DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,399
- 6,208
This past weekend, I was asked to work in our local gun store. Working behind the gun counter and watching the reloading supplies, I struck up a conversation with a couple who were looking for a couple of rifles. They had just completed their safety course and would soon have their PALs (possession and acquisition licenses, required to purchase a firearm in Canada). They originally were looking for a varmint rig as their farm was overrun with coyotes. I worked to fix them up with something that would meet their needs, but I asked if they enjoyed eating wild game. When they assured me that they really enjoyed elk and deer when they had it, I asked it they had ever eaten bear. The wife expressed surprise when she said, "Can you eat bear?" I assured her that not only could you eat bear, but that it was excellent fare, comparable to fine beef when it was harvested off a clover patch, out of a berry patch or off an oat field. "Bear ribs," I opined, "are simply hard to beat."
For great bear ribs, boil the ribs for 5 minutes to remove any fat. Arrange the ribs in a baking pan, basting them with sauce before baking at 350 for 1 hour. Lower the temperature to 325, cover with foil, baste with more sauce and bake for two hours, basing every 30 minutes. The last 30 minutes should be with the foil removed.
The sauce is made with
1 can of tomato paste
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of dry mustard
2 teaspoons of prepared mustard
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 onion finely chopped
1/4 cup of butter
Bring all but the butter to a boil. Add the butter and simmer for 10 minutes. This will be your basting sauce.
Do be careful not to let your anti-hunter neighbour sample any of this, as he or she will want to do if they smell it cooking. You'll never get them out of your kitchen. I actually used this on the grill while living in Jasper, Alberta on a bear I had harvested across the border in the Valemount area of British Columbia. Jasper is a town full of tree huggers and granola eaters. I couldn't get my neighbours on either side to quit talking about how good bear tasted after I had offered them a plate of ribs.
On another occasion, I had harvested a bear in British Columbia which I brought home to Jasper. I delivered my evening sermon, and invited anyone who wanted to help me in the church kitchen to join me in a butchering party. There was only one hunter in the group, but about twenty people joined me in the basement. When everyone got what they wanted to take home, all I had left was one set of ribs. Oh, well, they were certainly good.
For great bear ribs, boil the ribs for 5 minutes to remove any fat. Arrange the ribs in a baking pan, basting them with sauce before baking at 350 for 1 hour. Lower the temperature to 325, cover with foil, baste with more sauce and bake for two hours, basing every 30 minutes. The last 30 minutes should be with the foil removed.
The sauce is made with
1 can of tomato paste
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of dry mustard
2 teaspoons of prepared mustard
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 onion finely chopped
1/4 cup of butter
Bring all but the butter to a boil. Add the butter and simmer for 10 minutes. This will be your basting sauce.
Do be careful not to let your anti-hunter neighbour sample any of this, as he or she will want to do if they smell it cooking. You'll never get them out of your kitchen. I actually used this on the grill while living in Jasper, Alberta on a bear I had harvested across the border in the Valemount area of British Columbia. Jasper is a town full of tree huggers and granola eaters. I couldn't get my neighbours on either side to quit talking about how good bear tasted after I had offered them a plate of ribs.
On another occasion, I had harvested a bear in British Columbia which I brought home to Jasper. I delivered my evening sermon, and invited anyone who wanted to help me in the church kitchen to join me in a butchering party. There was only one hunter in the group, but about twenty people joined me in the basement. When everyone got what they wanted to take home, all I had left was one set of ribs. Oh, well, they were certainly good.
