Anyone tried beaver meat?

[ak77]

Basically question is in the title. Buddy of mine mentioned recently one of the guys he knows (owns some land) asked him if he could help him with beavers on his land. I am simply curios if anyone tried cooking them? I've seen few videos on the youtube, seems like it's quite ok, provided you don't screw up meat by poking the glands.
Just fishing here for some real life experience...

[fish_e_o]

Beaver tail is supposed to be a delicacy. Im having a friend save one for me this season. I'll let you know

[Northern Spirit]

I once asked native person from the beaver tribe if they had ever eaten beaver tail. You know how that turned out

[huntingaddict]

Usually costs a couple dinners. Lol. Someone was going to say it. Pretty strong oily tasting worse than porkys but edible

[ak77]

As I was trying to find the way not to provoke expected reaction (Yeah, i have a question, has anyone eaten beaver? How was it?) you guys still find the way, ever so eloquently...

On the serious note, i did see a few mentions that the meat tastes oily, but at the same time to prevent it sources recommended thoroughly cleaning the knife after touching the outer fur (or using different altogether), and being extremely careful not to contaminate the meat from the oil/castor glands, and the gut sack.

And one of the recipies I found was for BBQ'ed beaver tail. I am .... intrigued..

[catnthehat]

I hate beaver tail!
Toasted , heart , liver ,steaks yup!
Beaver tail? Nope!
Cat

[Northern Spirit]

It is a common native delicacy. It is roasted in a fire the black scale will puff up and then you take a knifeand easily skin the outer black covering off the edible part is white and is delicious. I have eaten it numerous times at native feasts

[sourdough doug]

If it was white, that which you were eating....it wasn't beaver
Keep in mind , I'm not referring to beaver tail

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Northern Spirit

It is a common native delicacy. It is roasted in a fire the black scale will puff up and then you take a knifeand easily skin the outer black covering off the edible part is white and is delicious. I have eaten it numerous times at native feasts

Pure glutinous and fat grids stuff
I ate beaver as part of my steady diet during my trapping days and love it but the tails and other parts went into the dog pot.
Cat

[ak77]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UASAIjk2BHs

I don't know... Sounds pretty interesting... Considering I ate crickets and scorpions during one of my Thailand trips beaver tail doesn't sound too bad.

[JD848]

Beaver meat is good in a stew,lotsa meat in the back legs,carrots ,turnips,taters,onions,salt ,pepper,dumplings,i do mine just like chiken stew ,but instead I use the two back legs,i avoid eating beavers where the water is not running or the water smells of bacteria,old swamp smell ,also beavers don't like other beavers moving in there territory and bite each other on there legs causing infection.

The natives ate beaver for thousands of years and lived very well off of beaver meat.

Take the casters and soak them in strong brandy or cognac and let them soak in a jar,when you get a sore throat,take a very sharp knife and shave off a very thin slice off the caster and put in your mouth on the back of your throat and let it stay in your mouth for awhile,do this twice or 3 times a day and don't swallow this at all.The cognac kills bacteria in the castor and there is acids from tree barks are stored in the casters.

if you want to shoot wolves slowly drag a couple big beavers behind your machine and let that oil in there fur sink in the snow,take your 10 or 12 inch ice auger and drill two holes one hole all the way through and another 3/4 the length of the beaver a couple hundred yards ,put the beaver in the one hole that's 3/4 and use the water from the other hole to freeze him in tight,the wolves will try for good amount of time to get that beaver,you don't need one in the hole with fur,just the bones and meat will do,i don't think this is legal in alberta so check out the regs before you try this.

[Weedy1]

Do You Eat Beaver Butt? I do!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nweK6VRM8a8

Remember everything on the internet is true.

[Red Bullets]

I had beaver that was prepared by FN from James Bay. Beaver are a main staple in the James Bay FN diet. Slow roasted high over a fire. Whole carcass except tail. Hung by the nose for an hour and then hung by the tail end for an hour. Flipped every hour. Roasted for 6 hours. Yummy. Nothing beats fire roasted meat of any kind in my books.

When butchering ...besides the castor glands you have to also remove the oil glands carefully too.
If you eat beaver that is too fresh it is very laxative too. Age it for a day or two. A person can parboil a carcass to remove the grease and then roast or stew.

The OP could go to a sportsmen supper to try all the variouos wild meats. The suppers usually are in late winter/early spring put on by a few fish and game association chapters.

[ak77]

truth or not I actually laughed out loud

[Ranch11]

I had it once in a lasagna type of dish. Tasty, didn't know it was beaver. Prepared by a native family. Would eat it again.

[owlhoot]

Growing up in Northern Ontario a trapper would drop smaller, young beaver off at my buddy's. His Mom parboiled and baked them, dark rich meat was very good. The next day the carcase would be covered with gelatin.

[calgarychef]

I've told this one before but since the question was asked again....

When I worked at Nakoda lodge cooking Jeff the native game warden brought in a beaver. He was testing the white guy, and said if you skin it you can have the meat. So I skinned it, I guess he didn't expect a cook to know how to skin beaver although most cooks are pretty good with all kinds of beaver . Anyhow, Yolanda one of the waitresses took it home to her mom and she smoked it. First she bashed it with an ax to flatten it and break all the bones. I braised it in a nice rich Demi glace and put it out for the staff to eat. Interestingly most of them had never eaten beaver but they tried it and deemed it ok to eat.

It's good meat, kind of like dark pork.

[KGB]

It is no go in my books... Beaver is a rat and I don't eat rats. Just personal preference...

[calgarychef]

Beaver is a rodent, rabbits are rodents...yum

[Redfrog]

To be clear. rabbits are not rodents.

[rugatika]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

To be clear. rabbits are not rodents.

Lagomorphs if I remember correctly. Poo-eaters.

[Bushleague]

Towsend Whelen considered both the beaver and the muskrat to be among the very best of wild meats. He did express a distinct preference for young beavers though. Having lived off of a fairly wide selection of wild meat at times I believe he would have known as well as anyone.

Other than venison in its various forms and the more common birds, the only bush meat I have eaten was squirrel. Squirrel meat tastes pretty good but is crazy tough. Possibly it could be made into soup after prolonged boiling.

[schian]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

To be clear. rabbits are not rodents.

they were until 1912!
haha

Schian

[JD848]

Originally Posted by KGB

It is no go in my books... Beaver is a rat and I don't eat rats. Just personal preference...

Big difference in a beavers diet and a rat,plus beavers are very clean and groom themselves often,almost shiny clean,but everyone has there personal choice.I kissed a few girls when I was younger that had way more germs than a beaver.Come to think of it some were uglier than a beaver.That's what happens when you drink old veinna or ov beer, I drank that till they all looked good.joking aside,beaver is excellent if prepared the right way,way better than some fast food crap.

[Redfrog]

Originally Posted by JD 848

Big difference in a beavers diet and a rat,plus beavers are very clean and groom themselves often,almost shiny clean,but everyone has there personal choice.I kissed a few girls when I was younger that had way more germs than a beaver.Come to think of it some were uglier than a beaver.That's what happens when you drink old veinna or ov beer, I drank that till they all looked good.joking aside,beaver is excellent if prepared the right way,way better than some fast food crap.

Must be from Ontario..

Fat or skinny, drink Old Viennie.

[wildwoods]

If they taste as bad as they smell...
Won't be on my fork

[JD848]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

Must be from Ontario..

Fat or skinny, drink Old Viennie.

I haven't drank it in 25 years,yes Ontario,i miss hunting out that way,in 45 years you learn a lot about many areas,for 250 square miles I have many great memory's and one was being lost when a forester who was colour blind told me to walk my block of timber by myself,he told me if i can remember right that red ribbons were the boarder lines and i walk past blue ribbons looking for red and I got lost got lost because the blue looked red to him,i was heading into a large area of bush appox 500 square mile and the only think north was Hudson bay.

After two nights and a change in weather to use the sun I had walked in a large circle, and arrived within 100 feet of my truck ,getting lost alone in an area that size is one scary deal,for years after my brain would get mixed up because of the long term shock it left with me,worst part I was 50 miles from camp and no one knew I was lost,i never go out now without a good compass an a note in my truck,plus a sat phone in my back pack.
i was going to one day start a thread on how to prepare and avoid being lost and what to do if it happens,it is the most dangerous part of hunting except poor gun control and accidental shootings.The most important part of hunting is finding your back out and not injuring yourself or both once shock kicks in the brain works in odd ways when an over load of fear and adrenaline kicks in. I still am very banged up from that accident I just had so at my age it cuts my heart in half to miss a season knowing fewer are ahead,remember just don't kill to hunt but kill so you can hunt.

[Red Bullets]

The thread was about beavers and then beer was brought into the conversation so I couldn't resist sharing this beer commercial. Beaver and beer are a Canadian tradition.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=156513940049

Sorry for the derail. Back onto the topic of trying beaver meat...

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

The thread was about beavers and then beer was brought into the conversation so I couldn't resist sharing this beer commercial. Beaver and beer are a Canadian tradition.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=156513940049

Sorry for the derail. Back onto the topic of trying beaver meat...

OMG that is Hilarious!!!
Cat

[riskytype]

Tried 4 legged beaver tail at a Fort Saskatchewan Fish and Game dinner about 20 years ago. I'm still traumatized to this day and Ill never forget that taste. Yuck....