The American bison (*Bison bison*) was the foundational protein of the Great Plains Indigenous nations for at least 10,000 years — providing food (meat, organ meat, marrow, blood), shelter (hides for tipis), clothing (hides for robes and moccasins), tools (bone for awls, scrapers, needles), and fuel (dried dung — "buffalo chips" — burned for heat). The near-extermination of the bison in the 19th century (from an estimated 30-60 million animals to fewer than 1,000 by 1889) was a deliberate U.S. government policy designed to destroy the Plains nations' food supply and force them onto reservations. The bison's recovery (current population approximately 500,000, mostly in managed herds) and its return to Indigenous food systems is one of the most significant food sovereignty stories in North America. Bison meat is leaner than beef, higher in protein, lower in fat, and has a flavour that is richer, slightly sweeter, and more complex.
Bison is cooked like beef but requires adjustment for its lower fat content — it cooks faster (less fat insulates the muscle) and dries out more easily. The cuts mirror beef: ribeye, strip, tenderloin, brisket, ground, short ribs. The meat is deeply red (more myoglobin than beef), lean even in the well-marbled cuts, and has a flavour that is distinctly bison — not gamey in the venison sense, but earthier and more complex than grain-fed beef.
1) Cook to a lower temperature than beef — bison's leanness means it dries out at temperatures that leave beef juicy. Medium-rare (55°C internal) is the target for steaks. 2) Do not overcook ground bison — burgers should be cooked to medium at most; well-done bison burgers are dry. 3) Bison brisket and short ribs benefit from the same low-and-slow braising/smoking techniques as beef — the collagen converts to gelatin the same way. 4) Bison fat renders differently — it has a higher melting point than beef tallow and a slightly earthier flavour.
The Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council manages bison herds across 82 tribes, working to restore bison to tribal lands as both a food source and a cultural practice. Eating bison from Indigenous-managed herds is a food sovereignty act. Bison tartare — raw bison sirloin, finely chopped, seasoned with salt, pepper, shallot, and capers — is the preparation that best showcases the meat's natural flavour.
Sean Sherman — The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen; Freddie Bitsoie — New Native Kitchen