The Taste of Montana Podcast - Bison: The Original Montana Meat - Episode 2

In 2016, President Obama signed into law the National Bison Legacy Act, which designates bison as the official mammal of the United States. Bison are the largest mammal in North America. They stand between five to six feet tall and weigh a ton.

Get your Bison Meat - https://www.thetasteofmontana.com/bitterroot-bison-store

Bison is high in protein, B complex vitamins, selenium, niacin, and zinc. According to USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), 100 grams of raw bison contains 109 calories and 1.8 grams of fat. The same amount of raw beef contains 291 calories and 24 grams of fat. Bison, frequently referred to as buffalo, was a significant resource for Indigenous

The peoples of North America for food and raw materials until near extinction in the late 19th century. It was the principal food source for Indigenous Peoples of the Plains. Several techniques were used in the hunt for plains bison, all with the aim of driving the bison into corrals, pounds, and canyons or over cliffs and bluffs – anywhere where the bison would have difficulty escaping. Plains Cree would drive the herd into marshes in summer and into deep snow or ice in winter where the herd would then flounder. Bison hunting from horseback became the preferred method once the steed was introduced back to North America in the 1500s.

Bison meat was commonly roasted, boiled, broiled, or dried. The Flathead often ate the liver, heart, kidneys, and roasted guts which were their favorite pieces; they enjoyed fat bison for their tender meat. Conversely, the Upper Kutenai discarded the guts and looked down on those who ate the entrails.

Dried bison meat was stored by cutting the flesh into strips and then hung around a fire. The desiccated meat was often pulverized and made into pemmican; the fine powdery mass was placed in cases with hot, melted tallow or fat poured on top, to saturate the dried meat.

Modern Cooking Advice

Bison can be substituted for beef in most recipes. However, it is much leaner than beef so it cooks faster and, lacking the higher fat content, will dry out more quickly.

Bison Fudge

Back in the 1960s as we know recipes were a little bit out there. The acceptable range of flavors seemed to be much broader. One such creative amalgamation of ingredients was beef fudge. That’s right! The seed of this recipe comes from an old cookbook, Poll-Ette Hostess Cookbook (published in 1967) that featured a beef fudge recipe from Mrs. Florence E. Weist of the Muddy Creek Ranch, Choteau, Montana.

Across the West, many ranch wives would whip up this delicacy and according to all the reviews we could find, the verdict was delicious. But we are the Taste of Montana, and we have to put our own twist on this long-lost classic. Today on National Dessert Day, we make ‘bison fudge’ with Bitterroot Bison ground bison added to a super easy fudge recipe.

Get the Recipe at https://www.thetasteofmontana.com/recipes/bison-fudge

Beer Pairing for the Bison Fudge

We found an excellent pairing with the Tied One On Coconut Porter from Great Burn Brewing.