Just got back from a great mini-vacation to Vermejo Park, New Mexico. https://tedturnerreserves.com/vermejo/ If you go, prepare to be blown away.

Two nights, I picked the Bison Tenderloin for dinner. Stunning!

It made me think about a meat market in Plano https://www.yeolebutchershop.com/ that has Bison Burgers (and Elk Burgers). I was there Wednesday and had a bison burger. I noticed in their display case they had Bison Ribeyes. The man in charge said they were leaner than beef, but very good. I'm going to pick-up a few tomorrow. After an overnight marinade, my plan is to sear/smoke them like I would a beef tenderloin. I'm thinking about topping them with bacon to add moisture. If anyone has any experience with Bison, speak now or forever hold your peace.

By the way, I got my New Mexico cuisine fix in Santa Fe at Cafe Pasqual's https://pasquals.com/menus/ and my flamenco fix at El Farol https://www.elfarolsantafe.com/

Bison, rib eye, tenderloin, bacon...



REALLY hard to go wrong with anything like that.

I arrowed a bison bull many years ago. He was pretty lean and was processed withing 8 hours of death. I was a new hunter then and enamored with the glory of a good shot/kill and had zero idea of proper meat care. Of course I paid for processing but if I had known then that the carcass should have been hung in a cold room for a few days I know I would have enjoyed that meat much more.

It was tough as nails because it wasn't properly cared for. Be aware. I ended up giving most of it away to the local church for their fund raiser wild game dinner since it wasn't really palatable.

I can only imagine what your bison tasted like. "Tough as nails" describes an aoudad in my experience. It was like it was sewn together with 80# test braided fishing line.

In the early 70s, a friend brought over a very large + mature billy goat. We strung him up alive by his back legs, slit his throat, gutted him immediately + filled the cavity with ice+ did again + again until the ice stopped melting. That was some of the most tender meat I have eaten; I would never have thought a billy goat could be.

Sorry, if memory serves, it was a mouflon. It was way too big to be a goat. Anyway, end result was the same; some of the most tenderest meat I've ever eaten.

Shot a bison many years ago with my 54 Caliber Hawken. It was February and near or below zero. Got it cut up, hung for a couple of weeks and later processed. That meat was some of the very best that I have ever eaten. Love Bison- IMHO the "German Chocolate Cake" of red meat! Very rich!

I've driven past Vermejo Park, but I am so poor they likely wouldn't allow me past the driveway.
Love bison. The first time I had it -- prime rib -- was in the Great Hall of the Waite Phillips mansion at Philmont Scout Ranch. Wonderful memory!

About 35 years ago a bull bison got away from whoever owned him + was hit right here on HWY 29. Well, I was a big affair + traffic stopper as well. Of course no one claimed ownership for obvious reasons. A local (Billy Reed) said he would take possession. He wanted to tan the hide in the "Old Indian Way". Well, after 3 weeks in his garage with that hide stretched + smelling like an abotoir, his wife laid down the law. Well you know the outcome; if Mama's not happy, no one is.He sent it off to get tanned/ should have done that 1st IMO. although I can certainly relate to doing things in the old way.When you get down to the end results; who else do you know that has a buffalo hide?

I bought three 1" thick Bison rib-eyes. I dusted them with a light coat of Suckle Buster SPG (Salt. Pepper, Garlic) rub, wrapped them in plastic-wrap and left them in the refrigerator for 48 hours.

I "dry-brined" them by dusting them with a light coat of Kingsford Lemon Pepper and placed them on a rack uncovered in the refrigerator for six hours.

For the cook, I seared each steak for one minute on each side on my Infrared grill.

I had my smoker (stick-burner) heating up to 225 degrees.

I moved the steaks to the smoker (top rack) for ten minutes. (My wife doesn't like a lot of smokey flavor.)

I took them out of the smoker, wrapped them in foil and placed them back in the smoker until they hit 140 degrees (medium); about twenty minutes.

In the packet for my steak I placed enough Santa Fe Seasons Flame Roasted Hatch Green Chile to cover the steak.

They were juicy and tender.

That sounds really good. I am a firm believer in the Lemon-Pepper marinade. I use it regularly on chicken + fish as well.

quote:

Love bison. The first time I had it -- prime rib -- was in the Great Hall of the Waite Phillips mansion at Philmont Scout Ranch. Wonderful memory!

Damn Bill, the only bison that I had at Philmont on two treks there was bison burger for tacos on the last day of the trek! Love Philmont and here's to the memory of Philmont and Waite Phillips!

UEG: I was there with a group from the Mount Rainier Council doing a 50-miler in 1968, and I have been back to the museum twice. So I will gladly join you in that toast!
Something that concerns me greatly is the rumor that the BSA had to put up Philmont as collateral in the sex abuse lawsuit. I hope we don't lose control of it, for the sake of future young Americans.

I hope so too Bill. That is too valuable a piece of property for so many reasons, primarily for the future scouts + the next generation of the leaders of our country. IMO these sex scandals need to be directed at the individuals + NOT the organization that they were affiliated with. Baden-Powell must be rolling in his grave. I'm thankful that I was a Boy Scout back when it really meant something.

Such a sad state of affairs that Scouting is in today. Like Africa, Philmont has that magical pull, and the Philmont feeling takes a few weeks to wear off after returning. Silver on the Sage. . . . . . . Love the Philmont Song!

We've been sauteeing onions over low-med heat until they are limp and juicy in butter with salt & pepper and a pinch of sugar for our steaks lately. Very tasty. Might be good on a bison steak. Extra moisture.