Buffalo Cooking Tips & Recipes
Cooking Tips:
Medium to low heat (never high).
Pan sear briefly first to seal in juices.
Suggestion for medium to rare only (never well done).
Turn often.
Grill / Broiler:
Set one notch further away from heat than for beef.
Roasting:
2 hours per pound at 275° F.
Internal meat temperature of 140° F.
Best cooked on a rotisserie or slow cooker.
Pan Cooking:
Keep a tight lid for moisture retention.
Steak Grilling:
About 10 minutes for an 8 oz. steak to medium.
Burger Grilling:
Meat thickness greater than 1/2 inch.
Don't flatten with spatula - keep juices in meat.
Rotisserie Cooking
"Highly Recommended"
Cibola Farms finds that one of the best way to cook all meats, especially poultry and lean meats, is by using the age-old rotisserie. You can now rotisserie cook all poultry, roasts and steaks conveniently in your kitchen by using one of the new counter-top rotisserie cookers on the market today. For your convenience, you can link to www.ronco.com to get further information on these units. They work great and we highly recommended using rotisserie cooking! Just be sure not to over-cook, and let the meat rest (tented under foil) for about 10-20 minutes depending upon size).
Recipes
Buffalo Chile:
1-2 lbs. ground buffalo
14 oz. chili beans (or small red beans)
14 oz. kidney beans
16 oz. crushed tomatoes
14 oz. tomato sauce
6 oz. tomato paste
16 oz. stewed tomatoes
1 medium raw onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tbs. dried cilantro
1 tsp. thyme
Creole salt to taste
Cook bison in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Place mixture into pot or crockpot. Add rest of ingredients. Cook for 2-3 hours on low heat. Great served with cornbread.
Buffalo Meatloaf:
2-3 lbs. ground bison
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1.5 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup catsup
1/3 cup vegetable or mushroom broth
6 oz. sliced mushrooms
or canned mushrooms with broth
2 pats butter
1/2 cup minced onion
4 cups fresh bred crumbs
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 cup minced parsley
If canned mushrooms, drain and save broth. Sauté mushrooms and onion in butter, until onion is transparent. Combine with bread crumbs, thyme and parsley. Lightly mix together meat, eggs, salt, pepper, catsup and mushroom or vegetable broth. Pack half of meat mixture into a 9.25 X 5.5 X 3 inch loaf pan. Pack stuffing on top, then remainder of meat. Bake in 375°F oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then let stand for 15 minutes. Drain juices and use for gravy if desired.
Buffalo & Beer Pot Roast:
4.5 lb. buffalo roast
3 tbs. flour
1.5 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbs. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
4 medium onions, quartered
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
12 oz. beer
4 to 6 carrots, cut into 2 in. lengths
Preheat oven to 350°F and place rack into lowest setting. Dry meat with paper towels. Mix flour, salt and pepper into a plastic bag and place meat into the bag to completely coat with mixture.
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat and brown the roast on all sides. Place the garlic and onions around and on top of the meat, sprinkle with thyme and pour in the beer. Cover the pan and roast for 2.5 hours. Place the carrots around the meat, pushing them down into the beer and juices and roast for 30 more minutes, or until the meat and carrots are tender when pierced with a fork. Alternatively, the meat may be cooked on the stovetop, but it should be turned after 1.5 hours.
When done, transfer the roast and vegetables to a warm platter and cover with foil. Remove any grease that has accumulated in the cooking juices by tilting the pan and skimming off with a spoon, or use a fat separator. Heat the remaining cooking liquid over medium-high heat, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan to release the caramelized bits stuck to the bottom, and cook until the sauce is reduced by a third. Pour the sauce in a serving dish to accompany the meat.
Fancy Buffalo Burgers:
1 lb. ground buffalo meat
1/4 - 1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 red or yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
4-6 mushrooms, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tbs. chopped fresh herb
like cilantro, parsley or a mixture
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and flatten out 4-5 burgers. Grill as per cooking tips on this page.