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).