Grilled Black Bear Meat Steak with Cucumber Salad
Black bear meat steaks are full of flavor and perfect for marinating and grilling. I can't resist grilled steaks for dinner, no matter what time of year it is. And when the weather gets warm like it is now, it's hard to resist an appealing classic cucumber salad to go along with a grilled bear steak. Crunchy, juicy cucumbers combined with a zesty, creamy dressing will always leave you feeling refreshed on a hot day. This simple and easy bear recipe paired with a summer cucumber salad is perfect for a fast weeknight meal.CAN YOU EAT BEAR MEAT?Can you eat bear meat? Absolutely! I enjoy my venison steaks medium-rare but bear meat steaks must be cooked to the recommended 160 degrees F. The reason for cooking them to such a high internal temperature is to ensure we don’t get trichinosis, a disease people can get by eating raw or undercooked bear meat. According to a Centers for Disease Control study from 2008 to 2012, there were only 84 cases of trichinosis in all of the United States. Of those, 43 were eating wild game – bears, mountain lions, and wild hogs. Bears appear to be heavily infected by the parasite, so much so that you should assume the meat is infected. In that CDC study, 41 of the 84 total cases of trichinosis reported in America between 2008 and 2012 were from bear meat.Trichinosis can make you very sick and can even be fatal. However, a good dose of antibiotics will cure the symptoms — diarrhea and nausea, muscle pain, weakness, even nervous system and heart problems. Since we don't wish sickness on anyone, I highly recommend keeping you and your family safe by cooking to the recommended 160 degrees F.The marinade for this black bear meat recipe makes these black bear meat steaks juicy and flavorful, even when cooked to a well-done temperature like 160 degrees F.If you are planning to hunt black bear in the future, check out this YouTube video on How to Skin and Butcher a Black Bear.LOOKING FOR MORE BEAR MEAT RECIPES? You can also check out my Cured & Smoked Bear Ham recipe, and our favorite Bear Ham Spanish Croquettes.If you love venison steak as much as we do, you can also check out Our 15 Best Venison Steak recipes!Or how about our favorite Homemade Steak Sauce Recipe.CONNECT WITH ME AND JOIN OUR WILD GAME COOKING COMMUNITYIf you make this Grilled Black Bear Meat Steak with Cucumber Salad Recipe, I’d love for you to join our community and connect with me so we can all see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #wildgameandfishDid you enjoy this Grilled Black Bear Meat Steak with Cucumber Salad Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!
Ingredients
Bear Steak
- 2 pounds bear backstrap, tenderloin, top round, or bottom round steak
Bear Steak Marinade
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Cucumber Salad
- 2 cucumbers
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
Cucumber Salad
- In a large mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, dill, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir and set aside while prepping the salad.
- Peel the cucumbers and cut in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds if desired and cut into ¼″ slices. Place cucumber slices and sliced onion in large mixing bowl with dressing and mix well until cucumbers are well coated. The salad will stay fresh for up to 3 hours if refrigerated.
Grilled Bear Steak
- Wash bear steak thoroughly to make sure it’s free of hair.
- Place the bear steak on a cutting board and tenderize using a Jaccard meat tenderizer.
- After combining all the marinade ingredients in a bowl or large, sturdy resealable bag, add the bear steaks. Massage to coat both sides and distribute the marinade evenly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour but no more than 8 hours. Drain the bear steaks in a colander and discard the marinade. Dry both sides of each bear steak thoroughly with paper towels.
- Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct-heat grilling over high heat.
- Place the bear steaks on the grill rack over the hottest part of the fire and cook without moving them for 2 minutes. Move the bear steaks after 1 minute if the fire flares. Turn and cook on the other side for 2 minutes more.
- Move the steaks to a cooler part of the grill or reduce the heat and continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the bear steak registers 165 degrees F. Transfer to a platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving with the cucumber salad.
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