This post was last updated on August 6th, 2022 at 06:53 pm
Is beaver meat worth eating if you’re in need of food? The answer is a resounding yes! You can eat beaver meat and it’s actually very tasty. One great thing about consuming beaver meat is that it’s loaded with fats and and it actually tastes a lot like pulled pork.
This winter I went out in search of beavers to make a catch and cook episode for Troutster Outdoors. You can find that video below. When trapping for survival, these animals can be the perfect catch. In fact, beaver meat was one of Lewis and Clark’s favorite trail foods during their expedition.
Beavers are technically rodents–the largest rodents in North America.
It was often considered a delicacy until very recently throughout the US and Canada. This article will discuss beaver tail meat including can you eat beaver meat, what it tastes like and more!
Can You Eat Beaver Tail Meat?
Yes, you can eat beaver tail meat. Beavers are rodents that are closely related to squirrels and marmots. They are often times confused with muskrats but they are very different. Muskrats have tails that are flat on the bottom while beavers’ tails are rounded at the end. Their tails are also much larger in diameter.
Beaver meat is considered to be a delicacy in many circles because it was abundant, easy to preserve and could feed a lot of folks on the trail. Because they are rodents, it means that they can carry parasites, so make sure you cook them well before eating them. They have glands under their front legs that need to be removed before eating.
What Does Beaver Meat Taste Like?
So, what does beaver meat taste like? When Lewis and Clark were traveling through the US, one of their favorite foods was beaver. They were particularly fond of eating the tail, which many people say tastes a lot like bacon because of the very high fat content.
I found that the beaver I recently ate, tasted a lot like pulled pork. The key to making it taste really good is the removal of as much of the fat as possible from the outside. The fat has a slightly stronger flavor, so the areas of the beaver that I removed all of the fat seemed to taste the best.
I didn’t use a lot of spices on the beaver tail meat that I cooked, however I found myself to rather fond of sweet chili sauce drizzled over it. The next time I cook beaver meat I think I’ll make pulled beaver meat tacos and slow cook it in the crock pot for 6 hours or so.
How to Cook Beaver Meat
When I cooked a beaver the other day, I simply skinned it, washed it, put it in a disposable aluminum pan and baked it. With the oven set to 350 degrees, I cooked it for 2 hours or so. I also added some salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Beaver Meat Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 large beaver, skinned and washed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
- 4 garlic cloves
Directions:
Put on some rubber gloves to handle the beaver. First cut off the tail and feet of the beaver with a sharp knife. It is important that you remove these before cooking. They secrete toxins while cooking that need to be eliminated.
Cut off the glands on either side of the ribcage and remove them. Wash the meat thoroughly with warm water. Once it is washed, dry it with a paper towel and put it in an aluminum baking pan skin-side down. Season it with salt, pepper and garlic. Cook the beaver at 350 degrees covered for 2 hours or until tender.
Facts About Beaver Meat
If you are wondering if you should eat some beaver meat, I strongly recommend it. They have great flavor and a lot of good meat on them.
Treat them as if it is a pork loin and I don’t think you could go wrong with any recipe. If you enjoy the video below, I’d love it if you went to Youtube and Subscribed to that channel. Beaver meat has high B Vitamins, Protein, Potassium and Iron.
The liver has a lot of Vitamin A which is good for healthy bones, skin and eyes.
Learn more about beaver meat nutrition facts at: https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/nutritional-food-fact-sheet-series/beaver
A little more info about the video
I used a 280 conibear trap for this beaver and it worked well. In most areas you aren’t allowed to shoot beavers with a gun, I’m not sure why that is, but it is a very common law. If you want to legally take a beaver you’ll need to take up trapping. There are a lot of ways to get them including snares (very cheap and easy), foothold traps and conibear style like I used. Check out this survival trapping page for a few other ideas on trapping animals in a survival situation.
Beavers are a great resource for food and furs. They should be considered a great source of food in any situation where you are trying to survive in the wilderness. They are plentiful, easy to find and quite easy to trap even in the winter months.
How Does Beaver Meat Compare to Beaver Tail Meat?
The meat from the beaver is certainly tasty and has a lot of good protein in it. It can be tough to eat if you don’t chew up the small pieces though. Compared to beaver tail, I found that it wasn’t quite as rich tasting and a little less tender. You’ll need a sharp knife or better yet, a saw that can cut through bone, to separate the meat from the tail.
Overall, both beaver meats are a tasty meat. I’m glad I was able to get it when it was in season. It isn’t something I would want to eat on a daily basis or more than once a month.This is related to how beavers store toxins in their organs. This is why you need to cut of the glands on either side of the ribcage and remove them. If they aren’t removed, I found that it can cause vomiting.
In Conclusion – Can You Eat Beaver Meat?
Beaver meat is a great source of food and fur. It’s easy to find, trap, or hunt in the wilderness. Beaver meat tastes delicious when you cook it with salt, pepper, garlic powder and sweet chili sauce for pulled beaver tacos! If you’re looking to learn more about nutrition facts regarding this type of meat then visit here.
So, can you eat beaver meat? Aboslutely. Follow the precautions above and seaason with your favorite spices for a tasty, healthy meal.
