If you’ve never cooked Bison before and you’re a touch nervous - don’t be! There’s no learning curve with this meat. It’s lean, flavourful and very easy to work with.
We’re hoping to put out more recipes for you to follow as you try different cuts of Bison, but we thought we’d start it out as easy as it gets. A slow roasted, decadent bowl of Bison Bourguignon.
Don’t get scared off by the name - it couldn’t be easier. Bourguignon simply means stew braised in red wine. You read that right! Wine is the primary cooking liquid! Bourguignon is often red burgundy in colour (due to the wine) and typically flavored with carrots, onions, garlic, and a bouquet garni (we’ll explain!).
If you’ve ever heard the saying ‘cooking wine’, we want you to get rid of that thought! Why would you cook with subpar wine when you wouldn’t drink subpar wine? Maybe this goes back to our roots as farmers, but we think everything in your food should be high quality and hopefully as local as possible. The best ingredients make the best food, and that applies to so many things. High quality bison calls for your favourite bottle of wine. Just make sure you buy two ;) One for cooking, one for enjoying while you cook!
Our Bison Bourguignon is made from a cubed Bison Blade Roast. It broke down beautifully in our stew and with the carrots made a rich slightly sweet stew. Such a treat!
We hope you try this recipe - make sure you take photos of your finished Bourguignon! We’re so proud of our product and love seeing all the delicious things you make from it! Lia & David
BISON BOURGUIGNON
Serves 6
Cooking time: 3.5 hours
Ingredients
3 tb. olive oil, divided
8 oz. chopped bacon
3-4 lbs. bison roast, chopped into 1 inch chunks
2 lbs. carrots, chopped into large chunks
2 onions, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 bottle (750ml) your favourite VQA wine
2 cups bison stock (sub. beef stock)
2 tb. tomato paste
1 bouquet garni (small fresh herb bundle with thyme, rosemary and two bay leaves)
4 tb. Butter (or half a stick) room temperature
¼ cup flour
salt and pepper
3 lbs. baby golden potatoes
Directions
1. Heat 1 tb. oil in a large saucepot or cast iron pan over medium. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat until brown. Remove bacon.
2. Dry off your Bison Roast with paper towel, cut away the roast netting. Cut roast into 1 inch chunks and salt and pepper to your tastes. Brown the Bison on all sides and remove from pan.
3. Add in onions, garlic, and carrots into the pot. Cook and stir until the onions have softened, scraping up the bottom brown bits in the pan. Then add mushrooms and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
4. Add back all the meat into the pan. Add in wine, stock and tomato paste, and more salt and pepper to your preferences. Stir well. Lastly, add your bouquet garni. Cover pan with a lid.
5. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for approximately 3 hours. Your Bison should be very tender and easily break apart with a spoon.
6. An hour before your stew is finished, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
7. Place your baby potatoes on a baking sheet. Toss them in 2 tb. of oil, salt and pepper.
8. Roast for 35-45 minutes until tender, making sure to toss them once after 20 minutes.
9. Once your Bison is tender, take a bowl and mix butter and flour together with a fork to make a paste. This will thicken your stew broth.
10. Slowly stir in the butter mixture into the stew until you’re happy with the thickness. The amount you use will depend on how much liquid has cooked off and how thick or loose you like your stew!
11. Salt and pepper to taste and serve over roasted potatoes.