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Popular Bison Cooking Hacks

written by

Craig Fischer

posted on

May 11, 2023

Brats

  • Boil Until Floating
  • Boil Until Floating, then grill on medium with quick golden-brown sear
  • Thaw completely and place on grill preheated to medium heat, rotating frequently, to achieve golden brown sear on multiple sides

Hot Dogs

  • Boil until floating
  • Boil until floating, then grill on medium with quick golden-brown sear
  • Thaw completely and place on grill preheated to medium heat, rotating frequently, to achieve golden brown sear on multiple sides

 1:4 lb Bison Patties

  • Preheat Grill to 400-500 degrees. Thaw patties so they peel apart. Place on hot grill to achieve sear and let sit for 2-2.5 minutes. Flip and sear for 2-2.5 minutes. Flip back to original side to add a slice of cheese and remove when melted.
  • Preheat cast iron pan with oil. Thaw patties so they peel apart. Place on hot grill to achieve sear and let sit for 2-2.5 minutes. Flip and sear for 2-2.5 minutes. Flip back to original side to add a slice of cheese and remove when melted.

1:3 lb Bison Patties

  • Preheat Grill to 400-500 degrees. Thaw patties so they peel apart. Place on hot grill to achieve sear and let sit for 2.5-3 minutes. Flip and sear for 2.5-3 minutes. Flip back to original side to add a slice of cheese and remove when melted.
  • Preheat cast iron pan with oil. Thaw patties so they peel apart. Place on hot grill to achieve sear and let sit for 2.5-3 minutes. Flip and sear for 2.5-3 minutes. Flip back to original side to add a slice of cheese and remove when melted.

Tenderloin, Ribeye, or NY Strip Steak

  • Thaw completely and preheat grill to 400-500 degrees. Place on hot grill to achieve sear and let sit for 2-2.5 minutes. Flip and sear for 2-2.5 minutes. Target internal temp of 125 degrees, let rest for 3-5 minutes and internal temp should have risen to 135.
  • Thaw completely and preheat pan with oil. Place on hot grill to achieve sear and let sit for 2-2.5 minutes. Flip and sear for 2-2.5 minutes. Target internal temp of 125 degrees, let rest for 3-5 minutes and internal temp should have risen to 135.

Sirloin, Sirloin Tip Steak

  • Thaw completely and marinate 24-48 hours in refrigerator. Preheat grill to 400-500 degrees. Place on hot grill to achieve sear and let sit for 2-2.5 minutes. Flip and sear for 2-2.5 minutes. Target internal temp of 125 degrees, let rest for 3-5 minutes and internal temp should have risen to 135.
  • Thaw partially and slice across the grain to desired thickness. When completely thawed, marinate 24-48 hours in refrigerator.  Cook in crockpot for 6-8 hrs with plenty of moisture and marinate juice or Instant pot/pressure cooker until tender. Shred for sandwiches.

Skirt, Flank Steaks

  • A crowd favorite for steak tacos or fajitas. Thaw partially and slice across the grain to desired thickness. When completely thawed, marinate 24-48 hours in refrigerator.  Cook in crockpot for 6-8 hrs with plenty of moisture and marinate juice or Instant pot/pressure cooker until tender.

Roasts

· Place in crockpot with water, vegetables of choice. Salt and pepper to liking. Cook in covered crockpot on low for 6-8 hrs. Nice option for shredding.

· Thaw completely and pan sear in pan with oil. Cover to conserve moisture and bake in oven at 350 degrees for at least 4 hrs.

Bacon

  • Thaw completely and bake in oven at 250-350 degrees until golden brown or desired texture is achieved. This is usually achieved when the fat has rendered clear.
  • Thaw completely and place in pan with oil at low-medium heat. Let temperature build slowly until golden brown sear is achieved on both sides. This is usually achieved when the fat has rendered clear.
  • Place in air fryer, flipping frequently until golden brown or desired texture is achieved.

Bones

  • Fan favorite for homemade bone broth. Place bones in slow cooker with water, bouillon cube, pepper, or other products of choice. Cook on low for 12 hrs or until adequately rendered. Known to be able to be utilized for multiple batches.

Jerky, Snack Sticks, Pastrami, Salami, Summer Sausage

· Keep frozen or refrigerated until ready to thaw and eat

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Meat CSA Program Now Available!

Subscribe to a monthly delivery to your local drop point, and receive a box of protein goodies. Accepted applicants will also be invited to a private Facebook group where we will discuss what is included in the monthly boxes and recipes for those items.

Buckling Down to Bear the Cold

My goodness where has the summer gone? It seems we went from a waning summer, to a short lived fall, straight into 8” of snow in October with an expected low of 9 degrees a week before Halloween. Goodness, too early for that. The family farm was working on harvesting corn until the snow chased us out of the fields. It is early, and we are confident the snow isn’t here to stay. If not, we will have 100+ acres of deer habitat standing until we can get it out of the field. We wouldn’t have minded another longer opportunity to fill the sheds with hay either, or to be done with the pigs before the white fluff comes. Feeling a bit bad for them, as they don’t have hair like the bison, but they do have plenty of dry bedding, food, and water. They will be fine for a few days, and then bye-bye piggies until next spring. With 3 boys at home, there are likely countless toys scattered across the yard. Undoubtedly there would also be some toys and balls scattered around the porch, that were used to try and keep the chickens away from the porch. As you can imagine, a flower bed with wood chips is a losing battle with 200 curious chickens. The days are getting colder, and the tasks needing to be completed seem endless. We are looking forward to continuing to harvest the bison that are scheduled, as well as the opportunity to harvest the winter hides with their prime hair coats. These can be tanned and made into a rug, or a "hair on robe" (we would call it a tanned hide), hung on a wall, table centerpiece, lofted railing cover, etc. They are so well insulated I bring our tanned hide out to the open deer stand to help keep my feet warm. I have literally slept with the tanned hide as my blanket and woke up at midnight drenched in sweat. This upcoming January we are also planning to retire our long time herd bull, sometimes grumpy, photogenic bison. He has been with us since 2013, when we got our first animals. It will be a sad day, but a necessary day for our family farm to move on and progress. Every harvest is a time to thank that animal for its sacrifice, so that we may live and thrive, and a time to remember a healthy, wonderful life. We take harvest seriously, whether it be animals or family grains. It is a sign of a hard production season, or 3 for the bison, coming to an end. Time to button down the hatches for winter, and plan out the next growing season and harvest.