Healthy Labor Day BBQ

Labor Day is coming for 2009 on September 7. BBQ's are traditional for the day and this year people are trying to save money and eat better. For me a traditional BBQ is hamburgers, hot dogs, or ribs. All of these do not fall under the "healthy" lifestyle label. I have found a way to accomplish this and you are going to love it.

It started last summer when I was traveling and stopped at a small restaurant that served Bison Burgers. I tried one and I have been hooked ever since. I got online and found out that bison is lower in cholesterol than all of the other meat products. My doctor is going to love me for this one. According to http://www.bisonbasics.com/nutrition/nutrition.html, in the same serving size of bison, beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork and chicken, the cholesterol numbers show grass fed bison as the lowest. According to the nutritional chart at http://www.beechhillbison.com/buffalo_nutrition.html, bison is a better source of iron and higher than beef as a source of B12. For the dieters, the chart shows that it is lower in calories and fat grams.

Now, you may be asking about the cooking of bison or its flavor. I can tell you, bison has a milder flavor than beef. It is a softer meat in texture and appears to me to be more fragile. I made hamburger patties and noticed that there was a lot of liquid that came away form the patty onto the board. Because it is fragile, it may be better to get the patties frozen.

I have cooked bison tri tip, ground bison, Bison ribeye, new york and sirloin steaks, and bison hotdogs (which are out of this world). I have seen the ribs, but haven't had an opportunity to cook any of them. I used my regular BBQ sauce, at the same cooking temperature as I used for beef.

Tommy's Joynt on Geary, in San Francisco serves buffalo stew every night. I have tried to duplicate it in my slow cooker, but I am missing something. It still tastes great, but Tommy's Joynt serves the best.

Whole Foods Market sells all the fresh bison I have mentioned here. It is not all available all of the time. Hot dogs are available in the summer and probably will be there for Labor Day. They also have the frozen medallion steaks and patties.

If you love beef, you should try this alternative. I would bet that your guests will love it and your doctor will too.