Anyone know how to Bear-BQ?

I have some bear steaks and loins that I plan on bbq-ing in a few weekends. I plan on soaking them for 24 hours in buttermilk and another 24 hours in a marinade before cooking. I was wondering if any of you have prepared it before, and have any nice marinade mix and cooking procedure ideas. I also have some jerky, and now can understand just how tough those pioneers who lived off of it probably were.
Thanks for your ideas.
JAW

soaking in milk or buttermilk should cut down the strong flavour, and then a good long soak in a marinade that has acid in it (like red wine or lemon or orange juice) will tenderize it a fair bit.

Depending on what kind of bear it is, keep in mind that it is still going to have a fairly strong flavour to it. Garlic and/or citrus tend to compliment it well.

Never had bear - post up how it comes out, something different ya know

Have never had Bear..but a nice marinade with some balsamic vinegar and bay leaf/garlic might be nice..? A little red wine might also work well in the marinade?
Try
1/4 cup balsamic v
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
5-6 garlic cloves crushed
some lemon or citrus zest
lots of cracked pepper and salt to taste
maybe a little rosemary?
good luck and happy cooking!
Let us know how it comes out!
(if its very lean..dont overcook it-could be tough & dry)

From my Remington recipe box:

Maine Bear Steak

2 lbs. bear steak
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tbs. steak sauce
Fresh ground pepper
2 Tbs. butter

One hour before frying, sprinkle bear steak on both sides with paprika, dry mustard, steak sauce and pepper. Turn once during marinating. Fry bear steak very fast in a hot iron skillet in butter. Meat should be crispy brown on the outside, slightly rare in the center.

Note: This recipe is for young bear that has been feeding on somthing other than garbage or flesh.

A few years back my friend had a bunch of bear meat up at his camp. He cut it into about 1-1/4" cubes. He had this big old Army surplus frying pan that had to be 20" in diameter.

Into the pan he put a bunch of sliced onions, maybe a pound of butter, meat and pepper and salt. When it was done it was tender and delicious. Sometimes simplier is better.

Anyway the 10 beer drinking "hunters" polished off the whole skillet is short order.

If I recall correctly bear meat can be pretty greasy, depending on species and when/where it was killed. BBQ should help with that, but you might want to use a drip tray. Make sure it's cooked through, as bear can carry trichinosis (which isn't always killed by freezing) and that's something you don't want guests remembering your BBQ for.

Drewpy's marinade looks like a good one. More garlic though.

Because wild game tends to be tough and very lean, it usually does not lend itself well to steaking. Also, you need to be sure to cook game meats to medium to avoid health issues (as glbirch indicated), which further toughens the meat. The meat should not be greasy unless you've left too much of the external fat on - remove all you can.

That said, the above should help give you the best results if you are intent on BBQ'ing.

I tend to prefer roasting - it insures thorough cooking, normally yields tender results and can really tame the wild game flavor that is off-putting to some. Remember that wild game meats vary much more in cooking times that you are used to with beef. Use an instant-read thermometer and check often, whether roasting or grilling. The loin you mention should roast exceptionally well.

Here's a moose roast recipe that will work well for bear too!

3 cloves garlic chopped
3 tablespoons sugar
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons pickling spices
1/2 cup canning salt
1/2 cup Mortens Tender Quick salt
2 quarts water
Remove from heat and let cool.

- Put in a 1 gallon Freezer zip lock bag with a 3lb bear roast
- Squeeze air from bag and close.
- Put in refrigerator for 5-7 days turning every day.
- Remove and drain liquid.
- Cook as you would corned beef.

Thanks for the advice. It is a black bear, taken out of the central Sierra Nevada range. I've heard about the trichinosis danger and will be sure to cook it thoroughly. I'll let you know how it turns out after Memorial Day weekend.
JAW

Hmmmm - I've never eaten black bear, but I've had grizzly a couple times. The best way I've ever had it was when it was cooked like a pot roast - lots of onions, garlic, etc. I am not sure how it would turn out on the bbq, unless you could turn the heat waaaay down and flip/ turn it pretty regularly.

Take some pictures of the cooking adventure - it would be interesting to see!