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Bison: The Other Red Meat

I’ve heard a lot about bison, but it’s not probably not something I would have tried on my own. And not for any good reason – just because it’s not convenient to get and I am perfectly happy with beef and chicken and occasionally pork. But then High Plains Bison offered to send me some meat to try. And they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. “They” weren’t bloggers, I guess!

It didn’t take but a few days before a big Styrofoam container arrived on my door step filled with gourmet bison steaks, sausage and hot dogs.  I think we threw it on the grill that evening.

Unfortunately it got a bit charred, so I don’t think I got to experience the flavor as fully as I could have, but it was tasty.  I’d never have known it wasn’t beef.

Why Bison?

Bison is naturally leaner than beef.  It’s lower in saturated fat than beef, chicken, pork, or even salmon; it’s also low in sodium, and it’s a great source of iron and Omega 3 fatty acids.

Personally, I don’t worry too much about saturated fat and sodium, but I know that it’s good to have a variety of foods in our diets, and I’m always happy to try something new.  And you know I’m all about a company that raises free roaming animals and doesn’t use antibiotics or hormones.

I was confused by the fact that they offer “grass fed bison” and then regular bison on their site.  This is explained on their FAQ page:

Our premium grass-fed products are just that, grass fed. The product will be slightly lower in fat and calories than the grain-fed. It will be priced slightly higher due to the fact that they can only be harvested once a year. Right at the end of summer when there has been plenty of grass to ensure a good healthy cut.

Our grain-fed products are still free roaming animals. During harvesting, we feed them grain pellets for a minimum of 3 months before we harvest.

And if you care about such matters, you can rest assured that High Plains Bison are not fed any animal bi-products, antibiotics, preservatives, fillers, or hormones; and their grounds are not sprayed with chemicals.

Since bison is leaner than beef, it does require slightly different cooking techniques.  High Plains Bison conveniently provides many recipes on their site, and the packages came with individualized instructions as well.  I read them carefully and then still managed to char my meat, so definitely keep an eye on it!

If you’re interested in trying out High Plains Bison, they have generously offered Musings of a Housewife readers 20% off all food items with the code EATGOOD22. Although you will add the code on the cart page, the discount does not show up until the billing page, so don’t be alarmed if you don’t see it right away.

Do you eat bison?  How do you like it?

Join The Conversation

12 Responses

  1. Maybe because you live on the east coast while I live outwest. Bison is by far yummy! I would take a bison burger over ground beef any day and it is much leaner than ground beef. Also since High Plains Bison are grass-fed and free roaming I am sure it was super yummy. Grass fed – free roaming meat is SOO much better than store bought junk where the cows are force fed before being slaughtered.

  2. I haven’t had bison, but my husband has hunted Elk before, and although I was reluctant to try it, it was really good. I don’t know how easy it would be to find someone who sells that, though.

  3. We had ground bison just last night! There seems to be an annual or semi-annual sale on it in my neck of the woods and you can get if for relatively cheap. My mom used to incorporate it when we were kids. It’s delicious. Unfortunately I can’t speak to the harvesting methods, but I’d gather to guess that most bison ranchers are “free range” kind of people.

  4. I’m not sure I’ve ever had bison, but I really love venison and rabbit meat. Delicious!! Plus we have friends who hunt deer and rabbits, so can get it for relatively cheap. That bison looks great though!!

  5. Three cheers for bison! I love it. Cool animal. Good meat.
    I’m glad to see it getting some publicity on your blog!
    (I like the blog’s new look, by the way!)

  6. We have eaten bison, but don’t on a regular basis. There is a great butcher near us that specializes in non-traditional meat products.
    We do eat a lot of Moose, thanks to a very generous friend who hunts more than he can eat.

  7. We used to eat bison as often as we could, considering the nearest place to buy it was 45 mins away in the next county (Bedford.) But it was directly from the farm and we could watch the “buffalo roam.” The thing that struck me is that it doesn’t sizzle as it’s cooking like you’d expect because it’s so low in fat.

  8. We have a Ted’s Montana Grill here in Georgia and they serve Bison steaks and burgers. The first time my husband and I went we were a little skeptical to order it (never had it and it was a little pricier and we didn’t want to waste our date night on a not so good steak!) They brought us out a sampler and we thought it was good so my husband ordered the steak and I ordered the burger. It was FABULOUS and every time we go we order Bison. My husband says his steak was better than Flo’s filet at Longhorn’s and for him that’s saying a lot!!! I just might have to check this website out! Thanks!

  9. Bison sounds like a great alternative to beef–healthier and more humanely raised, Thanks for bringing this your readers!

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