COOKING TIPS
The lack of fat insures that bison meat will cook faster. Fat acts as an insulator and heat must first penetrate this insulation before the cooking process begins. Marbling (fat within the muscle) aids in slowing down the cooking process. Since bison meat lacks marbling, the meat has a tendency to cook more rapidly. Caution must be taken to insure that you do not over cook bison.
Bison may be used with any of your favorite beef recipes if you remember a few basic tips:
- Remember "low and slow." Cook bison meat to the same doneness that you prefer in beef. We recommend medium. Overcooked or dried out bison meat will bring you the same results as other meats that are overcooked - something nearly as palatable as an old boot. If you must have your meat well done, consider one of the very low temperature (180-200 degrees) recipes where the meat is cooked for 8 hours or more. Very slow, moist heat works especially well with the less tender cuts of bison, such as chuck. There is nothing to compare with a bison chuck roast cooked all day in a slow cooker. With slow cooking, you do not have to worry about overcooking, let it cook until it falls apart.
- When oven broiling bison, move your broiler rack away from the heat about a notch lower from where you normally broil your beef. Check your bison more often than you would normally check your beef.
- If you normally cook your roast beef at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, you may want to turn your temperature down to around 275 degrees for bison. Plan on the roast being done in about the same amount of time as with a comparable size beef roast. To insure the temperature you prefer, we recommend using a meat thermometer indicating the internal temperature.
- For steak or burgers, medium heat is recommended and it is even more important to not drive off the internal moisture. 155-160 degrees internal temperatures are in the medium to medium-well done range.
- Ground bison or bison burgers are very lean. It will cook faster, so precautions must be taken to not dry out the meat. There is very little (if any) shrinkage with bison burger and what you put in the pan raw will be close to the same amount after you cook it. Pre-formed patties tend to dry out faster when grilled. (Hint: the thicker the patty, the juicier the burger). Although ground bison is leaner, there is no need to add fat to keep it from sticking to the pan or falling apart. All meat, no matter the leanness, has enough fat available to cook with it properly. The great thing about ground bison, you don’t need to drain off any grease from the pan!!!
The lack of fat insures that bison meat will cook faster. Fat acts as an insulator and heat must first penetrate this insulation before the cooking process begins. Marbling (fat within the muscle) aids in slowing down the cooking process. Since bison meat lacks marbling, the meat has a tendency to cook more rapidly. Caution must be taken to insure that you do not over cook bison.
Bison may be used with any of your favorite beef recipes if you remember a few basic tips:
- Remember "low and slow." Cook bison meat to the same doneness that you prefer in beef. We recommend medium. Overcooked or dried out bison meat will bring you the same results as other meats that are overcooked - something nearly as palatable as an old boot. If you must have your meat well done, consider one of the very low temperature (180-200 degrees) recipes where the meat is cooked for 8 hours or more. Very slow, moist heat works especially well with the less tender cuts of bison, such as chuck. There is nothing to compare with a bison chuck roast cooked all day in a slow cooker. With slow cooking, you do not have to worry about overcooking, let it cook until it falls apart.
- When oven broiling bison, move your broiler rack away from the heat about a notch lower from where you normally broil your beef. Check your bison more often than you would normally check your beef.
- If you normally cook your roast beef at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, you may want to turn your temperature down to around 275 degrees for bison. Plan on the roast being done in about the same amount of time as with a comparable size beef roast. To insure the temperature you prefer, we recommend using a meat thermometer indicating the internal temperature.
- For steak or burgers, medium heat is recommended and it is even more important to not drive off the internal moisture. 155-160 degrees internal temperatures are in the medium to medium-well done range.
- Ground bison or bison burgers are very lean. It will cook faster, so precautions must be taken to not dry out the meat. There is very little (if any) shrinkage with bison burger and what you put in the pan raw will be close to the same amount after you cook it. Pre-formed patties tend to dry out faster when grilled. (Hint: the thicker the patty, the juicier the burger). Although ground bison is leaner, there is no need to add fat to keep it from sticking to the pan or falling apart. All meat, no matter the leanness, has enough fat available to cook with it properly. The great thing about ground bison, you don’t need to drain off any grease from the pan!!!