Disclaimer
Although there is no challenge too big for a Sikkina hand-forged knife when preparing food, how you obtain the food is a different story altogether. We strongly advise not attacking any wild Bison with your Sikkina to slay the beast. There are wiser ways to obtain your fair share of delicious bison meat.

The mighty bison

The American bison is also known as the buffalo or the plains buffalo. There are also species that are native to Europe, and they are sometimes known as wisent. Sadly, on both continents, these species have become endangered, and their numbers are dwindling.

For the next generation to observe, respect, and obviously enjoy their delicious meat, make sure that you responsibly obtain your meat. Don't support poachers! If we do that, we will be running out of bison sooner than you think. And what am I supposed to write articles about then?

Bison meat

Bison, or buffaloes, are not cows. They are not the same species, don't have the same diets, and don't have the same lifestyles. That is why there are certain things to consider when preparing bison meat.

Bison meat is darker in coloring than beef. Although it has a richer flavor profile than beef, it is not 'gamey' or 'wild' like what you would expect. In fact, it has a sweeter note to it. The good news for healthy living individuals is that bison meat is also leaner than beef. For that reason, the meat will cook faster than beef. That is the first lesson to remember.

This article will explore different meat options and preparation techniques for you to consider when preparing bison meat. We asked some of our biggest fans what recipes they would be most interested in, and the majority voted for steak and burgers. That's why in this article, we only focus on explaining the techniques behind preparing bison steak and bison burgers

Bison Steak

Previously we published a scientific article about how to cook the perfect steak. Although that article is scientifically accurate to the tee when it comes to beef steak, it doesn't hold true for bison steak. As we mentioned before, due to the leaner texture of bison meat, it will cook about a third faster than a regular steak.

Here is a quick overview of the ranges of temperatures for you to consider.

Rare     120-130°F

Medium-Rare   130-135°F

Medium           135-145°F

Medium-Well   145-155°F

Well-done        Who cares?

The best way to enjoy bison steak is by cooking it medium-rare or medium by either searing it in a pan or grilling it. But before we do that, there are certain things to consider before just throwing the bison steak in a pan.

Bison steak needs to be at room temperature before you start cooking it. Take the meat out of the fridge for at least 30 to 45 minutes before you start cooking it. How do you know it is ready? Well, that brings us to our next point.

Use a reliable food thermometer. You won't only be using it to see when the meat is ready for the pan or grill. Still, you'll also need it to monitor and control the internal temperature of the meat while it is cooking. You need to maintain it at the specified temperatures mentioned in the table above to get the best flavor out of your steak.

You may season the steak to suit your sophisticated pallet, but remember that bison steak is naturally more flavorful than beef. Try to keep the seasoning on the low side so that you can enjoy all the natural flavors that bison has to offer.

As you might have seen in our article about cooking the perfect steak, the Maillard reaction continues after removing the steak from the heat source. For this reason, you need to remove your bison steak about 5 to 10 degrees below the recommended temperature as the temperature is still rising inside, even after you removed it. Before serving it, let it rest for about ten minutes to get the most flavor out of it.

And now for the most exciting part of preparing bison steak; cutting and serving it. Our Sikkina kitchen warriors will make this part of the preparation phase an absolute pleasure. Acuto is an excellent weapon of choice, although the Lehja Hand Forged 8" Chef's knife is also a brilliant option for slicing through those soft, juicy bison steaks.

Bison Burgers

So you have seen Supersize Me and decided that you won't ever touch a burger again. But boy, do we have good news for you! It is time to go get back in there and test the waters again. As we mentioned before, bison meat is the healthier alternative to beef. Although it is much leaner than beef, it still makes pretty darn delicious burgers.

Whether you are more health-conscious or you are just curious to try different things, bison meat is a good option to consider. If you can't get your hands on bison burger meat (minced meat), Sikkina will assist you with this dilemma. Sikkina's Nakiri knife is ideal for chopping, slicing, and dicing meat to almost a liquid form.

As is the case with the steak, try to keep your spices to a minimum. All you'll need is some salt, pepper, and maybe a little bit of Worcester sauce. Simply mix the spices throughout the mixed meat and start rolling it into 8 ounce balls.

Squash the balls into burgers of about 1inch thickness. Now that your burgers are ready, it is time to get the heat going. Take a cast-iron skillet and heat it over medium heat. Add some butter (about two tablespoons) and swirl it around the pan until it is melted.

Make sure that you have your food thermometer by your side. It will take about 10 minutes to cook the burgers, but you would still want to monitor the temperature for the best results. Place the burgers in the pan for about 5 minutes and flip them around. No, do the same but make sure that the internal temperature reaches about 135°F. You don't want to dry out the burgers and lose the juiciness and flavor of the meat.

Once both sides are cooked and the internal temperature is measured and confirmed, you may slap on a slice of cheese for the last minute. Remove the burgers, place them on your toasted buns with all the other goodies that you prefer on the bun, and serve. 

Slicing burgers could be a messy and disappointing chore, and nobody wants mashed-up burgers. Use Sikkina's Acuto multi-purpose culinary knife to slice effortlessly through the burgers without altering the shape or obliterating the poor thing.