Bear Grease

On this third episode, we’re navel deep into the life of America’s first celebrity backwoodsman, David “Davy” Crockett. We’ve learned there were four Crockett’s known by America – the bear hunter, the soldier, the politician and the martyr at the Alamo. We ended the last episode with Crockett leaving the military, but today things get dicey – Crockett became America’s first famous working class, populist politician.  We’ll look into when David Crockett’s wife died, learn of his folksy campaign style, see his feud with Andrew Jackson - and his opposition to Old Hickory’s Indian Removal Act of 1830 - and ultimately see Crockett’s biggest political blunder that eventually lead his death. We’ll even talk with Robert Morgan about Crockett’s influence on Abraham Lincoln. We really doubt you’re going to want to miss this one....

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This week, our buddy Brent is offering you one of his secrets to making life long friends -- saying hi to strangers. In a world of social media and text messages, there's still a lot of power left in a greeting. You never know who you're saying hi to, or who they might become to you later. 

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On this week’s episode of the Bear Grease Render, Clay Newcomb is joined by Misty Newcomb, Josh Spielmaker, Brent Reaves, and Joe Wilson, founder of the World Champion Squirrel Cook Off. The crew discusses the history of the Squirrel Cook Off, as well as the cultural significance and implications surrounding hunting and cooking small game. After fleshing out the finer details of, quite possibly, the most important annual event in North America, Clay springs a pop quiz on the crew to discover whether or not they’ve been paying attention - see if you can keep up - and after an intense battle, crowns a victor in a narrow race. The crew then discusses some of their favorite parts of the previous episode which followed the childhood and young adulthood of America’s first celebrity, David Crockett. You’ll also want to stay tuned for Joe telling the story of his Donut Man from his podcast Cooking’ up a Story. We really doubt you’re gonna want to miss this one…

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A man only gets so many dogs in his life, and picking the right ones is important. Whatever breed of squirrel-treeing, tail-wagging outdoor accomplice you've got your eye on, Brent's gonna tell you the tricks he uses to find the very best pups. On the fence about getting a squirrel dog of your own? Brent's got a couple stories up that might just sway you. 

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On the last episode, we learned that David Crockett was America's first celebrity and that his identity was founded on being a bear hunter. We learned that there were four Crocketts that America knew: the bear hunter, the soldier, the politician and the martyr at the Alamo. Today, Clay Newcomb will dive into what he believes was the most important part of his life, his childhood in early life. They didn't put this part of his story on television and make cartoons of it to put on lunch boxes, but this period led him to be a soldier, which we're gonna talk about. We'll hear again from Cornell Professor, Robert Morgan and meet the man who's had one of Crockett's first guns, Betsy, in his family since 1803. We might even hear from the “greatest of all time” Michael Jordan. The way forward is complex. The truth is narrow and elusive, but Crockett's influence on American culture is foundational to learning why we are the way we are. We really doubt you’re gonna want to miss this one…

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This week, Brent gives you the low down on how to field judge a restaurant in parts unknown. He also shares a couple stories about when you ought to just buy the whole role of bologna at the deli counter, why you should be suspicious of even your favorite foods on the menu, and how a young man's bad decisions on a night out don't begin and end with what he chooses to quench his thirst. 

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On this week’s episode of the Bear Grease Render, Clay Newcomb is joined by a veteran cast of characters: Brent Reaves, of This Country Life fame, Michael Rosmond of Sunspot Lights, Ben Lagrone, and Jonathan Webster. The crew dives right in to talking about America’s First Celebrity, David Crockett, dissecting the impact of Disney’s Crockett revival of the 50’s and its lasting effect on the childhood memories and adult identities of (not just) American men, before backing up to cover topic like good hunting dogs and how you’re closer to death than you realize; how to catch a live coon  by the tail and what ever happened to Hoot. Clay then steers the conversation back to the Highlights of the previous Crockett podcast as well as what’s to come in the next episodes of this series on one of America’s favorite bear hunters, politicians, and folk heroes. And we bet you’ll wanna stick around to hear Brent and Clay pontificate on the fashion, comfort and practicality of the Bib Overall. I really doubt you’re gonna wanna miss this one…

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This week, Brent gives you the low down on setting trotlines for catfish. As traditional as it is effective, trotline fishing has been around forever because it works! Setting one up is something you can do yourself, and Brent's here to walk you through it. He'll also share a cautionary tale about packing for an expedition, and a sad solution to forgotten taters. As Clay Newcomb might say, you ain't gonna wanna miss this one! 

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On this episode, Clay Newcomb explores America’s first true celebrity. Built on his identity as a bear hunter, he was world famous during his lifetime and believed it came upon him by accident. All he did was play the part of himself, David Crockett. This Tennessee backwoodsman embodied the narrative of the self-made man and Manifest Destiny that became a national obsession and deeply influenced our culture, even to this day. The Crockett myth and reality are hard to parse, but Clay is joined by R. Scott Williams, author of the new book, “The Accidental Fame and Lack of Fortune of West Tennessee's David Crockett,” as well as by New York Times best-selling author and Bear Grease veteran, Robert Morgan, to help discern fact from legend. One thing’s for sure – we love this guy and we really doubt you’re going to want to miss this one…

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This week on the show, Brent tells you everything he knows about choosing a vehicle to get around the backroads. We're not talking lifted trucks and shiny new dualies that'll go to the junkyard without ever having towed as much as a duck boat -- we're talking real, genuine country rides that are ALL about functionality.  

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MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube

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