Living in the eastern half of the United States, what used to be called buffalo is almost always referred to as bison now. However, I discovered while traveling in the western half of the United States several months ago that bison is still often referred to as buffalo. This difference has totally confused my six-year-old daughter.
Well, whatever the name, it is a very lean meat. According to the Missouri Bison Association, it is also high in vitamins and minerals and relatively low in calories. What more could a person want except for it to taste good? Well, I have never had any that did not taste great.
Despite how much I like bison, I don’t often buy it because it is usually about double the price of grass-fed beef where I live. I know that where they raise more bison locally, the price is often the same as beef. If I lived closer to my family in Colorado and New Mexico, we would definitely eat bison/buffalo much more often.
When I do buy it, it is usually in the ground form. I substitute it for ground beef in dishes like pasta goulash and chili.
To be honest, I have struggled over the years to make a good chili (my first “from scratch” attempt during a record-setting snow storm will never be forgotten by my little sister or myself…yep, it was that bad).
Well, I finally have gotten it right. My husband (my very honest critic) even gave me his approval (a first for any chili I have made since marrying him).
There is nothing like a good pot of chili! Now that you have the perfect recipe, guard it! We’ve been making chili this winter with the venison that came through the back door during hunting season… also a very lean meat. We get bison only once in a while … there is a farm over near Concord NH that raises bison, so it’s semi-affordable.