Buffaloed By Buffalo

[oldcoot]

The first time I tried buffalo, I was underwhelmed by its flavor. Looked a little like lean beef, but the flavor was - well - unitneresting.

A friend gave us some frozen ground buffalo, which BW prepared as a meat loaf last night. Again, we were underwhelmed.

Is this yet another example of my worn out palate, or do others find it similarly so-so?

Our dog loved it. Which caused me to speculate as to its poputlarity among some. Our friends who gave us the meat are of Mexican descent - hence have Native American ancestry. And "Indians" used to survive on buffalo meat, so no doubt found it tasty. Then the wolf ancestors of my dog also preyed upon buffalo to survive. Hence I have deterimened that a liking for the meat is a hereditary thing. Ya think?

Seriously, if any of you - Carnivore? - can suggest a more palable way of preparing the stuff, I'd appreciate it. (We've got several pounds of it, and we're too "Scotch" to simply discard it.)

 

[kitchenelf]

Hi oldcoot!!!

I have only had it prepared as a burger and I liked it. All I can suggest is maybe prepare it as a chili or some other flavorful dish where the flavor comes from all the ingredients added versus the meat itself.

I know you wanted recipes but all I would be able to do is copy and paste what I find on google - and I know that's probably what you do too. Sorry.

I don't think it is supposed to have an overwhelming flavor - just a little healthier. Right? :?

 

[starrleicht]

I just recently found out you could even still get buffalo meat to eat! (Rhyme NOT intended there...). But I don't know, just doesn't appeal to me - think I'll stick to the good 'ol cow!

 

[carnivore]

i like buffalo, but rarely buy it. I'm a huge fan of ribeye steaks, so this is the cut of buffalo i usually buy, and i find them to be good, but i know what you're saying on the blandness thing--you think of buffalo as kind of a 'specialty' item, so your tastebuds prepare you for something special, but there's really nothing that special about the meat. I would compare it to a cheap supermarket non-aged steak.
I was similarly dissapointed with some elk i bought recently. I'd only had elk one time before when a college roomate got some free elk steaks from a friend who hunted. He grilled them and i remember loving them. The girlfriend & I recently went to Colorado on vacation (including a couple days of camping) and i insisted on a) grilling everything from breakfast to supper and b) buying some elk to throw on the bbq. I was very dissapointed with the elk i bought--i found it too gamey (i've never like venison for this reason).
Of course, I blamed it on the altitude (we were camping at 10,000+ feet) and i will try elk again.
Sorry I can't give you a better insight on the buffalo.

 

[oldcoot]

Venison!!

Sime years ago I hunted and bagged a deer. BW, with no prior experience with game of any kind, prepared the absolutely most delicious stew I've ever tasted, bar none. The syeaks were excellent, too - not at all gamey, but with an unusual but good flavor. Sooooooooo.......

A year or so ago I saw venison advertised in a market. Bought a hunk at a kings ransom. It was so gawdawful bad I couldn't eat it. (Turned out it was imported from Australia - might have rally been kangaroo or koala for all its resemblance to my previous venison.

Moral: Be wary of game purchesed in a market!

Ranch raised buffalo doesn't quite qualify as game, I believe. But even so, as Carnivore found too, it is not the greatest flavor among meats.

P.S. After 8 years of hunting, I finally shot that one deer. And discovered I really don'tlike killing animals. Rifle's gathering dust and rust on the wall behind me.

Now politicians and lawyers - that's a diffeent situation.

 

['Norma]

:roll:
I really just don't understand the "buffalo-elk-deer-bear" meat fascination at all! Or the shooting of animals for that matter! ( Politicians, lawyers, certain ex-husbands...that makes sense! ) I've tasted buffalo, elk, deer, and it all tastes like bad beef...and I'm NOT a big beef fan anyway. I DO understand wanting to go out camping in the wilds, with a bunch of buddies, having a few beers, etc....( I'm a Texas girl... after a few years on the skeet shooting range dear old Dad decided that since he didn't have sons, and #1 daughter was a crack shot at the age of 9, he'd take her deer hunting....well, I cried when he told me to take down a doe, BAMBI"S MOM?....sobbed when he said...then shoot the squirrel...WHAT? ROCKY ???? ..so Dad drank beer, and I shot the beer cans ) As for rattlesnake, and anything else people eat and say "But it tastes just like chicken" I say THEN EAT CHICKEN! Yes, I've tried rattlesnake...YUCK! If I'm ever stranded in the wilderness, then I'll do a filet of buffalo, medium rare, with wild mushroom sauce..till then.....TYSON chicken!

 

[carnivore]

hi Norma,
ah, beer and firearms--they go together like frosting on the cake.
seriously, though--isn't not loving beef a crime in your state? You'd never catch me telling a Texan that beef is overated--i kind of enjoy staying alive.

 

[kitchenelf]

 

['Norma]

8) Hey, I'm a real renegade in my family! I don't use sugar in my iced tea, seldom eat fried foods , AND vote republican!

 

[Sloan WY]

Badmouthing Buffalo

Oldcoot - Because it is higher in protein and much lower in cholesterol than beef, it must be prepared differently. People expect a "gamey" taste and usually marinate the hell out of it. Not necessary! If using whole cuts of meat, not ground, bring it to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. The exception would be SMOKING, then right out of the reefer. Dry rub it with your favorite rub using plenty of salt & fresh ground black pepper. If a roast, sear it on a hot skillet or griddle on all exposed areas. If steaks, sear both sides on a hot skillet or griddle. After searing, cook it "low & slow" to a "rare - plus" stage as it is a very lean meat with little to no marbling and overcooking will toughen it. Like fish, it CAN BE eaten raw as it's raised under controlled conditions (pork is safe to eat rare too now).

Like people who want their Prime Rib cooked to "well", they don't want Prime Rib, they actually want a hamburger!

 

[oldcoot]

Slaon, yoou may be right regarding the cooking of buffalo, but tell me again, why bother? Beef is more readily available, more tender, and better flavored. I would just as soon let the buffalo roam.

 

[Sloan WY]

"WHY BOTHER?"

O>C> - Bison is slightly sweeter than prime beef, it's much higher in nutrition, and lower in fat, calories & cholesterol than beef, pork, turkey, skinless chicken and some fish. It contributes 69% more iron to your diet than beef, with more vitamins, minerals and twice the beta-carotene as grain-fed meats. Buffalo DOES NOT have the dangerous E. Coli! It's a known cancer-fighter, cholesterol-lowerer, and builds muscle while keeping people healthy who enjoy red meat. It's also non-allergenic!

If you think it's not as tender as beef, it's being cooked wrong!

"Once you've had Dom Perignon, you don't go back to Vichy Water" 8)

 

['Norma]

I shudder to say it, but I TOTALLY agree with oldcoot!
Then again, I'd rather have chicken...except for Chili and Chicken Fried Steak~ (yes, I know, I'm the Renegade Texan! I eat veggies and chicken , I'm NOT Baptist, and I HATED Ann Richards......But I DO have a couple of pairs of "cowboy boots' and plenty of jeans!!!! )

 

[kitchenelf]

I'm all for buffalo so I guess I'll have to hop the fence to Sloan's side! LOL Well, maybe not hop because I would probably hurt myself! I think it has a wonderful "clean" taste.

 

['Norma]

My daughter's neighbors, across the road, have several buffalo in their HUGE pasture....I enjoyed sitting on the front porch, and just watching them..especially during our snow storms this past winter.......the stark whiteness and wilderness look of that field and pond, with those dark magnificent , majestic, powerful , and oddly beautiful animals was like something out of a movie. And for all their massive size and bulk, they move with such grace.

 

[oldcoot]

I am always amazed at the claims made for off-beat foods. They are invariably more nutritious, cancer-fighting, cholesterol prevening marvels. One would expect those who eat them to be pictures of health - but most of such folks I've met spend all too much time in doctors' offices and/or are allergic to darned near everything.

As for carotene, oddly enough, carrots are an excellent source. Ample mutritional iron is available from a wide variety of sources. Etc.

And I have yet to taste any red meat - un-marinated - that tasted "sweet" Nor do I want to.

So let those buffalo roam, right along with the playful deer and antelope.

 

['Norma]

oldcoot, you've now opened the gates for a flood of deer and antelope recipes! LOL! :roll:
A good lean beef steak seasoned with fresh cracked pepper, and fresh garlic butter, grilled or broiled to just medium rare, then lightly sprinkled with salt, served with grilled mushrooms and tomatos , a tender garlic seasoned medium rare prime rib, with au jus, English style roast beef with yorkshire pudding and lots of brown gravy, or a good ( hard to find) Texas style chicken fried steak with lots of peppered cream gravy and Longhorn style potatoes are still my choice over any "wild" beast.

 

[oldcoot]

How true, how true! Except for that Yorkshire pudding - I have a little trouble with that.

And, while often claimed not to be a red meat, Pork - in darned near any form - is mighty tasty, too. (No, not wild boar!) Then there's that - exxcuse my drool - spring lamb.

Why, oh why, would anyone go to the trouble of hunting? (I've done my share of it, and it is usualy a lot of tramping around in the cold for nothing!. And I'll put my markmanship and outdoor skills up against most folks. ("Ol' Betsy" never misses - but I've rather rarely had a target.)

Then there's the hassle of dragging the game to where you can hang it and bleed it out, skin it, butcher it, and preserve the meat, etc, etc, etc!!