Probably when I say buffalo you think I mean buffalo style. You know like the chicken wings. Nope. This recipe calls for real buffalo! You know, that big humped backed half cow half ox animal you saw pictures of all the 19 century cowboys slaughtering in your history books. Well I am here to tell you that yours truly was a little skeeved out about eating ground bison, but holly molly is it good. It’s like ground beef but with a more consistent texture, and not so much fat. Not gamey tasting at all.

So where do you get ground bison meat? Well I am fortunate enough that my local butcher carries small quantities from time to time, but you can order it flash frozen over the Internet. Just Google it and try this recipe and others to follow. I mean you could substitute ground beef but where’s the fun in that? Hmm, what sound does a buffalo make?

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb ground bison
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup onions, minced
• 1 (16 oz) can red kidney beans, mashed
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 (4 oz) can green chiles, diced
• 1/2 lb Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke®
• salt
• fresh ground pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF

2. In an iron or oven safe skillet, saute onions in butter for about 4 minutes then add the bison and brown.

3. Add remaining ingredients except for the salt, pepper and about 1/4 cup of the cheese and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the salt and pepper to taste and top with remaining cheese.

4. Place skillet in the preheated oven until the cheese on top melts. Serve with tortilla chips or floured tortillas.

Serves plenty

Heat Factor