Although the herds that once nourished native americans and sustained pioneers nearly disappeared from the prairies, farm-raised buffalo meat is making a comeback.

evin Costner's film Dances With Wolves was my introduction to buffalo. The tatanka, as Native Americans called the buffalo or bison, seemed part of distant history. Once, more than sixty million buffalo roamed throughout North America's prairies and valleys. By the mid-nineteenth century, though, the population had dwindled to a few hundred. Thanks to government and private conservation, the herds have rebounded from near extinction; today, buffalo are being farm-raised in nearly every state.
        I learned all this when I visited my son Jonathan, then a chef at an inn in Wyoming. It was here that I saw my first buffalo. In fact, I encountered a herd of eight hundred of them, since the inn is part of a 55,000-acre buffalo ranch. I signed the register of Elk Mountain Inn under the watchful gaze of a mounted buffalo head. Prints of stampedes and hunts decorated the hallway.
        That evening I had my first taste of buffalo meat--a big burger sitting on a mighty bun. Cooked medium rare, it was juicy and full of flavor. I ate every bit of it. Jonathan came out of the kitchen, beaming. He knows that I'm not a big meat eater. When I complimented him on his cooking, he said that my finishing an eight-ounce burger had more to do with the nature of buffalo than with his culinary talent.
        "Buffalo is the best red meat there is," Jonathan declared flatly. "Rich in iron, high in protein, and leaner than chicken."

A flame-broiled tenderl in is just one of many buffalo dishes on the menu at the fort restaurant in Morrison, Colorado.
Courtesy the Fort Restaurant

        He had a point. During my short stay, I ordered every buffalo dish on the menu: among them buffalo chili, buffalo short ribs, grilled buffalo steak with a fiery peppercorn sauce, and, my personal favorite, buffalo carpaccio, served at Sunday brunch.
        On the last day, Jonathan and I drove up to the ranch, where I met the manager. Before our tour, he explained that buffalo are raised without any growth hormones or antibiotics. They roam free, grazing on fertile pastures. In the winter, their diet is supplemented with grain pellets.
        We piled into the truck and went off to meet the mighty beasts. The bulls and cows were separated because spring is birthing season. The manager suggested that we stay in the truck. "They're very protective of their young ones," he said. "You may find them somewhat skittish."
        At first the cows ignored us and stayed in the distance with their calves. We drove around in circles, which finally attracted one of them. As it meandered toward the truck, another one appeared and then, as if by signal, a sizable group came galloping along. Considering their weight--about twelve hundred pounds--their speed and grace resembled those of gazelles. However, with their dark brown, shaggy fur, huge heads, and big humps, there was no mistaking their identity.
        I could imagine how awesome they must have appeared during the "running season," as described by the nineteenth-century artist George Catlin. According to Catlin, "They congregate into such masses as literally to blacken the prairies for miles. It is no uncommon thing to see several thousands in a mass eddying and wheeling about under a cloud of dust. The whole mass are in constant motion; and all bellowing in deep and hollow sounds; which, mingled altogether, appear, at the distance of a mile or two, like the sound of distant thunder."
        Returning home, I wondered how much the landscape and the people I had met in Wyoming had influenced my impressions. As in the past, I assumed that my experience would become part of memory. But I had underestimated the buffalo: it followed me. On my way to the motor vehicle bureau in Riverhead, Long Island, I couldn't believe my eyes: buffalo were grazing on a farm! I never made it to the bureau that day but instead followed a more urgent quest. The herd, I discovered, belongs to rancher/restaurateur Ed Stucco, owner of Tweed's Restaurant and Buffalo Bar. The local herd, however, is strictly for breeding. Tweed's chef, Jeffrey Trujillo, buys his buffalo meat from various sources in the Dakotas.

Roundup at South Dakota's Custer State Park takes place every year in late September or early October.
Courtesy Mike Wolforth / TATANKA

        Trujillo proved enthusiastic about buffalo. "Terrific meat. Lean, tasty. There's no waste; it doesn't shrink and cooks quickly.
        "People love it," he added. "Between bison burger, porterhouse, New York strip steak, rib-eye, short ribs, kebabs, and chili, I go through at least two hundred pounds of buffalo a week." Considering that Tweed's has only thirty-six seats, that's a lot.
        With my attention focused on buffalo, I wasn't surprised to find Elk Trails Bison Ranch truck parked at New York City's Union Square Greenmarket. Ranch owner Ronald Kips drives 140 miles from West Clifford, Pennsylvania, to the city three times a week and puts up shop. Most of his customers are buffalo devotees.
        "Sold out of New York strip? It's my husband's favorite."
        "Try the flank. Personally, I prefer it."
        "How did the short ribs turn out?"
        Kips dispensed cooking advice: "Next time put them frozen in a 275¡F oven. Go to the movies or take a nap; five hours later you'll have the most succulent, finger-licking, tender ribs."
        "Do you eat the marrow?" a woman asked another customer.
        "Straight out of the bone with a spoon, spread on black bread. Better than foie gras," said the young man. "Cheaper and healthier too."
        Kips sells all the familiar cuts fast-frozen. Many supermarkets carry frozen buffalo, but few go beyond burger patties. To get good buffalo meat, it's best to contact one of the specialty mail order houses, many of which belong to individual ranchers. When I reached Dan O'Brien of the Wild About Buffalo Company in Rapid City, South Dakota, I hit the jackpot. Like many of today's buffalo ranchers, O'Brien, a former wildlife biologist and author of Buffalo for the Broken Heart, is a dedicated environmentalist. To him, raising buffalo restores the balance of nature.
        His friend Jill Maguire, chef/owner of Sweet Grass Buffalo Grill, operates her restaurant at Tatanka, an interpretive buffalo study center in Deadwood, South Dakota, owned and operated by none other than actor Kevin Costner. When Maguire mentioned the dishes she prepares, I was tempted to pack my bag and pay her a visit. Her menu includes buffalo flatbread pizza; prairie harvest green chili buffalo stew; cold barbecue buffalo sandwich; a buffalo version of pulled pork tenderloin steak, with garlic potato and cabernet sauvignon sage sauce; and grilled sirloin tip roast with vegetables and wojapi sauce, based on a Native American recipe. The pudding-like sauce is made with diced plums and sugar, cooked over medium heat, thickened with cornstarch, and seasoned with salt. Maguire likes to add a "splash of bourbon."
        The history and customs of the early West are celebrated at the Fort restaurant in Morrison, Colorado, southwest of Denver. Owned by Samuel Arnold and daughter Holly Arnold Kinney, the Fort is a replica of Colorado's first fur-trading post. Game plays an important role there. Many recipes are based on diaries kept by early-nineteenth-century settlers, trappers, and traders. Buffalo feasts, as described by Lewis and Clark, delight the restaurant's guests. Favorite delicacies include roast bison marrowbones, bison tongue, and bison Rocky Mountain oysters, the dainty name for testicles.

Ronald Kips, owner of the elk trails bison ranch, sells buffalo at New York City's Union Square greenmarket three times a week.
Helen Studley Al Zagofsky

        Far from being a novelty item, buffalo is trendy. Douglas Psaltis, chef de cuisine at Alain Ducasse's casual New York restaurant Mix, is a devoted buffalo fan. "Best meat we have in America," he stated. "So why not honor it and feature it in a French/American restaurant?"
        Wedding the all-American buffalo to the time-honored French pot-au-feu, chef Psaltis expresses his interpretation at Mix. Invited into the restaurant kitchen, I watched the bison pot-au-feux in progress. A pot of strong beef stock simmered on the restaurant range. Next to it, a small casserole contained an intensely reduced stock. With the speed of lightning and the precision of a surgeon, Psaltis finished some precooked vegetables in the heady stock. Next, he briefly seared a six-ounce buffalo tenderloin, after which he let it poach in the stock. "Nine to twelve minutes for medium rare," he said, keeping an eye on the big kitchen clock. He tested the desired doneness with his fingers, removed the kitchen twine, and let the meat rest for "half the time it cooked."
        He arranged the glazed vegetables on a serving plate and placed the tenderloin steak next to it. Napped with the reduced stock and further seasoned with black pepper and sea salt, this was home cooking with a sophisticated twist.
        "But what about the rest of the pot-au-feu?" I wondered. "Where is the broth?" It appeared in the form of a savory aspic, topped with a condiment composed of meat scraps seasoned with olive oil, grainy mustard, and sherry vinegar, layered with horseradish cream, and garnished with bits of cornichon, pearl onion, and celery leaf.
        The chef cut into the meat. "Go to it," he said. "It will give you strength and see you safely through the day." It did indeed, and it pleased me to realize that after all the hoopla and finesse, buffalo meat has continued doing what it did way back when: nurturing us.
        In Undaunted Courage, Stephen Ambrose's account of the opening of the American West, after Meriwether Lewis and his party encountered and tasted buffalo hump and tongue, they became the group's meats of choice. Today's meats of choice are more likely to be buffalo steak, prime ribs, short rib, and chopped meat. Since buffalo has an extremely low fat content, cook it at low temperature and follow the chef's mantra: Do not overcook your buffalo.

Tweed's Bison Steaks with Cream and Mushroom Sauce

        This recipe serves as base for the various cuts of steak, including tenderloin, New York strip steak, and skirt steak. The steaks may be grilled or broiled, served with onion compote, corn on the cob, and all manner of potatoes.

2 1-inch-thick hangar steaks (about 2 lbs.), trimmed and patted dry
vegetable oil spray
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

        Spray a heavy saucepan with the vegetable oil. Sautö the steaks over medium heat, 3 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove the steaks, and season with salt and pepper. Let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
        Slice the meat against the grain and arrange on individual serving plates. Nap the steak with the Cream and Mushroom Sauce and sprinkle with parsley. Wild rice makes an ideal accompaniment. Serves 4.

Cream and Mushroom Sauce

        The sauce may be made ahead of time and reheated when ready to serve.

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ cup thinly sliced shallots
½ lb. fresh mushroom caps, cleaned and thinly sliced (about 2 ½ cups)
1 tsp. all-purpose flour
¼ cup brandy
1 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

        In a heavy saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, covered, to sweat and turn soft. Add the mushrooms, raise heat, and cook until they are soft and have rendered and reabsorbed the liquid, about 15 minutes in all. Sprinkle with flour and stir well.
        After removing the pan from heat, pour in the brandy. Return the pan to the stove and add the cream. Let the sauce cool slightly and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Buffalo Chili

        Following a cherished tradition, I invite friends and neighbors on New Year's Day for late afternoon chili. Since I never know how many people will show up, I triple the recipe, vaguely hoping there might be enough left for me to freeze. I lay out the necessary utensils on the kitchen table, and serve with bowls of sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, and diced avocado. As guests help themselves, watch the chili disappear down to the last morsel.

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound buffalo meat, ground
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes with their juice
1 15.5-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed
1 package 2-alarm chili powder
1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. grated black, unsweetened chocolate

        Place oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, sweat the onions, covered, until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook them, stirring frequently, about another 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture with a slotted spoon and set aside.
        Raise heat and sautö meat, stirring frequently, until it turns slightly brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Return the onions and garlic to the pan and stir. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes with their juice, and the kidney beans. Stir in the chili spices. Lower heat and let simmer, partly covered, for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
        Add the peanut butter and the grated chocolate. Stir well. Let cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, adding some liquid if necessary. Adjust seasoning. Serves 4 to 6.

Braised Buffalo Stew ˆ la Cafö Sjiek

        Traveling in the Netherlands, I stopped in Maastricht, a city near the Belgian border. At a modest restaurant called Cafö Sjiek, I tasted a fantastic stew. According to the chef, the dish was originally prepared with horsemeat and marinated in vinegar or leftover wine.

1 ½ cups red wine vinegar or red wine
3 bay leaves
2 cloves
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 pounds buffalo chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
all-purpose flour for dusting
2 tsp. butter
2 tsp. vegetable oil
2 cups coarsely chopped onions (about 1 lb.)
3 Tbsp. plum jam
2 slices gingerbread

        In a large noncorrosive pan, combine the vinegar or wine, bay leaves, cloves, salt, and pepper. Add the buffalo pieces, baste well, and marinate for 24 hours in refrigerator, turning the meat once or twice. Remove the meat from the marinade and set aside; strain the marinade into a bowl, and discard the solids. Pat the meat dry and dust the pieces with the flour. In a large, heavy casserole, heat 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon oil. In batches, sear the meat over moderate heat. In a separate pan, sautö the onion in remaining butter and oil until lightly browned. Add the meat and the marinade. Mix well; bring to a low simmer.
        Place the casserole, covered, in a preheated 275¡F oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender. Before serving, mix in the plum jam and thicken the sauce by adding the gingerbread slices. Adjust seasoning. Since this is a robust dish, I follow Cafö Sjiek's example and serve the stew, family style, straight out of the casserole. Serves 4 to 6.

Buffalo Carpaccio

        Sunday brunch at Elk Mountain Inn in Wyoming is a celebration. Guests arrive from nearby villages and distant Colorado towns. The buffet tables display a cornucopia of dishes. "Watch them make a beeline for the buffalo carpaccio," says former chef Jonathan Studley. At twelve noon, the dining room opens. Tender and yummy, the uncooked buffalo is a treat appreciated by all.

1 10--12 ounce tenderloin, trimmed and patted dry
2 Tbsp. olive oil, for frying and drizzling
Crusting mix:
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 Tbsp. kosher salt

        Grind the crusting mix ingredients together until the mix becomes a coarse powder.
        Coat the meat with crusting mix, rubbing it into the meat to impart as much flavor as possible. Seal the dish tight with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
        When ready to serve, remove the meat from refrigerator and discard the cling wrap. Bring up to room temperature. Sear in 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat, turning sides after 15 seconds. Remove from pan and let cool completely. Store in freezer for 15 to 30 minutes.
        Slice the buffalo into paper-thin slices. Arrange slices on individual serving plates, drizzle with remaining olive oil, and serve with a selection of garnishes. Serves 4 to 6.

Buffalo Mail Order Sources:

        Orders are usually processed within 24 hours. Prices typically include tax, shipping, and handling charges.

Wild Idea Buffalo Co. Rapid City, SD 57709 (866) 658-3137 www.wildideabuffalo.com	Arrowhead Buffalo Meats Sunbury, OH 43074 (877) 283-2969 www.arrowheadsteaks.com
Georgetown Farms, Madison, VA 22727 (888) 328-5326 www.eatlean.com	Elk Trails Bison Ranch West Clifford, PA (570) 222-5665 www.elktrailsbison.com