Buffalo was rare to non-existent from what we could tell in Ontario. One of the specialty meat vendors in the Covent Market Garden told us that this was because Ontario didn't have the land to raise them like we did out west.
Made sense to us but if you don't eat a lot of buffalo (yes, I know – properly bison in North America) you are missing out. It's the best tasting meat and on top of that, healthier than pretty much any other meat including chicken, pork and fish (scroll down for the chart.) It's low fat, low cholesterol and low calories. Most bison meat on the market is raised in the wild and organically grown because if there are two things buffalo don't like, it's pens and needles. <groan>
I'm very lucky that Shea's family are part-owners of a herd of about twenty buffalo so we get a regular supply (although our last supply had to be stolen right out of her brother's freezer when he wasn't home – don't tell!) Any cut is good – roasts, steaks, etc. – but I have a special fondness for the plain old burgers because Shea makes them so that they're amazing.
Her recipe is flexible but here's the gist of it:
BUFFALO BURGS
1 lb ground bison meat
10 soda crackers made into fine crumbs
1 egg
1 TBSP Montreal Steak Spice Rub (my mother-in-law taught me to put Tablespoon in capitals in recipes so it's obvious. Great tip!)
1 TBSP Bullseye BBQ Sauce
Minced red onion to taste (a thick slice or two for us)
A few shakes of Worchestire sauce
A good few shakes of hot sauce (we're partial to Cholula Mexican hot sauce)
Salt and coarse ground pepper
The hardest part is getting the ingredients in proportion so the meat sticks well and doesn't fall apart on the grill but isn't too dry either.
Cook on a barbeque and prepare to be amazed. Seriously, when Shea made them the other night, I wolfed down one then another two without even using a bun or condiments. (Er, I shouldn't admit that in public.)
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