Bear Meat Burgers Are Tricky To Cook But Delicious To Eat

The predator has become the prey. If you've never had the opportunity to eat bear, then you are missing out on a hearty and fulfilling meal. Like many animal proteins such as beef, deer, and even turkey, you can turn bear meat into patties for those backyard barbecues. In particular, bear meat has been described as having a stronger, gamier taste than one might expect from beef. Likewise, it has a more compact texture making for a heavier mouth feel. 

While bear meat may be high in iron and other vitamins, it's also a leaner piece of meat compared to beef. As such, it can be a bit tricky to get bear burgers just right, especially if you want them to be juicy and not cooked to cinders. There's nothing worse than a burger that tastes like biting into the bottom part of a shoe. On the other hand, bear burgers are particularly finicky because unlike beef you don't have the option of cooking bear meat medium well. Some people prefer beef patties medium well because they see them as more flavorful and tender. However, bear meat must be cooked until it's well done. 

As mentioned above, bear meat must be thoroughly cooked to avoid any potential health concerns. According to the Massachusetts Fish & Wildlife, this meat in particular is at risk of containing harmful parasites. As pointed out by Web MD, bears are at risk of having Trichinella spiralis, small worms that are practically undetectable and can lead to trichinosis. Symptoms such as nausea and stomach pain can appear as little as a few days and grow progressively worse over the weeks to come. There's even a risk of the disease being fatal, according to New York State Health Department.

According to Massachusetts Fish & Wildlife, you should cook your bear meat to at least 165 degrees F for up to three minutes. The organization recommends going slightly higher than recommended here to be on the safe side. The other way to make sure that your meat is fully done is that it contains no pink at all. This may be particularly upsetting to those who are fans of the medium well burger. However, safety matters and there are other ways to make a juicy bear burger.

Bear meat does contain a certain amount of fat even if it's leaner than beef. As such, you probably don't need to put more fat in the pan when frying up a bear burger. Instead, you may want to consider adding a bit of moisture into the mix. In particular, you can add a bit of citrus (either lemon or orange) to the meat. Not only will this enhance the flavors of the meat, but it will also help prevent the meat from drying out as it cooks. 

Additionally, you can consider mixing the meat with a combination of olive oil and Worcestershire sauce or another sauce to prevent it from drying out. Add in your favorite steak sauce or barbecue sauce to transform the meat into something flavorful and moist. Alternatively, if you're a meat purist who prefers the taste of bear meat unadulterated, then it's best to use a meat thermometer. As soon as your burgers reach the requested temperature for the allotted time, then be ready to act fast to remove the meat from the grill.