Game
meats throw curve balls to many home cooks, but a few simple
guidelines will have you knocking them out of the park in no time.
Red
Meat Is Good For You (If It’s The Right Red Meat)
Media mogul Ted Turner has done more than his share to
revive the lackluster American appetite for all things buffalo,
more precisely known as bison. “Bison is the original American
cow,” explains George McKerrow, former chairman of Longhorn
Steaks and partner with Turner in Ted’s Montana Grill. “
People are always surprised at how mild and beef-like our
bison tastes. Many perceive a bison as a type of wild, exotic
game, but in reality a bison is simply the indigenous North American version
of a cow.”
Currently, there are about 400,000 bison in America. They
are raised steroid-, hormone-and- antibiotic-free on the open
range. The last six to eight weeks of their lives, many herds are
fed hay to fatten them up, but that’s about the extent of intervention
by most bison herders.Despite their leaner cuts and the more natural way
they are raised, bison is far from a household word. To put things in perspective,
on an
average day we slaughter 130,000 cattle in the United States. We slaughter
an average
of 40,000 bison in an entire year.
However, bison really is the obvious choice if you’re paying attention
to your diet.
It is lower in cholesterol and fat than skinless white meat chicken. It has
more protein
and more iron, as well as more of vitamins A and B, than beef and most other
red meats.
As for bison preparation, the news remains good. If you know how to prepare
beef,
then buffalo will be a snap. Simply grill your bison burgers as you would
a beef burger;
the same applies to short ribs and rib-eye steaks. The only consideration
is that
you should check for doneness a little sooner than you might with beef cuts.
Wine lovers will be relieved to know that bison and game meat in general
make for
a delicious wine pairing. “I love the bison shortribs with a glass
of the hearty Hartford
Pinot Noir,” says McKerrow. “However, I’m also prone to
the bison cheeseburger
with a bottle of Opus One.”
Game meats are unique and do require special
care during preparation, but the
health benefits may be worth it. So if you’re thinking about eating
bison, rabbit, pheasant
or even something more exotic, take heart: properly cooked game may
be the best-tasting “health food” you’ll ever have.
wine, food, and travel.
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- 2007 The Wine Report® All rights reserved.
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