Heeeeellllllp!!!!!!

[DeanoBeanCounter]

:smile: In less than a month I'll have a freezer full of BISON meat that I'll shoot myself. We love the taste but have one small problem. The meat is so lean and dense that it's hard to chew. HOW CAN I TENDERIZE THIS MEAT. [smilie=b: We will have it in all forms roasts, stakes, ground and whatever. We don't want several hundred pounds of good meat we can't eat. Will somebody please help with some info?
Thanks
Deano

[spurrit]

CROCK POT! Set it it's lowest setting when you leave for work in the morning, and you'll be rewarded every evening when you get home. WARNING: This may cause speeding tickets on your way home!

[tommag]

Pressure cookers have a reputation for making tough meat tender.

[spurrit]

A crock pot is nothing like a pressure cooker. There's no pressure. It's a slow cooking method. KNOWN for making tough meat tender.

[DLCTEX]

Make a LOT of buffalo burgers. Dale

[MT Gianni]

Cube steaks, an oily Italian dressing tenderizes if used as a marinade 3-12 hours and whacking it with a wooden meat tenderizing mallet all do Ok. Gianni

[versifier]

Papaya extract in marinade (or in the crock pot) is a really good tenderizer. Roasting in a cooking bag on a bed of vegetables is another great method, too.

[Ricochet]

Or get a case of beef jerky and start exercising those jaw muscles. :mrgreen:

[WBH]

Any marinade that contains an acid (vinegar for one) will break down the interstitial tissue and "tenderize" the muscle. Try some of the store bought ones with vinrgar or make some with cider vinegar. Pressure cookers work wonders on tough cuts of beef and should work on bison as well.

[jawjaboy]

A crock pot is nothing like a pressure cooker. There's no pressure. It's a slow cooking method. KNOWN for making tough meat tender.

Some valid points all around. A pressure cooker will tenderize tough cuts of meat to a degree, and at the same time ~boil out~ those wonderful juices in the meat, really fast.

If you take this same cut of meat, sear it all around in a hot oiled skillet on the stove and then put it in a crock pot, it will retain most all of the meat juiciness and flavor. Timing is essential. Plus be fork cutting tender.

The biggest mistake folks make with crock pots is over cooking. This hampers taste and texture. Why leave something cooking in a pot for 8-10 hours, when it was done to perfection 4-5 hours ago?

Jest my 2 cents! :wink:

[jjamna]

I had a buddy get an Elk this year in Colorado. He gave me some cause I had never eaten Elk. He had Regular Steaks, Steaks that had been run thru a tenderizer, and ground. I could not eat the regular, to tough. Tenderized wasn't to bad. The ground was better than any ground sirloin beef I have ever eaten. It was all cooked on a grill. If I ever get the oppertunity to hunt something like that I will Have Few choice steaks tenderized and the rest ground But that is my opinion you may want to try something else

[Single Shot]

I have cooked it in a crock pot as mentioned above by jawjaboy


Here are some other recipes.
http://www.cdkitchen.com/search/search.php?c=&order=1&site=cdkitchen&q=bison&t=0

Try an E-Mail to Buck Farms and ask for recipes.
http://www.buckfarmbison.com/

buckfarm@suite224.net

[fourarmed]

Get one of these. They work.

http://www.jaccard.com/Home-Product-WTender-48B.asp?group=H

[DeanoBeanCounter]

Thanks everyone. All of this is a great help. I even talked SWMBO to read this thread, so I've go to watch my language. My mouth is watering now. I will definitely check into that tenderizing gadget. :cool:
I can use all the help I can get. So keep those cards and letters coming in folks. [smilie=1:
Thanks
Deano :-D

[waksupi]

Cow, good. Bull, bad. Don't overcook!

[EMC45]

Ricochet, I believe he can make a pile of jerky and it would be right on! I made some recently (dehydrator) out of deer meat. It turned out quite nice. My buddy at work gave the meat to me and I made him a bunch. He ate it on the road to Co for an elk hunt and ate the rest half way back to Ga. Also in regard to the crock pot, cream of mushroom soup is a good addition to the old crock pot for a gravy!

[Ghugly]

I would lightly season a roast (a little salt, pepper, perhaps a touch of garlic). Wrap it with a few layers of aluminum foil, sealing it well. Place it in an oven for 8 hours or so at a smudge over 200 degrees. This is a kind of lazy mans deep pit. Shread it with a fork, and serve it with a stack of warm, corn tortillas, a good salsa (my personal favorite is La Costana Salsa Casera), perhaps some guacamole and sour cream as well. This and some ice cold beer should make for a dandy meal.

[hivoltfl]

Ghugly, I agree 100% with the ice cold beer! :drinks:

[jawjaboy]

Also in regard to the crock pot, cream of mushroom soup is a good addition to the old crock pot for a gravy!

Plus one! Good stuff, works great.

[obssd1958]

Deano,

There is one option no one has hit on yet -

http://www.willitblend.com/videos.aspx?type=safe&video=mcmeal
[smilie=1:

Don

[C1PNR]

Get one of these. They work.

http://www.jaccard.com/Home-Product-WTender-48B.asp?group=H
I second the motion! I got mine from Sportsman's Guide for cheap. Don't know if SG still has them, but they sure do work!

[WBH]

Any time you "force" the outside tissue of meat into the inner layers you are introducing bacteria into a lower cooked temperature environment than the outside tissue.
For example....you can eat a steak almost raw if you sear the outside to kill the bacteria. If you poke holes in it and carry the outside bacteria into the inside you have to cook until well done to kill it. Case in point is hamburger at the restaurants. Most places won't cook a rare burger anymore.
I would'nt use a fork type tenderizer on any good cut of meat. If it needs tenderizing.........it should be burger.

[spurrit]

WBH,

It's not big deal if you cook it at the right temperature. If it's cokked hot enough in the center for long enough, it's good to eat.

[WBH]

I just don't like it that hot in the center. I like it warm and real pink. Not enough to kill that bacteria for sure. Just a matter of taste.

[oldfart]

:smile: In less than a month I'll have a freezer full of BISON meat that I'll shoot myself. We love the taste but have one small problem. The meat is so lean and dense that it's hard to chew. HOW CAN I TENDERIZE THIS MEAT. [smilie=b: We will have it in all forms roasts, stakes, ground and whatever. We don't want several hundred pounds of good meat we can't eat. Will somebody please help with some info?
Thanks
Deano


pressure cooker !!
15 min or less

[spurrit]

Deano,

Just throw a big friggin' barbecue. Set up some kegs, and let people eat all the buffalo they want for $25. Ya might even be able to make enough profit to pay for the next hunt and buy a new rifle.

[piwo]

I ordered my first Bison steak at a very nice restaurant in Tulsa, OK. I ordered it Medium. About 5 minutes later, the head chef of this restraint walked over to me and asked if I ordered the bison, and when I said I did, he asked if he could sit for a minute and chat. He talked to me about Bison and most wild game and the necessity of eating this meat as rare as could be tolerated as the texture got tougher the longer it was cooked, and the flavor diminished proportionately with the change in color: Red is good, pink OK, grey bad.... He was afraid I was about to plop down $35 for a bison steak and be disappointed and he wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing and if I liked it that way, fine. In reality at the time, I didn't know what he said was true so I thought one should order it more done so it didn't taste "wild or gamey". I ordered it rare and was quite pleased with my decision.

Long story to say how you cook it matters as does all the other incidentals above. Thick rare/ medium rare steaks, sprinkle of seasoning, and COUNT ME IN!!!!!!!!

PS: UTAH is only about 20+ hours drive, what time you serving?? :drinks:

[spurrit]

I'll dig the pit .... if you buy the dynamite.

[Slowpoke]

I would lightly season a roast (a little salt, pepper, perhaps a touch of garlic). Wrap it with a few layers of aluminum foil, sealing it well. Place it in an oven for 8 hours or so at a smudge over 200 degrees. This is a kind of lazy mans deep pit. Shread it with a fork, and serve it with a stack of warm, corn tortillas, a good salsa (my personal favorite is La Costana Salsa Casera), perhaps some guacamole and sour cream as well. This and some ice cold beer should make for a dandy meal.

I like the way you cook. I do it your way often in the winter so the xtra heat in the kitchen is welcome.

In the summer I season and wrap the meat real tight in foil and place it in a large crock pot I add two cups of water to the crock pot and put in on low for 8-10 hrs. The meat will be twice as tender as when cooked directly in the crock pot.

Its even better to me if I put it in the smoker for a hour and then wrap it in foil and finish it in the oven or crock pot.

good stuff

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive killed 4 of them now all cows about a 1000 lbs and ive yet to find anything chewy about it. I have the good parts cut into steaks and roasts and grind the rest for burger. Steaks and roasts were every bit as tender as good beef.

[brshooter]

Here is sure way for tender lean meat. For 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 lb roast, min. of 24 hrs before cooking, rub 4 teaspoons of Kosher salt (2 teaspoons table salt) on meat, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hrs. When ready to cook, unwrap amd brown meat in hot frying pan, after browned, place in wire rack set in rimrd baking sheet in middle of oven at 225 degrees and don't open oven door. Roast til meat probe thermometer registers 115 degrees for med-rare 1 1/4- 1 3/4 hrs. or 125 degrees for medium. 1 3/4- 2 1/4 hrs. Turn oven off, leave roast in oven without opening door, until meat thermometer inserted in center registers 130 degrees for med-rare, 140 degrees for medium, 30-50 minutes longer. Transfer to roast to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice meat crosswise as thinly as possible and serve... A word of advice, don't cook past medium for it will be tougher than the heels of your boots.........

[DeanoBeanCounter]

Thank you all. Just picked up the meat today and I'm really looking foreword to the first steak. The butcher said this is really good meat because it hung for two and a half weeks before he cut it up. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Thank you all again.
Deano :mrgreen:

[Onlymenotu]

The butcher said this is really good meat because it hung for two and a half weeks before he cut it up. Deano
1st of all congrads on the buffalo never had the pleasure of having any myself
IMHO,, the field dress and skinning and the cooling/chilling out and aging is as importiant or more importiant than any other step of the butchering- hunt!!
The way I always look at it is if it don't look good enuff to eat then throw it away
* man oh man have I seen some nasty stuff* hair and jelled bloody meat,ect ect
go in other peoples grind/hambuger some people just don't care what they eat or the quality of what they eat a good butcher can make the differance between a good steak,,, and something not fit to feed to you dog

[AZ Pete]

Get some Adolph's Meat Tenderizer at the grocery store (look in the spice area). You can buy it on line if you can't find it locally. Someone mentioned Papaya enzyme (papayan), and I believe that papayan is the active ingredient in Adolphs.

Personal experience, I shot a 9 year old cow Buffalo a couple of years ago. The steaks were tough as boots, I never had tought meat from any other game animal. A little Adolphs, and they are tender. Great stuff.

[10-x]

Try some cheap cola, soak all day or overnight in refrig. Will tenderize and take away some of the game taste. Works for ground or steak cuts. 10-x

[spurrit]

Pepsi makes an AWESOME glaze on ham. It'll make the best ham and beans you ever "et". :-D

[fourarmed]

Here is a recipe I posted here back in '05. It is a great way to cook very lean meat.

Venison loin chops or round steak
Butter (a quarter-stick at minimum)
Blackening spice (3 parts paprika, 1 part each onion powder,
garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper, cumin, thyme)

Preheat oven to 180. Put a heavy iron skillet or griddle on a propane burner/lead smelter (OUTDOORS! THIS SMOKES!) and turn the fire all they way up. Melt the butter on a platter in the micro-wave, and dredge the chops in it. Shake seasoning on one side of 2 or 3 chops and throw them in the skillet after its surface has gotten hot enough to turn from black to gray. After 30 seconds to a minute (depending on chop thickness) season the top sides and turn. Give them the same on that side, and return them to the platter. Continue until all have been blackened, then rest them in the oven for about a half hour. They will be pink and juicy on the inside and the remaining butter on the platter will combine with the meat juices to produce the greatest stuff you ever dipped bread into.

[spurrit]

Fourarmed,

Cholesterol be damned! Everything is better with butter on it. Hell, I put a big dollop in the canned corn!

[725]

Get a copy of the "Ball Blue Book" (Ball canning jars compnay) The book is free from the company and pressure can the meat. Follow the book and you'll never have any problems. You can store your meat, without refridgeration, like your grandma did, and have the tastiest stuff ever. Add spices to suit your tastes. Take a jar off the shelf and open it like you would a can of peas or soup. Makes the best, tender stew meat. Shishkabob it over the grill with fresh vegatables, stir fry it --- Oh, baby!
725

[mastercast.com]

Try Buffalo Tacos and chili!

That is how we got through the remainder of the one that I shot!(Not worth it....TOUGH to chew! Flavor is great, but really hard on the teeth and jaw muscles!)

We have buffalo farms around here that feed them corn, beer three times a day, and damned if they are not still as hard to chew as a pine knot!

[piwo]

When preparing Venison and Elk (and once even Moose), we prepare our steaks, roasts and back straps the same. We simply thaw the meat out in fresh water, changing water every couple hours. Just before cooking we coat the meat with a mixture of Garlic Salt, Salt and Pepper, and McCormick Broiled Steak seasoning. Then we grill outside until medium rare, and then eat it ravenously. Our favorite side dishes are new potatoes, onions and asparagus pan sautéed together. I sometimes make a nice cranberry demi-glaze for SWMBO’s benefit, since this is the way she prefers game. I don’t have the exact recipe for that in my head, but it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and is worth the effort, especially if you are using a lesser cut of meat. If anyone wants it, let me know and I’ll post it. :drinks:

[DeanoBeanCounter]

Thanks everyone! Here's my latest plane, be aware it might change. I have a Jaccard meat tenderizer on the way. Should be here any day. When it gets here I'm going to do, thaw a roast, stab it to death with the Jaccard, vacuum seal it in marinade overnight with some meat tenderizer in the marinade, and Showtime rotisserie it for half the time it takes beef. It should come out pretty good. But then I'm no cook, this just sounds like it will work.
piwo, at least you have a SWMBO that goes with you. :Fire: Mine chickened out just to go shoot this buffalo. :(
Making jerky is pretty easy.
Does anyone have or know of any information on making sausage?
I'm collecting info so keeping on writing. [smilie=1:
Deano

[spurrit]

Try Buffalo Tacos and chili!

That is how we got through the remainder of the one that I shot!(Not worth it....TOUGH to chew! Flavor is great, but really hard on the teeth and jaw muscles!)

We have buffalo farms around here that feed them corn, beer three times a day, and damned if they are not still as hard to chew as a pine knot!


Damn, those buffalo have it pretty good!