BISON--which cut to buy?

  • I was so excited to see bison carried in my local supermarket. I've been interested in trying it and figured I'd have to ask a butcher to order some.

    What kind of cuts are best to buy? They had ribeye, sirloin, ground chuck, prepared patties, sausage, etc. I'd appreciate hearing any tips on preparation, etc. Thanks!!! Kim
  • Quote: I was so excited to see bison carried in my local supermarket. I've been interested in trying it and figured I'd have to ask a butcher to order some.

    What kind of cuts are best to buy? They had ribeye, sirloin, ground chuck, prepared patties, sausage, etc. I'd appreciate hearing any tips on preparation, etc. Thanks!!! Kim
    I think that, like any of the other meats, all of the standard cuts are fine - I'd steer clear of the sausage, hot dogs, etc because of the additives. I tried prepared burger patties - they were 1/4 lb uncooked, but came down to about 1/3 lb after cooking. The big thing is not to overcook it - it's low in fat so it will dry out quickly if you overcook it. I've only used the ground buffalo - I have a steak but it's still in the freezer waiting for me to try it. But the ground buffalo makes great taco meat for taco salads - I use the Old El Paso reduced sodium taco seasoning packets. And it's good just as a grilled burger patty as well.
  • Thanks Meemo. Do you know if the ground bison typically has fat added to it? What I saw the other day was labeled as chuck, I think, or 80/20. Ideally I would buy just 100% ground bison, right? My husband is getting so sick of chicken so we're anxious to try something new! Thanks for your help.
  • Quote: Thanks Meemo. Do you know if the ground bison typically has fat added to it? What I saw the other day was labeled as chuck, I think, or 80/20. Ideally I would buy just 100% ground bison, right? My husband is getting so sick of chicken so we're anxious to try something new! Thanks for your help.
    I don't think I've seen 80/20 but that's a pretty high fat content - the 90/10 is what I buy now, the original ground bison I bought (at a different store) wasn't marked at all.
  • Quote: I don't think I've seen 80/20 but that's a pretty high fat content - the 90/10 is what I buy now, the original ground bison I bought (at a different store) wasn't marked at all.
    Looked at it again tonight...neither the patties or the tube of ground bison specified fat content. The tube did say chuck though--doesn't that mean 80/20? (I should have paid more attention in home ec...sigh)
  • Quote: Looked at it again tonight...neither the patties or the tube of ground bison specified fat content. The tube did say chuck though--doesn't that mean 80/20? (I should have paid more attention in home ec...sigh)
    Honestly I don't remember - I think chuck refers to the area the meat comes from, but the fat content of bison is a lot lower than the fat content of beef, so chuck from a cow would be higher in fat than chuck from a buffalo.

    Didn't quite find the answer on this site, but there was some good info & some recipes (I haven't really checked the recipes for MRC-friendliness yet).
    http://www.lesliebeck.com/ingredient...atured_food=93