# Smoked Bear Loaf (Hot---All Beef)



## Bearcarver (May 26, 2011)

*Smoked Bear Loaf (Hot--All Beef)*

After doing a Venison Bacon about a year ago (pre-mix), and finding it rather bland, I thought I would try using the same method for some All Beef Bologna.
The mixes I used were very similar to the ones I used in my Unstuffed Beef Sticks, and my Smoked Bear Logs, except this batch is hotter.
My son said my other stuff needed more heat, so I added it. I think these are just about right, and so does he.
So I bought 25 pounds of 80/20 Ground Beef ($2.49). The total was actually 24.9 pounds---Close enough.
I broke it down into 2 more manageable batches (12 1/2 pounds each), and mixed my ingredients.
*
#1 Mix
Make 2 batches of the following:*
Black Pepper-----------------------------1 1/2 TBS
Red Pepper Flakes----------------------1 1/2 TBS
Cayenne Pepper-------------------------1 1/2 TBS
Mustard Seed-----------------------------1 1/2 TBS
Fennel Seed (slightly crushed)--------1 1/2 TBS
Anise Seed--------------------------------1 1/2 TBS
Italian Seasoning-------------------------1 TBS
Garlic Powder-----------------------------1 1/2 tsp
Onion Powder-----------------------------1 1/2 tsp
*
#2 Mix
Make 2 batches of the following:*
Tender Quick--------------------3 1/8 ounce
Soy Sauce------------------------5 ounces
Ice Water-------------------------7 ounces
Stir until TQ is dissolved, and put in fridge.
*Any amounts of the ingredients above can be changed to suit your tastes, except the TQ.
The amount should be 1/4 ounce (1/2 TBS) of TQ per every pound of Ground Meat.
Prepare 4 Foil Pans (9" X 12"), by covering the inside with plastic wrap, leaving enough extra on the outside to cover the meat after you put it in the pans.*

*Mixing:*
Now spread one of your 12 1/2 pound batches of Ground Beef in whatever your going to mix it in (I use a large bowl).
I like to poke a whole bunch of holes in the ground beef with my fingers, before I pour the seasoning in.
Mix one batch of #1 Mix, with one batch of #2 Mix together, and pour it over all of your ground beef.
Now Mix & Mix & Mix & Mix & Mix, until it is mixed as well as possible, and gets a little on the sticky side.

*Panning:*
Now put half of that first batch into each of the first 2 pans. Press it down real good & work it a little to get rid of as many air pockets & cracks in the meat as possible.
Level it out nice, and fold over the excess plastic wrap to cover well.
Put these pans in the fridge.
Now repeat the same thing with the other 12 1/2 pounds of meat & the other 2 pans.
Keep these 4 pans in the fridge over night.

*This next step I do, because I have room in an extra fridge:*
I take the pans out, and flip them over, upside down on my smoker racks. Then I remove the pans & plastic wrap.
I put the racks in my fridge over night again to dry somewhat on the outside & form a pellicle.

[[[[ If you don't have an extra fridge with room, I would take them out the next day, put them on the racks, and put them right in the smoker. Then I would turn the heat to about 140˚ for 2 hours, without smoke]]]]

*Smoking Day:*
Remove racks with meat loaves from fridge, and put them in your pre-heated (150˚) smoker.
Re-set smoker to 140˚, without smoke, for 1 hour (Except the ones in blue above).
After that first hour (or two),  begin adding your smoke (I used Hickory, as usual).
Leave your temp at 140˚ for a total of 4 hours.
Change heat to 160˚ for another 2 hours.
Change to 180˚ for another 2 hours.
Change to 200˚ until the internal temps hit 165˚ (They will probably all not hit that temp at the same time).
Remove, and allow to cool down by soaking in cold water.
Then run some hot water on them to rinse off any fatty oils that came to the surface.
Dry well with paper towels, and put in fridge over night (unwrapped).
Next day slice however you want.

*Note:*  Next time I will make 3 loaves at 7 pounds each, because 7 pounds will fit better in those pans, and 3 loaves will fit better in my MES 40 than 4 did.

Having two on the top shelf blocked too much air flow.

Qview to follow.

Thanks for looking,

Bear



All of my seasonings, except the soy sauce & TQ:







First two loaves in their pans:






Two loaves ready for smoker:






Taste test---Just right!






A peek through the window:






Perfect smoke---Picture a bit blurry.
Sink Strainer over my Top Vent keeps Bugs out of my Smoker:






Four Smoked Bear Loaves (All Beef):






All sliced up:






Vacuum packed and ready for freezer:






That's All Folks!


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## fpnmf (May 26, 2011)

Looks delicious!!

 Thanks for the step by step and the great pictures!!

 Craig


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## BGKYSmoker (May 26, 2011)

Bear

Looks awesome now its on my list.

Hmmmm

Maybe for the smokeout perhaps.


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## Bearcarver (May 26, 2011)

fpnmf said:


> Looks delicious!!
> 
> Thanks for the step by step and the great pictures!!
> 
> Craig


Thanks Craig!

Bear


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## couger78 (May 26, 2011)

tasty looking!


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## raptor700 (May 26, 2011)

Great post Bear (as usual)

The sliced pics look awesome!

This recipe looks similar to the Bear Log recipe in your signature,

 I havn't tried this yet, But the beef stick recipe was great!

Thanks for postin this one


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## tjohnson (May 26, 2011)

Looks GREAT Bear!

I like the Bear Loaf much better than the Bear Turds, I mean Bear Sticks you previously made.


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## scarbelly (May 26, 2011)

Those look great my friend. Do you need my address or do you still have it?


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## Bearcarver (May 26, 2011)

nepas said:


> Bear
> 
> Looks awesome now its on my list.
> 
> ...


Thanks Nepas!

They take quite awhile to get done, I guess because of their size.

Bear
 




Couger78 said:


> tasty looking!


Thanks Couger!
 




raptor700 said:


> Great post Bear (as usual)
> 
> The sliced pics look awesome!
> 
> ...


Thanks Rap!

The Sticks are very mild.

The Logs have a little bit more heat than the sticks.

These Loaves are hotter than the others, but I don't think too hot for guys on this forum, because I think I like heat less than most SMFers.

Bear


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## miamirick (May 26, 2011)

your killin me!


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## biaviian (May 26, 2011)

Please excuse my ignorance but what is this stuff?  Is it a fully-cooked meatloaf?  How do you eat it?


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## meateater (May 26, 2011)

Biaviian said:


> Please excuse my ignorance but what is this stuff?  Is it a fully-cooked meatloaf?  How do you eat it?




It's bear loaf, I'd fry up some get some good sourdough and miricle whip myself.


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## boykjo (May 26, 2011)

Awesome bear.......Nice color and thanks for the step by step. I love big batches......


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## bluebombersfan (May 26, 2011)

This looks incredible,  Have you ever tried this with venison???


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## jacobtia (May 26, 2011)

Bear,

All I have to say is that you are the man! All your posts are so informative! And everything looks great as always! Nice smoke man!


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## beer-b-q (May 26, 2011)

Looks Great Bear...


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## SmokinAl (May 27, 2011)

Looks great Bear! Thank-you for another awesome step by step tutorial. Your making it easy for anyone to duplicate what you have done.


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## Bearcarver (May 27, 2011)

TJohnson said:


> Looks GREAT Bear!
> 
> I like the Bear Loaf much better than the Bear Turds, I mean Bear Sticks you previously made.


Thanks Todd!!!

LOL---That should be:

Sticks, Logs, and now loaves.  Bears don't make turds!  They make flops (pies), like cows do.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 27, 2011)

Scarbelly said:


> Those look great my friend. Do you need my address or do you still have it?


Thanks Buddy!

Didn't you get it yet?

Bear
 




miamirick said:


> your killin me!


LOL---Nope---Just trying to get even!

Bear




Biaviian said:


> Please excuse my ignorance but what is this stuff?  Is it a fully-cooked meatloaf?  How do you eat it?


It's just a different form of Beef Stick, or Beef Bologna. I'm always trying different ways to make sausage type things, without stuffing them, because I like the smoke they end up with, when the smoke doesn't have to go through a skin. This stuff is great cold, even better Nuked for about 30 seconds, but absolutely fantastic when I throw a couple slices in a greased fry pan just long enough to get all bubbly & warm!!!!

Bear
 




meateater said:


> It's bear loaf, I'd fry up some get some good sourdough and miricle whip myself.


Hmm, Never tried something this spicy, with MW----But I will.


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## Bearcarver (May 27, 2011)

boykjo said:


> Awesome bear.......Nice color and thanks for the step by step. I love big batches......


Thanks Joe!

Bear




BlueBombersfan said:


> This looks incredible,  Have you ever tried this with venison???


Thank You!

No I haven't, but I would---Have to add some fat or some pork though.

Bear




jacobtia said:


> Bear,
> 
> All I have to say is that you are the man! All your posts are so informative! And everything looks great as always! Nice smoke man!


Thank You Much!

Bear




Beer-B-Q said:


> Looks Great Bear...


Thanks Paul!!!

Bear


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## shooter1 (May 27, 2011)

Awesome, looks like you got plenty to hold you for awhile.


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## michael ark (May 27, 2011)

Bear.


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## reardenreturns (May 27, 2011)

Christ on a cracker! That's a lotta beef!!! Looks great tho! Send me a packet :grilling_smilie:


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## realtorterry (May 27, 2011)

Just awesome Bear!


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## Bearcarver (May 27, 2011)

SmokinAl said:


> Looks great Bear! Thank-you for another awesome step by step tutorial. Your making it easy for anyone to duplicate what you have done.


Thanks Al !

Also making it easier for me to duplicate!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## chef willie (May 27, 2011)

Another great post and tutorial Bear...on my list after Bear Logs...like the heat bump


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## lucky13 (May 27, 2011)

Looks great Bear! Good thing it is time for lunch


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## Bearcarver (May 27, 2011)

Thank You Very Much Shooter, M.A., Anthony, and Terry!

Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 27, 2011)

Chef Willie said:


> Another great post and tutorial Bear...on my list after Bear Logs...like the heat bump


Thanks Willie!

You can use this recipe for the Logs too---About the only difference is the heat.

Just adjust the TQ for however much you're making, and you're good to go.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 27, 2011)

Lucky13 said:


> Looks great Bear! Good thing it is time for lunch


Thanks Lucky!

Bear


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## africanmeat (May 27, 2011)

Wow

Thanks Bear it looks great i will put it in my to do list i will give feedback


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## nwdave (May 27, 2011)

It must be nice to have "extra" room.  At least you'll never go hungry.


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## Bearcarver (May 27, 2011)

africanmeat said:


> Wow
> 
> Thanks Bear it looks great i will put it in my to do list i will give feedback




Thanks AM!

Let me know if you do some!

Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 28, 2011)

NWDave said:


> It must be nice to have "extra" room.  At least you'll never go hungry.




If you mean the extra fridge & little chest freezer, you're right Dave.

It was easy to talk the boss into it, because it was her idea to get the stupid side by side we already had.

We had a side by side about 30 years ago, and that one sucked. I don't know what made her think this one would be any different !  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I designed this house, and she picked all of the stuff that went into it, including that lousy side by side combo.

As for the designing, there are 3 screw-ups in this house---one her fault, one the architect's fault, and one mine!

Bear


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## disco (Sep 7, 2013)

I used this and another posts of Bearcarver to make snack sticks. They were terrific. The reason I combined the two posts is I liked the idea of a hotter snack stick but liked the slow smoking of the other thread for texture. Thanks for the help, Bear.

Disco


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## Bearcarver (Sep 8, 2013)

Disco said:


> I used this and another posts of Bearcarver to make snack sticks. They were terrific. The reason I combined the two posts is I liked the idea of a hotter snack stick but liked the slow smoking of the other thread for texture. Thanks for the help, Bear.
> 
> Disco


Thanks Disco!!!

You're getting to be my best customer!! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## disco (Sep 15, 2014)

I used this post again! I made a breakfast strip using the loaf method.

Thanks, Bear.


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## Bearcarver (Sep 16, 2014)

Disco said:


> I used this post again! I made a breakfast strip using the loaf method.
> 
> Thanks, Bear.


That's Great, Disco!!

Glad these are still doing some good!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## browneyesvictim (Nov 14, 2016)

Hey Bear,

I'm in the middle of making a batch of your beef loaf. I've got a ton of home raised ground beef from last year that needs used up. I need the space in the freezer, so making sandwich loaf would be great! I'm starting with a 4lb batch first to see how it goes to my taste and liking. Your 25lb recipe is ALOT!

I'm at the point of smoking. One thing that I did instead of using pans is that I stuffed the meat in a bagel/English muffin bag to form it while it is curing in the fridge. I has firmed up nicely. So far this is working perfect to get it the shape and size I want to get "sandwich size" slices. The bags are a little smaller than a regular bread bag and I suspect there will be some shrinkage as well.

I did mix everything  together well and then ran it all through a fine grinding plate again because I think I would like the finer texture. In fact I almost ran it through the food processor! I'll see how this goes before I make too many changes.

Comments welcome...













loaf-0000.jpg



__ browneyesvictim
__ Nov 14, 2016


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## Bearcarver (Nov 14, 2016)

Browneyesvictim said:


> Hey Bear,
> 
> I'm in the middle of making a batch of your beef loaf. I've got a ton of home raised ground beef from last year that needs used up. I need the space in the freezer, so making sandwich loaf would be great! I'm starting with a 4lb batch first to see how it goes to my taste and liking. Your 25lb recipe is ALOT!
> 
> ...


That's a Great Idea!!

I would do that if I wanted it for Sammies, now that you showed that !!!

However I eat mine like Beef Sticks & Snacks, and fry some slices up with Eggs for Breakfast.

When I want a Lunchmeat Sammy, I go to my Favorite Dried Beef & Cheese, or Venison Dried Beef & Cheese. (I really love them!!)

Thanks for that great idea!!!

Only thing is---I guess yours will take awhile longer to Smoke to Temp, because of how thick they are. No big deal---Just gives you more time to put smoke on it.

Bear


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## browneyesvictim (Nov 15, 2016)

Bearcarver said:


> That's a Great Idea!!
> I would do that if I wanted it for Sammies, now that you showed that !!!
> However I eat mine like Beef Sticks & Snacks, and fry some slices up with Eggs for Breakfast.
> When I want a Lunchmeat Sammy, I go to my Favorite Dried Beef & Cheese, or Venison Dried Beef & Cheese. (I really love them!!)
> ...


DANG IT Bear! This stuff is awesome!!!













20161115_181347.jpg



__ browneyesvictim
__ Nov 15, 2016





Turned out perfectly as I was hoping.

Going to go fry some up with Eggs now...


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## Bearcarver (Nov 16, 2016)

Browneyesvictim said:


> DANG IT Bear! This stuff is awesome!!!
> Turned out perfectly as I was hoping.
> 
> Going to go fry some up with Eggs now...


Looks Great !!

You're gonna love that with eggs---Doesn't take much---Just get it a little Bubbly in the pan---It brings out the flavor even more than eating it cold.

Glad you like it !!!

Bear


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