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In preparation to re-install the rear axles, this afternoon I packed the new rear wheel bearings with grease. I bought some Mobil 1 synthetic grease that should be high quality and happens to be a distinctive magenta color.

Since grease can be very messy, I applied some masking tape over the holes on the inner side of the backer plates to prevent any grease from smearing over to the brake-side of the plates. Then I began by applying one pump of grease on the bearing.
When cleaning some grease off the corner of the ridge of a bearing collar using a Q-Tip, I had an idea. A Q-Tip with the cotton cut-off was just about the perfect size to pack the grease down into the nooks and crannies of the wheel bearing. Small, disposable, and I have an entire box of them on-hand. I'm sure there is a more elegant way to accomplish this, but the Q-Tip method worked pretty well. After packing down the grease I added another pump in three positions around the radius of the bearing. After adding and packing grease another three or four times, it seemed to be filling the bearing substantially. It was easy to tell that the bearing was packed full of grease when I rotated the bearing and it had a very solid feel. So I cleaned off the excess grease from the edges of the bearing and the collar. Then the axles were ready to install in the differential.