bison

Claudia Serrato’s work studying the history of indigenous Mexican foodways informs her annual holiday tamaladas, where family and friends in her community gather to fill tamales with cacao, vegetables, flowers or bison braised in red chile. The meat is first braised until very tender, then dressed in a purée of smoky chiles and garlic, before it’s stuffed into fresh masa. Ms. Serrato makes her own nixtamal with blue corn, soaking it with cal and grinding it in her outdoor kitchen, though you can buy fresh masa or hydrate freshly ground nixtamal if you prefer.

Carne con Chile Rojo (Chuck Braised in Chile)

sugar

coarse sea salt

boneless bison or beef chuck roast

olive oil

vegetable broth

tomatoes

white onion

dried California or New Mexico chiles (2 1/2 ounces)

sage

bay leaves

maple syrup

chiles,

chiles de árbol,

garlic cloves,

coarse sea salt,

To make the bison: Heat oven to 275 degrees.

Sprinkle the sugar and salt all over the roast. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add the roast and sear until dark brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and reduce the heat to medium. Carefully add 1 cup broth (the hot fat will spatter) and scrape up all the browned bits from the pan. Return the roast and any accumulated juices to the Dutch oven and add the tomatoes, onion, chiles, sage, bay leaves, syrup and remaining 3 cups broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer to the center of the oven.

Braise until the meat is very tender, about 3 1/2 hours. A fork should slide through easily. Uncover and cool for 15 minutes, then transfer the roast to a large bowl. Finely shred the meat using your hands if cool enough to handle or with two forks. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve.

To make the chile rojo: Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add all of the dried chiles, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer steadily until softened and lighter in color, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chiles to a blender, along with the garlic, onion, salt and 2 cups of the braising liquid. Save any remaining braising liquid for another use (see Tip). Blend until very smooth.

Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over high heat until shimmering. Carefully add the chile sauce (it will splatter) and immediately reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring often, until thickened and brick red, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the shredded meat and any accumulated juices and stir to evenly coat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature to use as a filling for tamales. The sauced braised meat can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

This is seriously the best bison burger recipe I have ever tried! If you are sick of having beef or just want a healthier alternative, you need to try this recipe!

Best Bison Burger Recipe

lb ground bison

tbsp worchestor sauce

onion (chopped)

garlic

breadcrumbs

mustard

paprika

parsley

coriander

tsp pepper

tsp salt

tbsp butter

Brioche Bun

Dijon Mayo

Jalapenos

Tomatoes

Lettuce

Pepper Jack/White Cheddar Cheese

butter

avocado mayo (whatever mayo you like)

tbsp dijon mustard

garlic powder

tsp black pepper

In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients together. Make sure to not overwork the meat just mix enough for it to all be combined.

Form patties that are slightly smaller than a hamburger bun and allow them to sit at room temperature for about 25-30 minutes.

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a cast-iron pan.  Cook patties on each side for about 3 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F. Add cheese and cook for 1 minute until melted.

Bison Burgers

Heat oil and butter over medium-high heat, add onions, and cook for 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and cover for 20 minutes.

Sauteed Onions

Combine all of the ingredients together in a medium-size bowl.

Dijon Mustard sauce

Pan-seared bison strip steaks are gussied up with a quick brandy-butter and shallot sauce.

Bison Strip Steaks with Brandy Pan Sauce

(8-ounce) bison strip steaks

Kosher salt

black pepper

unsalted butter,

shallot,

brandy

Chili tastes are highly personal, often inflexible and loaded with preconceptions — the political party of culinary offerings. “I don’t disagree with anyone’s chili,”  Robb Walsh, a Texas food historian, the author of “The Tex-Mex Cookbook” and a restaurateur, told The Times. “If you are making a one-pot meal and you want to put beans in it, that’s fine. If chili is part of your cuisine, like Tex-Mex, there are other things you will want to do." This recipe is an amalgam of styles, with coffee and chocolate  for complexity,  hot sauce for kick and  beans just because.

Texas Chili

bison dark turkey

onion,

beer

coffee

tomato paste

brown sugar

chile sauce

cocoa powder

serrano

cumin

cayenne pepper,

salt,

kidney beans

beans

Place a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the meat and sauté until browned, then transfer to a plate.

Add the onion to the pot and stir for 1 minute. Take two large sips from the beer, and pour the rest into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, coffee and tomato paste.

Add the brown sugar, chile sauce, cocoa powder, hot pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and kidney beans. Return the meat to the pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour.

Add the white beans to the pot and simmer over very low heat, partly covered and stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 more hours. (Longer cooking improves the flavor.) Adjust salt and cayenne pepper as needed and serve.

Love the flavor of enchilada sauce, but don’t want all the calories that come with eating enchiladas? Try this amazing gluten-free bison enchilada soup!

Bison Enchilada Soup | Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

Simply Organic enchilada sauce seasoning mix

oz organic tomato sauce

water

poblano pepper, deseeded and chopped

organic green bell pepper, chopped

jalapeno pepper, deseeded and chopped

chicken broth

frozen organic corn, thawed

Ranch style beans,

salt & pepper

Wash and prep all the veggies.

Add the olive oil to a large pot or 3.5 qt Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion and peppers. Cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes until the veggies are starting to become tender.

Meanwhile, make the enchilada sauce according to the directions on the package in a small saucepan.

Add the ground bison to the cooking veggies in the large pot. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Stir often with a wooden spoon to break down the meat, and cook until the bison is browned thoroughly.

Add the chicken broth, corn, beans, tomatoes, and enchilada sauce to the bison mixture and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often. Taste test and add more salt &amp; pepper to your liking.

These delicious baked bison meatballs are made with six simple ingredients and ready in less than 20 minutes! Bison is a leaner, healthier alternative to ground beef and perfect if you&#39;re looking for a filling, low-carb meal!

Baked Bison Meatballs

lb Ground Bison

Bell Pepper of Choice, finely chopped

Onion,

Egg, lightly beaten

Garlic Cloves, minced

tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

tsp Oregano

(plus

tsp Red Crushed Pepper, optional

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix until well-incorporated.

Form 1 1/2 inch meatballs (or about two tablespoons) and place onto a prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the meat is used.

Bake for 15 minutes, turning meatballs over halfway through.

Enjoy with your favorite sauce or as is!

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm your favorite marinara sauce and season to taste. Once the sauce is warm, nuzzle in meatballs and let simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

To Serve With Marinara Sauce

This is a general flat iron steak recipe you can use as a template. Serve this with a chopped salad or over rice, or alongside good bread.

Grilled Flat Iron Steak

flat iron steaks

Salt

black pepper,

Freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice,

Salt your flat iron steaks on both sides and let them sit, uncovered, in the fridge up to overnight, and at least 1 hour. I like to set them on a rack over a tray to catch any juices. This preseasons your meat and will help develop a better crust on the grill.

Get your grill very hot and clean and oil your grates as I described above. When you start this process, take your steaks out of the fridge to warm up a bit. You still want them cool, though, so no more than about 15 minutes.

Grill your flat iron steaks hard on one side, a good 5 minutes without touching them. Flip and grill to the doneness you like, anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes, depending on the heat and the thickness of your steak. Use the finger test for doneness to determine this.

Move your steaks from the grill, coat them with freshly cracked black pepper - or whatever spices and herbs you like - and let it rest 5 minutes. Slice across the grain (the narrow end), and squeeze citrus juice over it all.

We have always been fans of flank steak and marinades.  We have now been converted to Flat Iron steak &amp; no marinade.  Followed your recipe exactly except that I pan-seared the steak in butter &amp; oil.  I used lime juice at the end.  It was fabulous..such great flavor &amp; so tender.  This is my go-to recipe from now on.  Thanks!

Absolutely perfect. This steak was melt in your mouth! This is the only recipe I will use for flat iron steak from now on!   We marinated it simply for an hour with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Delicious!

Making it tonight - Lima another said- I found a marinade but the cooking method lacked explanations.  Thx you so much for your details cooking instructions!  Will post after cooking- making flat iron steak fajitas!

thanks for this! now the default way I do flat iron!

Using your recipe for Grilled Flat Iron steaks, I christened my new Weber LP gas grill earlier today.  (My Maiden voyage using a gas grill)  The result was a steak as tender as a baby's bottom.  I dry rubbed the 7.5 lb. steak the nte before &amp; fridged it overnight.  I grilled the FI for 5 minutes on the 1st side &amp; 3-4 minutes on the 2nd side.  Excellent grill marks and color.

We have had this twice now and will repeat frequently. 

So good and so easy!

Thanks!

Never made a flatiron steak before. Found a marinade recipe but not a lot of cooking info to go with it. Thus I discovered your website!

!WOW! was it ever tender and oh so delish! Super appreciated the meat cooking tips! 

This is going in the regular rotation.

Can't thank you enough!

Hey Hank.  Great job.  My family has been in the restaurant business since 1941. Hardest thing to accomplish is providing someone a mental image of a cooking process. You did a wonderful job with that. Thanks again. Joe

Hi Hank,  We thought we would marinate this steak overnight.  My question is, if we marinate it, do we still do the salt treatment?

I am not good at grilling..the green egg grill and I have a love hate relationship. Your recipe was so simple and the steak was perfect!
I grilled at 400 5 min 1st side, 3 min other side..or was perfect MR.
I did use some meat tenderizer and I did hit this steak a few times with a rolling pin bc in the past this cut of meat has been tough. 
This steak was Amazing!!

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1630095251/lbr9l0lu7cghnoi5lru2.mp4

How to grill a perfect flat iron steak, which is an unsung hero of steaks. Cut from the shoulder, it's surprising tender -- and affordable.

This fusion dish seamlessly blends the robust taste of bison with the aromatic spices and sauces that define the culinary landscape of Asia—all achieved with the convenience of your Instant Pot.Whether you&#39;re a seasoned cook or just looking for an easy and impressive meal, these Instant Pot Asian Sticky Bison Short Ribs deliver a tasty experience. With minimal effort, you&#39;ll enjoy the deliciousness of Asia right at your table. Let&#39;s get cooking!

Asian Style Sticky Bison Short Ribs 

lbs. Bison Short Ribs

tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder & ground ginger

tsp each paprika, black pepper, salt

soy sauce

broth

tbsp rice vinegar

tbsp Sesame Oil

shallot

tsp minced ginger, fresh or 1/2 tsp ground ginger

tsp sweet chilli garlic sauce, found

cornstarch

sesame seeds

green onions

1tsp chili flakes (optional)

Place the rack into the insert of your pressure cooker and pour in 1 cup of water and 1 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar. Turn it on to saute (low) and let it heat, this will speed up the process of getting the pot up to temperature when you are ready to cook.

Cut the ribs into sections by cutting between the bones and gather all ingredients for the rub and the sauce.

Combine all dry rub spices and rub this mixture all over the ribs. You can do this part a few hours in advance and let the ribs sit in the fridge.

Heat fat or oil in a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat, sear the ribs on each side 

Place the seared bison ribs on the rack, so that they are above the water underneath.

Put the lid on, make sure the valve is in the sealed position, then cook on Manual HIGH Pressure for 60  minutes.

Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes (do not open the valve for 10 minutes after the 60 minute cook time is over). Once it&#39;s released naturally for 10 minutes, finish with a quick release (open the valve).

Meanwhile combine the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking until smooth and thickened, about 3-5&amp;nbsp; minutes.

Turn the broiler on in your oven and place the beef short ribs on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the sauce generously on all sides of the ribs and then broil for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until the sauce becomes glossy and sticky. Garnish with the sesame seeds, chili flakes and green onions if desired.

These ribs pair well with white rice and garlic and ginger sauteed veggies.

Enjoy!

The American bison that once roamed the Great Plains were considered sacred animals by the Lakota and other people of the region, and served as a critical food source that was celebrated in ceremonies and honored in prayers. According to numbers published by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, there were 30 million to 60 million bison in North America in the 1500s. By the end of the 1800s, settlers had decimated the population. In the late 1990s, the number of bison in North America had grown again, to nearly 300,000 animals in public herds and on ranches. It’s exciting we now have access to this vitally important meat. When it’s slowly braised, the lean, mild bison becomes fork tender; hominy brings substance and a subtly sweet, nutty corn flavor. Serve this dish alone or pair it with roasted turnips and winter squash. Soaking the hominy overnight before adding it to the pot helps it cook faster, so the dried corn kernels are ready in the same amount of time as the bison. Leftovers are terrific served over corn cakes or folded into tortillas. A small branch of foraged white cedar adds a woodsy note, but juniper berries achieve a similar effect.

Bison Pot Roast With Hominy

hominy (see Note)

(3- to 4-pound) bison chuck roast

Coarse sea salt

sunflower oil

stock

sage sprigs,

light agave nectar

greens

NYT Cooking

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/11/06/dining/04NativeAmericanrex1/merlin_163486038_ad181072-2368-4a27-bfe7-8266816d7a4c-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg

Marcus Nilsson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/11/06/dining/04NativeAmericanrex1/merlin_163486038_ad181072-2368-4a27-bfe7-8266816d7a4c-threeByTwoLargeAt2X.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/11/06/dining/04NativeAmericanrex1/merlin_163486038_ad181072-2368-4a27-bfe7-8266816d7a4c-facebookJumbo.jpg

Add the hominy to a large bowl and cover with 3 inches of water. Let soak overnight at room temperature. Drain, discarding the soaking liquid.

Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Season the bison generously on all sides with 2 tablespoons salt. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add the bison and sear it until browned on all sides, rotating the meat when it releases easily from the pot, about 15 minutes total. Transfer the meat to a plate, then add the drained hominy, stock, sage sprigs, cedar or juniper, and agave to the pot.

Bring to a simmer over high heat, scraping the bottom of the pot. Return the meat to the pot, cover, transfer to the oven and bake until the meat is very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours, turning over the bison about halfway through. Remove and discard the sage sprigs and cedar, if using. (If using juniper berries, you can discard them, but it’s not necessary: They add surprising flavor and texture when eaten with the meat.) Stir in the greens until wilted. Season the liquid with more salt to taste.

Slice the meat into 1-inch-thick slabs and divide among shallow bowls. Spoon some of the sauce, hominy and greens over the slices, and garnish with whole or torn sage leaves. 

I can't juniper berries. Could I substitute gin?

How many grams of hominy or Pima corn is 1 cup? 

I’m wanting to make sure I order a large enough bag online. Thanks!

The flavor is amazing!! My only issue is that my hominy wasn’t fully cooked, even after four hours of braising so I’d suggest precooking or maybe using canned.

This turned out amazingly well! I browned the beef and then threw it in to the crockpot for 8 hours.  Served with roasted butternut squash and butter tortillas.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find heirloom hominy (sold out online)
I used goya brand as it was the only one I could find
Despite being in water for 15h, the kernels remained firm and ended up absorbing all the stock while cooking. This resulted in a non fluid mass…
The meat is very tasty but I needed to improvise the next day with more stock and warming up to add the spinach. Far from ideal

Do you think I could make this recipe with a 4.5lb bison rib roast instead of chuck roast? That is what my butcher can get this week and I was hoping to do this for Christmas Eve dinner.

Very nice recipe! I would try it next time with beef, as bison was very expensive

How can I recreate this with top sirloin?

Decided to prepare this dish for Thanksgiving guests, having never made bison before. I ordered bison English roasts from Wild Idea Buffalo Company since bison chuck roast was nowhere to be found locally. For time's sake, I ordered dried white hominy, too, as none of the regular markets have it, but probably could have found it at a Latin American grocery store. Delicious! I used a very good vegetable stock, juniper berries and dried sage, and couldn't have been more pleased with the result.

This is clearly explained:

"Traditional Native American recipes use dried heirloom Pima corn, which is smaller and more flavorful than most commercial hominy."

If I were you, I would hesitate to correct someone who is trying to preserve their native culinary traditions, which predate yours (often significantly), by telling them their food isn't the "true" version.

Replying to Tammi--how can you say that one person's culinary traditions predate another's? We are all descended from the ancients.

The picture doesn’t look like true hominy, more like dried corn.  Hominy is white and larger.  So if you can’t find dried or frozen hominy you could substitute. And it may be labeled as “Posole.”

Could this be served with an equally lean game meat, like venison?

Top 10 bison recipes from across the web

The most viewed bison recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Carne con Chile Rojo (Chuck Braised...

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Bison Enchiladas Recipe

Top 10 bison recipes from across the web

The most viewed bison recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Carne con Chile Rojo (Chuck Braised...

Best Bison Burger Recipe

Bison Strip Steaks with Brandy Pan ...

Texas Chili

Bison Enchilada Soup | Gluten-Free,...

Baked Bison Meatballs

Grilled Flat Iron Steak

Asian Style Sticky Bison Short Ribs...

Bison Pot Roast With Hominy

Bison Enchiladas Recipe

The most viewed bison recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine