I am a convert to eating buffalo. Oh my.
This time last year I penned an article for EcoSalon about the environmental arguments for Americans to eat buffalo. The main point is that rearing buffalo promotes the restoration of native grasslands in the prairies of the American West. However, as I was living in Britain at the time, I had not actually had the opportunity to sample the meat.
Then last week, I was in my local Whole Foods in San Francisco, perusing the meat and seafood counter, when I spotted buffalo steak for sale. So I bought it on impulse.
The specific cut was “Buffalo Inside Top Round London Broil”. I don’t know where it was from precisely but it was marked product of the USA. The cost was $5.75 for 0.64lb – a rather large steak that did me for two meals.
To cook, I simply browned it on both sides in a pan and then cooked it under the grill (what Americans call the “broiler”) for about six minutes each side. It would have been a great barbecuing steak as well. I ate it with a little mustard and steamed asparagus.
The fashion in the US is for beef steak to be “marbled” and this is one of the reasons why beef cattle typically spend so long being “finished” in a feedlot. I am not a fan – I find it too fatty and I much prefer the flavour of lean beef. I’ll take my steak grass-fed any day, for culinary as well as ecological and humane reasons.
Buffalo was a revelation. It was very lean but also extremely tender – not chewy at all. It also had an amazing flavour, with more personality than your average beef but without tasting gamey like venison. It was really delicious and moreish!
Like many women, I sometimes have low iron and I swear I could feel the red meat benefiting my body as I ate it. Normally when I eat red meat – whether beef or lamb – I’m taking in quite a bit of saturated fat as well, but not this time. Hopefully it did some good for the prairies as well.
I tried a buffalo burger for the first at the Olympics and I have to say, it was pretty damn good. The meat is a little tougher because it’s less fatty, but it has a richer, gamier flavor that is really compelling.
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I was expecting the meat to be tougher but it really wasn’t – I could cut it with a butter knife! It probably depends on the cut and quality. Glad you agree on the flavour! – Caitlin.
YUM. I love buffalo meat maybe even more than cow. You know what else is awesome (to taste and awesome for you, too)? Ostrich. Yep.
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Hmmmm can’t say it would grab me but I am pretty conservative with food – the only part of my life where I am.
But hey if it’s good then why not.
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Biologically it’s basically a cow so it’s probably not that different to grass-fed beef. Forget the fact it’s buffalo and just imagine a really good steak! – Caitlin.
I’ve been cooking buffalo for many years! It is sooo delicious. I make a mean buffalo meatloaf, and buffalo ribs are outstanding, too. Because it is so lean, you do have to make some adjustments for moisture. Adding an egg to ground buffalo, for example, will make a buffalo burger heavenly! But in general it is a great beef substitute — nay, even an improvement on the lowly cow!
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That’s a great tip about egg – I will keep that in mind if I ever come across ground buffalo. – Caitlin.
I’ve always wanted buffalo. I hear its a good lean meat! looks tasty!
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I can almost hear the wind sighing over the prairies, the stalks bowing in waves as the great beasts graze. Such a contrast to the filth and stench of a feedlot.
“Meat with personality”! The texture shows up well in your photograph, and now you’ve got me itching to try the taste for myself.
“Buffalo Inside Top Round London Broil” – is that from anywhere near the wings?
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How poetic! – Caitlin.
Bison, America’s oldest barbecue tradition.
This looks wonderful! I love the photo! I have always been a huge fan of buffalo meat, and this reminds me I need to get some again soon!
Thank you! – Caitlin.
Buffalo meat is also delicious! I had some in Colorado, and I prefer it to beef now.
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