What’s on the Grill #146

Since first talking about Bison back in January, I have done a bit more experimentation (read: eating).  I have had bison sirloin at home: good, bison ribeye at Ruth’s Chris: alright, bison (& turkey=burkey) burgers at home: incredible, bison ribeye at Stone Brewing’s Bistro: sensational, and the other night, thanks to Mike, bison filets at home: smashing.

Admittedly, I was a little worried after my Ruth’s Chris experience that perhaps bison was not all it was meant to be.  However, the ribeye last month at Stone and the filet from the other night renewed my faith in this thousand plus pound wandering beast.

The biggest benefit of bison is the tremendous health benefit versus beef.  A 8 oz bison ribeye (which yes, is kind of small), only has 10 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 53 grams of protein.  A comparable piece of beef has over twice the amount of fat and saturated fat, and only a slightly higher amount of protein. 

Mike stopped by to bottle beer and brought two fresh bison tenderloin filets that his buddy butcher at Dorothy Lane Market cut for him.  Since bison is so lean, I was really wondering how it stand up as a tenderloin filet.

I am hot and cold on filets because of their inherent lack of fat content, but I have to tell you, I really enjoyed the bison.  Yes, it was lean, but the flavor to me stood out and made it quite enjoyable.  No, it’s not “gamey”, it’s just different…different and good.  I new feel comfortable that there will be much more of this “healthy” meat in my future.