Authentic American
Dining.
No Bull: Bison is a Popular Fare
More clamoring for beef alternative thanks in part to Bonita, Naples restaurants
The News-Press (Fort Myers, FL)
September 23, 2009
By Drew Sterwald
Ted Turner is turning people on to bison.
Shoppers who got their first tastes of the all-American meat at Ted’s Montana Grill are seeking it out in supermarkets.
Turner’s restaurants, including those in Bonita Springs and Naples, serve bison burgers, bison steaks and even bison
meatloaf.
“We get a couple people a week asking about it,” said Jimmy Pepper of Jimmy P’s Butcher Shop and Deli in Naples.
“People say they had it at Ted’s.”
The market sells frozen bison steaks and burgers and may carry fresh meat during season. It moves faster during winter,
Pepper said.
In recent years, bison has shown up on a growing number of restaurant menus and has become a staple at larger grocers
like Publix and natural food stores. Even big box retailer Costco began carrying it in 2007.
Last year, Americans bought 31 million pounds of bison meat, about twice as much as five years earlier.
David Carter, executive director of the National Bison Association, says bison enjoys a “sweet spot” between interest in
healthy foods, sustainable farming and a broadening American palate.
Bruce Aidells, author of “The Complete Meat Book,” also credits Turner with helping the bison’s culinary comeback.
Turner owns the world’s largest herd of bison and has sought to make the meat a part of the American menu once again.
Home on a range
Most bison are pasture-raised and healthy, meaning ranchers don’t need hormones and antibiotics. It’s also healthy to eat.
The leanest cuts have just 143 calories and 2 grams of fat per 3-ounce serving, compared to 9 grams for the leanest cut of
beef.
The American Heart Association has even included lean cuts of bison as part of a heart healthy diet.
Healthier eating is the reason some consumers switch from beef to bison, according to Carl Shores, who manages the meat
department at Fresh Market in south Fort Myers.
“A lot of people don’t like change, but the people that are changing for health reasons can overcome what’s different in the
taste,” he said. “It’s getting more popular. We do have more people asking about it.”
Bison buyers also voice concerns about how the livestock are raised, he said. Fresh Market’s frozen bison burgers and
medallions come from Colorado, and the animals are raised without antibiotics or hormones.
Stronger flavor
Bison’s flavor is similar to beef, and it can be substituted for beef in many recipes. Think tacos, chili, meatloaf and meatballs.
But there’s a common perception that it’s a bit, well, funky.
Flavor can vary because unlike cattle, bison are still a relatively wild animal. Most ranchers want to keep it that way to
preserve the natural quality of their product, according to the National Bison Association.
“It’s not gamey,” said Fred Murray, sous chef at The Sandy Butler at Fort Myers Beach. “It’s a little bit stronger than beef,
and the texture is little bit more tender.”
Murray has more than a professional interest in bison. His Native American heritage includes eating bison and game.
The Sandy Butler market sells bison rib-eyes for $19.99 a pound and strip steaks for $18.99 - a few dollars more than bef
steaks. In the restaurant, they’re often featured as nightly specials.
“You can pan-sear it with a little garlic, mushrooms, red wine and demi-glace,” Murray said. “It goes well with wild rice
and roasted corn.”
Don’t overcook
Because bison is generally leaner than beef, it shouldn’t be cooked as long.
“If you overcook it it’s going to be like shoe leather,” Murray said.
Tender cuts, such as steaks, have little fat marbling the way a good beef steak does. That means they should be cooked to
no more than medium-rare, or the meat will come out dry and tasteless, said chef John Ash, author of “American Game
Cooking.”
Tougher cuts, such as chuck, brisket and short ribs, need to be cooked at a low temperature for a long time in order to get
tender results.
A good introduction to bison is a steak or a burger, Ash said. These also are the cuts most readily available at grocers.
Ground bison meat sells for about $7 to $9 for 12 ounces.
For steak, he prefers simple preparations that allow the unique flavor of the meat to come through, such as a simple rub of
olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper for steaks.
Using ground bison, which usually is more than 90 percent lean, presents a slightly different challenge. A bison burger,
for example, will have the best flavor and texture if it is cooked to rare or medium-rare at the most. Federal guidelines
recommend cooking ground beef (and bison) to at least 155 degrees, which amounts to medium-well to well done. But that
will give you a dry and crumbly bison burger.
If you do plan to cook ground bison past medium-rare, Ash recommends adding some fattier ground beef or pork to help
keep it moist.
Additional Facts: Bison vs. buffalo
What is the difference between bison and buffalo? Scientifically, the term “buffalo” is incorrect for the North American
species; its proper Latin name is Bison bison. However, common usage has made the term “buffalo” an acceptable synonym
for the American bison, according to the National Bison Association.
And by the way, “buffalo” mozzarella is not made from bison milk but from water buffalo milk.
If you’re looking for a particular cut of bison, the association has a list of retailers on its Web site, bisoncentral.com.