Make that next burger from flavor-packed, healthy bison
As we march toward the end of the summer grilling season, perhaps bored with the same-old chicken, steak, pork or vegetable skewers, my thoughts turn to the American buffalo.
No need to roam 1,000 miles to South Dakota for a taste of bison -- the official name of the animal -- when it can be enjoyed right here in Chicago.
(Scott Stewart/Sun-Times)
The low-fat, low-cholesterol red meat can be found at specialty stores, including Trader Joe's and Whole Foods locations in the city and suburbs, as well as Paulina Market, 3501 N. Lincoln, where bison steaks, sausages and ground beef are offered.
It's also on the menu at Chicago area restaurants including Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood.
Michael James, co-founder of the Rogers Park eatery, has offered a variety of buffalo dishes, from steaks and chili to burritos and quesadillas for 20 years now.
For him, it started out with a love of buffalo and its place in Native American culture.
Then he read a book called Buffalo for the Broken Heart (Random House) by Dan O'Brien, a rancher who converted his struggling cattle ranch in South Dakota to a bison ranch. The mission, shared with local tribes, was humane harvesting of free-range buffalo whose population in the Great Plains dwindled toward extinction until recent years, thanks to the efforts of conservation groups that focused on returning buffalo to the wild as well as ranchers like O'Brien.
In spring 2002, James went to the Wild Idea Buffalo ranch in Rapid City, S.D. -- just in time for 180 head of buffalo to escape and truck it east to the Badlands.
He became part of a crew, aboard ATVs, pickup trucks and an airplane, that rounded up the herd and returned it home.
James says bison meat, which can be substituted for just about any red meat, must be cooked carefully because it is such a lean red meat.
The Food Lover's Companion suggests cooking it slowly and at low temperatures. Made correctly, it melts in the mouth like a perfectly prepared turkey burger. The flavor, while beefy and not at all gamey, is singular and wonderful.
Bison is higher in iron than beef and lower in fat and cholesterol than most cuts of beef, chicken and even some fish.
Curious about an unusual edible or kitchen tool? Want to share some mysteries in your own cabinets? E-mail the Food Detective at ldonovan@suntimes.com.