Bison (often called buffalo in the United States, where the terms are used interchangeably) is a popular alternative to beef when making great tasting burgers. It’s lean, flavorful, and healthy. If you aren’t familiar with buffalo meat you might wonder whether there are tips for making burgers with it that don’t fall apart on the grill. We asked Andrew Zimmern, TV personality, chef, and chairman of Intuitive Content, about how to cook buffalo burgers.
“Make sure the grind is fine, similar to beef burgers,” says Zimmern. And don’t over-handle the meat, he adds. “I make 4-6 oz balls and flatten right before grilling. Let the burger cook 60 percent of the time on the first side without touching it,” Zimmern explains. He also suggested cooking buffalo burgers no more than medium rare since the meat is leaner and easier to overcook. The lower fat content is part of what makes it a very healthy alternative to beef. Additionally, it is high in protein, contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a cancer-fighting fat, and is rich in beta-carotene, an important antioxidant.
Does buffalo taste like beef?
If you’re wondering the difference between ground bison (buffalo) and ground beef, flavor-wise, bison is often described as having a mildly sweeter flavor. This means you can serve your buffalo burger just as you would serve your favorite beef burger. If you’re a fan of midwestern cooking innovation, you might want to cook it like an ultra cheesy Juicy Lucy. This burger originally hails from Minnesota, and is basically two patties, in this case buffalo patties, stuffed with cheese then sealed. It’s served topped with pickles. Our ultra cheesy version adds cheese curds to the middle, and is topped with caramelized onions.
Don’t love your burgers cooked medium rare? You can cook a buffalo burger to medium and still get some great flavor if you prefer. If you’re going for medium, consider frying your burger in butter to increase its juiciness so it won’t come out too dry, since buffalo is so lean.
