Bison: Its what's for dinner?

Well, not for me, mind you - but the husband loves it. As discussed he's a meat freak, albeit one who needs to watch his cholesterol. He made the transition from regular burgers to bison burgers a couple of summers ago and has never stopped singing its praises. Much like a missionary, he's on a quest to get everyone on board and here's why: its low in calories, has far less fat than even skinless-boneless chicken breasts and is nutrient rich. He's gone so completely crazy for it that he's now demanding Buffalo Dogs as well. Will the madness never stop?

I'm content to stick with my turkey burgers, thankyouverymuch. But, he swears its even better and more flavorful than a regular hamburger - and given his passion for burgers, that's saying something. I'm offering the nutritional stats and the recipe here at his suggestion. I figure by letting you in on his secret I'll be doing us both a favor. You'll benefit health-wise, and I'll be preventing him from donning a white robe and preaching about it in the subways. Win/win.

Bison Burger:

• 1 lb. ground bison
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• a couple of shakes of hot red pepper flakes
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine all of the above in a medium sized bowl and mix to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed. Shape into patties and grill.

When cooking bison, its important to use indirect heat. Because the fat content is so low there will be very little shrinkage, and you don't want your burger to turn into a hockey puck. If we're in the burbs, the husband pre-heats the gas grill on high, then turns it down to medium when cooking the burgers. If we are at home, he'll heat the grill pan, and then cook it low and slow over medium-low heat. Bison will cook more quickly than ground beef, so adjust your cooking time accordingly.

Here's a useful link on bison cooking tips, do read it if you're going to try the burgers. If you're on the South Beach, substitute 2 tbsp. of high quality tomato paste (such as Luigi Vitelli) for the ketchup and results will be the same. Give 'em a go and let me know what you think. If you're a convert to the Church of Bison, shout it out in the comments so the husband can update his database.