Bison

I am not a big red meat eater and I only have it a couple of times a year. I am more of a fish and chicken guy. When I do have a craving for some red meat and want to treat myself, I make ground bison meat burgers. Admittedly, bison meat can be a little more expensive. It’s around $5.00 per lb. at my local grocer.

Also I must admit my Bison Burger recipe is very similar to my ground chicken burger, ground turkey burger, salmon burger, and crab-cake recipes…Yeah, if it aint broke! Compared to beef, pork, skinless chicken and salmon; bison meat has lower fat, calories and cholesterol. It’s higher in iron, vitamin B-12 and has a higher protein percentage at about 28 grams per 100 gram (3.5oz) serving.  The recipe calls for diced onions and green peppers but keep in mind these can easily be omitted OR julienned, sautéed and served as the burger’s topping.

burger

Ingredients (and it’s a lot of’em)

  • 1lb Ground Bison Meat
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay Season
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ cup onion diced (yellow or sweet). For stronger flavor you can use a red onion
  • ½ cup green pepper diced
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ to 1 cup bread crumbs (depending on your desired thickness)
  • Whole Wheat Hamburger buns

Preparation: In a large bowl combine all ingredients except for the bread crumbs. Once all the ingredients have been combined, gradually add in the bread crumbs. The bread crumbs helps in the thickening of the meat. The more bread crumbs the thicker the consistency of the meat mixture.

Cooking Options: The three options for cooking your Bison Burgers are, on the grill, in the oven or pan frying. You should cook bison to the same doneness you prefer in beef, medium, medium rare, etc. Buffalo meat is similar to beef; however, when preparing various cuts of bison you need to cook it differently. Because of the lack of marbling (white streaks of fat through the meat) and its leanness, bison needs to be cooked at a lower temperature than that used for beef. If you like you like your burgers thick, be sure to put an indention in the middle being that the center will cook slower than the edges. Slow and steady cooking wins the race here.

Oven Roasting and Baking: The best oven temperature is around 275 degree. Preheat your oven. To insure the desired doneness, use a meat thermometer. 30 minutes should be good but remember to check the center to see if it has cook through.

Grilling: Don’t put bison on direct flames. For best results use the indirect grilling method. For a single control grill, cover one side with foil to lock out the direct heat.

Pan Frying: Just remember to cook (covered or uncovered) on medium low heat until the desired doneness.

fried

Side Items Suggestions: Sweet potato fries, Broccoli, Asparagus or Corn