292700 Fri May 02 19:54:12 -0700 2003 7 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1598488 I went to the Farmer's Market today and, on a whim, picked up some Bison Stew Cubes. The fellow who sold it to me mentioned to brown the cubes only lightly before braising, otherwise the meat will get tough. Has anybody had any experience with cooking Bison and can share their tips? Also, any suggestions on stew ideas would be great! Fri May 02 19:54:12 -0700 2003 0 Pru 1 1598500 Bison is not uncommon here (Oklahoma), it's in my local grocery (we only have one) and your farmer's market guy is exactly right - it gets tough and also very dry because it is so lean. So deal with it gently. Browning lightly (if you must), and braising gently sounds like a plan for cubes. If you can add a little fat to it, that's good too. Keep it simple and Western. Bison likes some form of corn, certainly, and onions, wild if you have them. It is a good product and needs to be encouraged, so I hope you like it. Fri May 02 21:57:02 -0700 2003 1598488 0 Betty 2 1598514 Betty, a coupla years ago we had some great bison burgers at the lovely Gilcrease Museum restaurant in Tulsa. Would these be easy to do at home (assuming we can rustle up a buffalo here in west LA), say on the George Foreman grill or in the broiler? Do you have to treat ground bison meat any different than lean beef? Sat May 03 01:08:11 -0700 2003 1598500 0 PayOrPlay 3 1598528 I'm glad you liked Gilcrease Museum restaurant, and hope you can get to the Sunday brunch at the Philbrook Museum next time you're in town. Bison burger patties don't have fat to insulate them, so they cook faster which is why they can dry out. So lower the temp and keep an eye on them. Thicker patties will give you jucier burgers. (I've had a thin bison burger that was almost impossible to eat) They have naturally more flavor than beef so don't need as much seasoning. Just treat it like any really lean mean. George Foreman cooks so fast and mine doesn't have a temp control, but if you have a thickish patty and don't cook it for too long, you might as well try one and see. Just don't go for well done, stay with medium. let us know how it goes! Sat May 03 11:10:05 -0700 2003 1598514 0 Betty 4 1598577 If your burgers are thin & you want to do them on the foreman, cook them frozen, this is what I have done & it will work, but they still don't need much time. I have also put bacon on top of the burger before closing the lid to baste the burger as it cooks. Sat May 03 21:54:28 -0700 2003 1598528 0 ocdramr 5 1598613 Good idea! Sun May 04 13:05:44 -0700 2003 1598577 0 Betty 2 1598517 Thanks for the response! One more question: when you say braising gently, do you mean braising at a lower temperature or braising for a shorter period of time? Sat May 03 08:01:46 -0700 2003 1598500 0 Pru 3 1598529 Both. I'd probably go with a crockpot stew on low. Don't let it intimidate you, just treat it like any really lean meat. I did a quick google search for bison+stew and came up with several Bison producer websites with recipes that looked good. I'd like to hear what you end up making. Sat May 03 11:13:36 -0700 2003 1598517 0 Betty