Cooking with Bison

Smoke Signals, May 2002

Nutritionally, bison is a healthy, flavourful meat. Whether you're looking for a great roast, superb steak or a hearty stew, bison offers you a red meat that is lower in calories, cholesterol and has about one fourth of the level of fats found in other red meats. 

As fat acts as an insulator; bison will cook more quickly as it has less fat than other red meats.  Heat must first penetrate this insulation before the cooking process begins. Fat within the muscle, or marbling, aids in slowing the cooking process. Since there is no marbling and less fat in bison, it has a tendency to cook more rapidly. On average, it takes a third less time to cook than other red meats. You'll also find that bison's intense and rich flavour allows you to serve slightly smaller portions. The smaller servings will stretch your food dollar, and still leave your hunger satisfied. You can also use many of the same seasonings you'd use for other red meats. But natural bison flavour needs fewer seasonings. You can use almost any of your favorite beef recipes when preparing bison, keeping in mind that it is essential not to overcook bison.

Care and Storage of Bison Meat
Aging and packaging will determine the storage life of the meat.  In any case, bison should be stored in the coldest part of your refrigerator.  Steaks and roasts that are still in their original packages can be kept safely in your fridge for up to four days.  Keep fresh ground bison for no more than two days.

Fresh meat can be stored in your freezer for up to 12 months if properly packaged.  Remember that fresh bison meat tends to be a darker red color than other red meats.  Packaged bison should be tightly sealed and wrapped in moisture proof materials, such as freezer paper, foil and polyethylene film

Bison is best defrosted in the refrigerator in its original packaging.  You may decide to defrost the meat during cooking.  Be sure to allow one-third to one-half more cooking time, depending on the size of the cut, if you decide to defrost this way.

Cook It Right
Use lower cooking temperatures for cooking bison because bison is extra-lean.  Bison will cook to desired doneness more quickly than other red meats.