Bison Bourguignon

Courtesy of the National Bison Foundation

The success of this recipe depends on using a top quality red wine. Possibilities are a good California Cabernet Sauvignon; a good Burgundy or Beaujolais; even a Chianti, but NEVER a cheap cooking wine!

  • 3 lbs. Bison Cubes in bite size pieces
  • 2 tbsp. Oil
  • 2 tbsp. Butter or Margarine
  • 1 Onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp. (2 cloves) Garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. Tomato Paste
  • 3 tbsp. Flour
  • 1 bottle (25 oz.) good Red Wine
  • 3 cups hot Bison Stock (if needed to cover meat)

Sachet of Spices:

  • 1/2 tsp. Thyme
  • 4 Parsley Sprigs
  • 1 Bay Leaf, crumbled
  • 8 Black Peppercorns

Garnish:

  • 18-20 small White Pearl Onions, peeled
  • 1 tsp. Sugar
  • 3 tbsp. Butter
  • 3/4 lb. Mushrooms, brushed clean, quartered
  • 1 tsp. Lemon Juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh Parsley, snipped
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground Black Pepper

Preparation Method:

  1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in Dutch oven to smoking. 
  2. Drop handful of Bison cubes in and brown on all sides. 
  3. Sear well then remove and repeat for another batch of meat. If you need to, add a little more oil. Repeat until all meat is cooked. 
  4. Preheat oven to 375°F. After removing all meat to another bowl, lower heat and add 2 tbsp. butter or margarine and heat to foaming. 
  5. Add garlic, onions and carrots, Saute for about 8 minutes until onions are clear. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook another 3 minutes on medium. Using a wooden spoon, scrape meat essence from bottom of pan. Take care not to let mixture burn. 
  6. Pour Red Wine over vegetables, add tomato paste and sachet. Stir well, bring to a slow boil over medium heat, add meat. If wine mixture does not cover meat, add hot Bison stock. Heat until stew comes to a simmer. 
  7. Cover Dutch Oven, place in oven for 1 ½ -2 hours. 
  8. Baste occasionally and reduce heat if stew is boiling rapidly. Keep stew just above a simmer until meat is fork tender. 
  9. Place small onions in small saucepan with cold water and bring to a boil. Immediately remove onions from heat, drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain. Saute onions in 2 tbsp. butter or margarine. Sprinkle sugar over onions and continue to stir and saute until golden brown (about 5 minutes on medium heat). Remove from skillet and set aside. 
  10. Melt 1 tbsp. butter or margarine in skillet and drop in mushroom pieces and lemon juice. Saute quickly over medium high heat for about 3 minutes. Stir to saute all sides. 
  11. Check stew; remove from oven about 15 minutes before cooking time is up. Taste for seasoning, salt if necessary. 
  12. Remove sachet and stir in onions. 
  13. Scatter mushrooms evenly over top. Cover and return to oven to heat all garnishes (about 15 minutes). 
  14. Serve in casserole or pot. This stew is better the second day. A great make ahead dish, however I would add the onions and mushrooms on the day of serving because they will get soggy. 

Permission for this recipe courtesy of the National Bison Foundation and is published in Bison is Heart Healthy.

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