > Oh, I saved the gall bladder, had a rough time finding it, it's so > small. My wife froze it, sliced it into fifths, and dropped each piece [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > with it...........I was thinking about something like rendering it down > into a gun oil, but even then it would be a conversation piece. Good for you. Eastern cultures do not forget a kindness. There is a very tasty but rare blackberry here in the PNW. I happened across a lush fruiting one year, and took several pounds to a Chinese restaurateur with a reputation for gourmet food. After that, any time I went to his restaurant, he came out of the kitchen and served me personally, often with unique foods not available on the menu. I think bear fat is mostly used in combination with other substances for poultices and lotions in Chinese medicine. A little will go a long way. An 8 ounce jar of the rendered fat would be an appropriate gift. For gun oil, stick with CLP. If you are a black powder shooter, you could try a little in Ed's Red instead of the anhydrous lanolin. > I took a black bear on a trip to Newfoundland last Sep, he was pretty > fat, around 400lbs, lots of blueberries up there. When I got it back [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > a few of her friends say they want some....something to do with > traditional Chinese medicine. Rendered black bear fat is *the* preferred lard for baking in Alaska. It's supposed to make pie crusts and stuff that is far superior than when you use Crisco. Let me ask the SO for specifics. He grew up using black bear fat. Jan PS: Moose fat sucks, but the SO's mom was so frugal that she'd use it, when they ran out of bear fat. SignatureThe way to a man's heart is between the fourth and the fifth rib. > I took a black bear on a trip to Newfoundland last Sep, he was pretty > fat, around 400lbs, lots of blueberries up there. When I got it back [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > a few of her friends say they want some....something to do with > traditional Chinese medicine. Just asked the SO what to use rendered black bear fat for. He said, "Make doughnuts." Let me know if you need a recipe. The "Cooking Alaska" cookbook has recipes for good stuff like that. Jan SignatureThe way to a man's heart is between the fourth and the fifth rib. The Aboriginal men in Canada use it on their hair to prevent baldness. And if you think it doesn't then ask yourself the question have you ever seen a bald Indian. I read on my heritage food listserve that native american's used bear fat, dried preserved meat, gathered nuts and berries and ground everything up/mixed in the fat to create pemmican. Pemmican was a source of high energy/high protein...sort of the forerunner to modern protein bars. I tried to do this (for fun/experimenting) with jerky, dried berries ( cherry, blueberries, cranberries), dried ground spiceberries, and ground pecans. I used a bit of melted lard to form something that you could pick up and eat. Didn't work, but it did taste pretty good! Wendy Hannum www.secretcreekfarm.com packgoats/dairygoats/meatgoats SE Ohio (Appalachian foothills) |
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