Bear grease again

[billd]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread with my questions. What is bear grease and bear oil?  

I have some that was given to me. The giver called it bear grease. It's creamy white and semi-liquid. It has an odor, not rancid or rotten, but a distinctive odor. At 50 degrees it's still pourable, like real heavy cream.  I used it for patch lube and it worked well but very sloppy to use.

The person who gave it to me has had it for several years and stores it at room temperature in a milk jug.

I expected something like lard that you could put in a grease hole on a stock.

Bill

[Dennis Glazener]

Bill,
The bear grease that I had was the same, what I would call runny. The old guys used to mix it with beeswax before putting it in their grease hold. I have used candle wax to stiffen it up enough to use in a grease hole.
Dennis

[winemaker]

i usually render bear fat down every year. I havent ever gotten a bear but a friend of mine has a butcher shop and he saves the fat for me. how thick it comes out depends on how it is rendered. i cook it down and then strain the cracklings out and let it set up. after it sets up you can pour the oil off the top. if you keep reheating it and letting it set up the oil will float to the top each time. last year I made 6 gals of grease that is as thick as crisco and 1 gal of oil. i pour the grease in ball jars when hot and seal them, they seem to last for years.