Over the weekend we decided to have a little party that centered around poker, board games, and a delicious supper. We purchased some bison meat from a local butcher in Winnebago county and decided it would be a great time to see what some of our friends thought our very own Birdfreak Bison Bacon Cheeseburger®.
But before we describe what makes up this burger, a little bit about what bison can mean to bird conservation. Much of the prairies that once covered Illinois and the Great Plains have been plowed over, making way for agriculture and cities. Bison farming could offer something quite different from “traditional” beef cow farms.
Bison are naturally adapted to native prairie/grasslands and thus are part of this ecosystem. Birds and other wildlife have lived alongside bison for thousands of years and to restore this relationship would allow for the restoration of the habitat.
So, it is our belief that if we promote bison as an alternative to beef (or other farm animals) than the demand will drive for more bison farming and more prairie conservation.
So what makes up a Birdfreak Bison Bacon Cheeseburger®?
- bison patty (most likely called “buffalo”) [bison meat is lean, healthy, and full of protein]
- lean bacon
- cheddar cheese (2-yr aged from Eickman’s in Seward, IL)
- bakery-style hamburger bun
- organic tomato
- organic romaine lettuce
- avocado
- Step One: Cook bacon and bison patty
- Step Two: Place bison, cold cheese, and bacon on bun – heat in
overoven on wax-paper lined pan at 400 degrees until bun crisps and cheese melts - Step Three: Prepare avocado by scooping out the inside and making a paste (no extra seasoning added)
- Step Four: Spread avocado paste on top half of bun, add lettuce and tomato and any other condiments as desired
- Step Five: Garnish with large garlic-stuffed green olives
- Step Six: Eat and enjoy!
The burger turned out well and everyone enjoyed it. The overall score out of 10 points was an 8.8
The overall opinion was that the burgers were filling but not heavy like fast food or even traditional beef burgers. If you haven’t tried one, a Birdfreak Bison Bacon Cheeseburger® is great for a cookout, family reunion, or just an easy supper after a long day of work.
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one,two,three, four over! Looks yummy! I’d be willing to sacrifice myself as a tester!Cheers, Klaus
Hi BF team, I hadn’t thought of this take on bison farming before, but I think it’s great. We’ve been steering away from meat in general, but when I do need some red meat, we do have a local bison farm. I’ve also tried buffalo yogurt and of course buffalo mozzarella which are both great. Whole Foods sells the yogurt and any fancy food store should have that mozz.
I’ve had bison before…very nice. Mooseburgers are also tres bien! Gads…now I’m hungry!
It’s nice to see more folks in the US getting back to traditional use agriculture and the animals that were already there. I’ve had buffalo, moose, caribou, but not bison. Love to try.
Down here in Aus I prefer roo (kangaroo). It’s so lean that you’ve got to be careful cooking it cus it’s easy to dry it out if you don’t know what you are doing. 98.6% fat free! Roo burgers are great; the whole family loves my teriyaki roo burgers.
Check out my site if you want to see cool Aussie parrot pics. Especially the ‘birds’ label.
cheers from Oz,
dave
I bet that after putting the cheese on it is supposed to be heated in oven, not in over.
Klaus – Probably won’t ship well 😉
Patrick – Buffalo cheese sounds great… we’ll have to try!
Lana – We’ll have to try the mooseburgers sometime
Alaskan Dave – They sell “roo” at the place we bought the bison (same as buffalo) but we’re too chicken to try it 😉
RH in CT – it’s a personal choice 🙂 We must’ve been enjoying it so much we couldn’t type correctly!