Feb. 11, 2010

We’ve added two new items to our product list this week- Flat Iron steaks and shanks, so here’s information about both, and a recipe for each.

I prepared both of them recently (yes that’s my buffalo dinnerware in the photo) and we really enjoyed the unique flavors and textures. The flat iron isn’t your typical steak but more like a flank in its versatility. I thought the shank meat was very rich and buttery in flavor, with a roast meat texture.

Buffalo Flat Iron Steaks

These buffalo steaks, cut from the chuck or shoulder of the bison, is gaining in popularity because it’s one of the most affordable of the steak cuts, and because you can do so many things with it.

It has a very rich meaty taste and plumps up when it cooks. I recommend you marinate this steak to tenderize the meat.

While almost any marinade will work, an acidic one, like red wine, apple cider vinegar, or cranberry juice, will give your taste buds a  ”zing” and will also tenderize the meat.

Using a combination of orange juice, soy sauce and rice-wine vinegar will give your meal a more Asian flavor.

You can experiment and come up with a different flavor each time you use a flat iron steak. Then serve it whole, or slice thin for Mexican fajitas, Chinese stir-fry or whatever you want to pair it with.

Smoky Hill Bison buffalo Flat Iron Steaks

3/4 cup red wine
1/3 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place bison steaks in a resealable plastic bag. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over steaks. Seal bag and allow steaks to marinate in refrigerator for 4-8 hours.

Preheat grill for medium heat. Remove steaks from bag and discard marinade. Place buffalo steaks onto grill and cook for 4-6 minutes per side. Before serving, allow the steak to rest for a few minutes and then slice against the grain to serve.

Note: This time of year I cook steaks in a skillet on the stove. Cover the skillet with a lid or piece of aluminum foil to keep the moisture in and cook on medium low.

Buffalo Shanks for Osso Bucco

I had heard of Osso Bucco, but I did some research on it when we decided to offer this cut.  It’s an Italian phrase and literally translates as “bone’s hole”. 

This section of shank has a cross section of bone in the middle of it that has an ample amount of rich marrow in the center. When cooked, the marrow melts into the sauce leaving an open whole in the center, thus the name osso buco. 

It’s actually very good, but you do have to cook it a long time to make the meat tender and give the marrow time to melt.

1-2 lbs of Smoky Hill Bison buffalo shanks

1 cup seasoned flour (see Note below)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed
2/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 sprig fresh rosemary
8 medium garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the shanks in the seasoned flour. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shanks and brown on all sides.

Transfer them to a large casserole dish.

Add the stock, wine, parsley, sage, rosemary, and garlic to the casserole. Bake for 2 hours.

Reduce the heat to 300 degrees F and bake, basting the shanks occasionally to keep them tender and moist, and adding more stock if necessary, until the meat is tender and falling from the bone,

4 to 6 hours longer. Serves 6 to 8.

Note: To make seasoned flour, combine 1 cup flour (a quick mixing flour such as Wondra works best) with 1 teaspoon each garlic salt, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried basil, and freshly ground black pepper.

If you’d like to try these new items and recipes, please place your buffalo meat order today so we can ship it on Monday or Tuesday of this coming week.

Feb. 7, 2010

The Super Bowl is now over and I hope you enjoyed the game. I watch for the commercials. I thought that most of them were aimed at 20-35 year old males and their lifestyles, which is probably the typical TV football watcher.
 
I was watching for the Budweiser draft horse team commercial. This year’s ad was about a little longhorn calf that ran long the fence with a colt on the other side. Then it goes forward to three years later and the adult longhorn plows through the fence to join his horse friend that prances by pulling the famous wagon.
 
I then thought…okay, how would that work with a buffalo instead of a longhorn?
 
From experience, I know that a bison calf can bond with another animal if raised together. But it would be a quick “tuck the legs and jump to clear the fence” before you could blink and the buffalo would be way ahead of a prancing horse team…

Jan. 29, 2010 

For many people, the Super Bowl isn’t only about the game between two top ranking professional football teams.

Food, be it snacks, beverages or full meals that are prepared ahead, are just as important to many people as watching the game itself. Here’s a couple of recipes to try for Super Bowl Sunday, or as a fast and easy snack anytime. Both use our versatile ground buffalo burger.

Buffalo Burritos

1 lb. Smoky Hill Bison ground buffalo burger
4 large soft tortillas
2 1/2 cups refried beans
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
sour cream
salsa
lettuce

Directions
Spray skillet with cooking spray and add spices and salt to ground meat and cook until done. Meanwhile, combine beans and rice in a saucepan and heat on low until warmed through (or microwave instead).

Place tortillas in a folded damp towel on a baking sheet and place in the oven on low until ready to make the burritos.

To make, place a warm tortilla on a plate, place 1/4 of the bean mixture and meat on the flat tortilla, leaving 2 inches at bottom of tortilla so it can be folded up.

Add 1/4 cheese, salsa, sour cream, lettuce or anything else you want, fold up the bottom and roll the sides around. Four servings.

Layered Buffalo Taco Dip

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. Smoky Hill Bison ground buffalo burger

2 (1 ounce) packets taco seasoning mix
1 (14.25 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups guacamole
2 cups sour cream
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Fresh diced tomatoes or salsa (optional)

Directions
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. This dish will be used to heat the layered dip.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground buffalo and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon as it browns, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the contents of one taco seasoning packet over meat and onion; mix well.

Combine the second packet of taco seasoning mix and the refried beans in a small bowl.

Spread the seasoned beans in the prepared baking dish. Layer the buffalo and onion mixture, guacamole, and sour cream over the beans. Top with the black olives, green onions, jalapenos, and the shredded Cheddar cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted, and the ingredients are hot, about 30 minutes. Top with fresh diced tomatoes or salsa if desired. Serve with chips, crackers, or fresh vegetable sticks. Ten servings.

If you’d like to serve these items for your Super Bowl Sunday? Please place your buffalo meat order today so we can ship it on Monday or Tuesday of this coming week.

Thanks for serving buffalo meat to your family and guests, and enjoy the food and the game next Sunday! 

Jan. 22, 2010
 
I have friend, Sean that drives rock and heavy metal bands around the country while they are on tour, and he pulled in yesterday with musicians from Belgium, France and Canada. Sean owns two bison heifers that live here (Iris and Fannie), so he pulled off Intestate to visit and show the band his buffalo.
 
He’s constantly crisscrossing North America, going to arenas from San Francisco to New York, so a side trip on a country road is exciting for the band members, especially with this big bus and trailer!

Calves Gone

This week the last three calves moved to their new home…and I miss them. Weaned from the herd in preparation of their move, the calves latched on to us for security once they decided we were no threat to them.
 
They were at the “so cute” stage, acting like kindergartners, following me around when I’d check their water tank, hoping for attention and a treat.
 
But they are really happy campers now because they are back with their siblings. All the calves were sold to the same ranch, but there wasn’t enough room on the trailer for the last three, so they stayed at our place until they got a ride with a friend going west.
 
I’m sure there was a lot of nose touching, bouncing around, and excitement in seeing each other again.

Jan. 15, 2010

Ah..warmer weather has given us a break from the cold, but it created some interesting morning photos in the transition.

We’ve had two mornings of hoar frost on trees, fences, and the buffalo. It’s burned off when the sun came out, but this type of frost is so unique looking.

It was fun to take pictures of it, although it’s hard to capture the full feeling of the scenery. Besides the unique texture of the ice crystals, it gives the sense of cold, crisp and quiet. Although winter is cold in Kansas, I love the vast variety of visual effects it creates.

Now it has warmed up into the 40s, the snow has melted and life is much more pleasant for people and animals. I’m sure it will change again soon, so we’ll enjoy the weather while it’s mild.

Jan. 7, 2010

 Okay, there’s no reason to talk about the cold weather, -14 degree wind chill, blowing snow, etc. that we’re having at the moment because the whole nation seems to be having a cold spell and we’re all getting tired of it! 

 I’m just glad I’m not a rancher or construction worker or animal that has to be out in this weather. (Buffalo Emma pictured on right is keeping her legs tucked in to stay warm.) 

 Instead I’m thinking ahead to spring and future plans. My birthday is two months from today and that always seems like the start of spring to me.

 I hinted in my last email that Verne and I were going to make changes to our business this year. We’re now in the “55-70 age bracket” and ready to slow down a little. I’ll unfold our changes as they come along but our goal is to have some free time in the future.

 This spring the buffalo will go to a larger private pasture and we’ll all retire from being “on show” seven days a week. No more tours, meals, or fall season since that takes so much preparation and time. This smaller pasture and the Visitors Center will close to the public after the buffalo move so we can concentrate on our internet meat and buffalo item orders.

 I will miss visiting with people that stop in to see the buffalo and shop in the gift store, but I’m looking forward to my private place now where I can concentrate on our websites and my writing. On my list of plans will be to write a recipe book, and a collection of stories about our unique herd and farm.

 For most of my email readers- you’ve never been here in person so these changes don’t affect you, but there will be many kids (and adults) that will miss running through our maze and riding the zip line this fall. But- it’s time we set our own pace and enjoy our own seasons of life.

Dec. 31, 2009

Another year has come to an end and it’s time to change calendars again. Today I’ve reminisced about our year, and what we’ve done in our little spot in Kansas. This morning I watched a “Year in Review” on a TV segment and marveled how some things I’ll remember forever, and what events I had already forgotten about. 

One way to remember my year is to look through old newsletter entries and the many photos I’ve taken during the year.

The end of the year is always a time for resolutions and new ideas for the next year, and we’re already planning ahead for 2010 with new plans for our future. 

I’ll fill you in on some of our changes in upcoming issues of my emails, so I hope you stick with me through the next year as I tell you about them in stories and photos.

Happy New Year!

Dec. 14, 2009

I’m ready for a warm spell, but it doesn’t seem to be moving into Kansas yet. 

 

When the buffalo spend their day with their legs tucked under them, you know it’s cold outside.

 

Brrr! When I check the temperature it’s only 12 degrees at 3 pm. Now I wish I hadn’t checked it!

 

We did have a few days above freezing to start thawing the snow, but then the temperatures went back into the freezer.

 

It could be a long winter….

Dec. 9, 2009

The ten inches of fluffy snow we got yesterday was very pretty coming down, but a little trying to drive through last night on roads that hadn’t been cleared yet.

 

Then the wind picked up overnight, sweeping the fields clear of snow and piling it in big drifts to block roads. Area schools are out of session today and many country roads will remain closed until the wind dies down.

 

The sun is shining brightly this morning, but it’s only 7 degrees (minus the wind chill) so its a very pretty but hazardous landscape to be out in today.

 

Luckily I don’t have to worry about the buffalo during winter storms. They are built for it, foraging through the snow for forage and eating snow when thirsty.