All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Monday, October 1, 2012

the bisonburger




You might remember that photo I took last June when I suddenly came upon a herd of buffalo fenced beside the very rural road in town.  To say I was astonished isn't even close.  I always saw pictures of them thundering across a Western plain;  to come across them in a vibrantly green field of grass in New Hampshire was worth several double-takes.








Saturday, the very kind farmer/rancher of Summit Meadow Farm threw a huge party for the townspeople, with free tastings of his bison (bison and buffalo are used interchangeably) - there were bison sausages with fennel, bison steak tips, bisonburgers, bison chili.  I tried them all, and they were all delicious, though a little heavy on the barbecue spice rub for my tastebuds, and I was eager to try to find some fresh bison to cook at home.    

Just as I was leaving, passing the most adorable black pigs I've ever laid eyes on, I overheard him say some bison burger would be available at our local market.  This morning I was pleased to be the first customer of a very limited amount of bison burger - and when it was gone, it would be 8 months before any more was available.

I was told bison is best very fresh, cooked quickly on high heat, and removed from the heat while it was still rare.  Let sit, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bite in.   A very bright taste, and while there was some fat in the grind, it's a small amount compared to beef.  Love at first taste.

What's to like about it besides the taste?  Knowing it spent the summer not two miles away in a beautiful pasture, and really, that's what buying local is all about.


I made slider size burgers, just a handful of bison burger, salt and pepper, seared on both sides quickly in a saute pan with a little unsalted butter and olive oil, and removed off heat to sit briefly before plating.  Rare is good with these burgers.

For a fancier version, I cut a round of bread ( lacking slider buns), drizzled a little homemade ranch dressing on top of the bread, added lettuce and a little chopped sweet red pepper.  

    



8 comments:

Barb said...

Well, I don't think you can get much more local than that. And isn't grass-fed meat supposed to be the most preferred type of meat?

Your little bison burger are very cute, sound delicious and another good excuse for the ranch dressing! Yum!

katrina said...

Hi Barb - yes, have to say I'm excited about eating local, and it's so GOOD! When I buy beef ( which is rarely) in the supermarket, I wonder what they've been fed, where and how they were grown and for a long time I felt discouraged. So supporting this farm who is looking for more pastureland around here, which hopefully means they'll be around with their bison, beef ( who I also see in the field), and pork. I don't eat a lot of animal protein, but if it's available like this, I would probably eat more. Hope you got to taste the ranch dressing!

tom@morethanpepper said...

love the pic of the little girl

Anonymous said...

I just bought four pound ground bison today. We have several local farmers here south of Denver raising bison and selling the meat. Burgers, chili or tacos with bison, a favorite at our house.
I have to admit,that I would have been very surprised if I would have seen bison in NH on our last visit. Somehow this animal fits more in my picture of the west.

katrina said...

Tom - at first I didn't know what picture you meant - your eyes are sharper than mine! I assume you mean the girl under the tent:)

katrina said...

Kirsten - what do you pay out there? Just curious. It was $7.99 lb here and worth every penny. I think we'll be seeing even more bison in NH, since the owner of this farm/ranch is looking for more land -yay!

diary of a tomato said...

Bison sliders! And with ranch dressing! There's a small bison farm in Rye on the Seacoast but good to know about what looks to be a larger farm. I'm wondering if the deliciously memorable bison dish we had at Stages at One Washington in Dover was from this farm...

katrina said...

Oh, tomato girls - I would love to know what was in the bison dish you had! I'm thinking mushrooms, it being fall. Good to know about that other farm -and thanks for swinging by to see my little sliders!