Burgers are a fan favorite here at JJ Bison, and we love seeing your photos of delicious, juicy burgers. Burgers don’t always have to be a ground bison patty, they can also be short ribs or even ribeye trimmings! In this post, let’s talk about the perfect bison burger and how to make it.
Straight from Ground: Making the Patty
If you want to buy ground bison to make your own burger, it’s pretty simple! You don’t need a degree, you just need some ingredients: A pack of ground bison, a little bit of vegetable oil, and salt. We love ground bison because it’s so versatile and is not only restricted to burgers but can be used in a multitude of recipes. That being said, restaurants typically buy ground bison in bulk and make their own using a similar method to the guide below.
Here’s The Quick Guide:
Make the ground bison patty a little bigger than your burger since it’ll shrink a bit after cooking.
Create a small crater in the middle of the patty because as the meat shrinks it will balloon a bit, and when you see the juices start to consolidate in the middle, you know it’s time to flip the burger.
Take the tiniest amount of vegetable oil and rub it over the outside of the burger. You don’t need too much as this is just to kick-start the frying process, but it helps because bison don’t have a ton of fat on them, and it aids in the frying process.
Salt your patty to draw moisture from the surface so you can keep that beautiful sear on the bison. You have to make sure you don’t mix the salt into the meat, you just want to pat the salt on the surface.
To get a crisp sear, don’t mess with the meat too much! Let it cook until you see the juices in the middle, then flip.
You can also mix it up and add some cool ingredients to your meat to make everything taste even better! There is an abundance of recipes online for beef patties that can be easily modified for bison. JJ Bison also has some incredible, mouthwatering recipes for pimento cheese sliders, and cheddar cheeseburgers
Burger Toppings
The burger alone is delicious, but what about the toppings?
Cheese
Adding cheese to the already famous hamburgers became popular in the late 1920s. It’s alleged that Lionel Sternberger added American Cheese to a burger at his shop, Rite Spot, in California and it grew from there! The flavor of the cheese can really compliment the patty. Wisconsin Cheeseman has a few suggestions:
American cheese - American cheese is a staple of the classic burger. American cheese can be found at any grocery store and is a perfect topping to a classic dish.
Cheddar - Cheddar cheese is one of JJ Bison’s personal favorites as it adds a perfect tang to a great burger. Wisconsin Cheeseman suggests a young, mild cheddar cheese that will melt easily and taste delicious.
Swiss - When paired with bacon, mushrooms, onions, or mayonnaise, you can’t go wrong with this classic cheese. Swiss cheese has a mildly sweet and nutty flavor which is perfect for a fancy burger.
Gouda - Gouda cheese tastes fantastic with a smoky barbeque flavor. When you add some barbeque to a delicious burger, this is the cheese you want to use.
The Veggies
Lettuce, onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, etc. can all be added to a burger. The best toppings complement the taste of the burger and cheese added together. For instance, the swiss cheese will go fantastic with mushrooms, so if you’re adding swiss to a burger, maybe consider adding some mushrooms to enhance the overall experience.
Sauce
Okay, so you have your burger, cheese, and veggies, now what sauce do you pair everything with? The sauce will be the glue that holds that taste together in your mouth when you bite into a burger. Depending on the amount of sauce, it envelopes the cheese and mixes everything together in your mouth. Using gouda as an example, gouda pairs great with a smoky barbeque flavor, so if you’ve chosen to go to a local cookout, maybe try adding some barbeque to the mix!
Meaty Toppings
Yes, we all know bison is fantastic, but what about bacon and eggs? No doubt you’ve seen popular recipes adding bacon to a burger or fried eggs on top of an already delicious patty. If you want to make your burger look like a gourmet burger, we highly suggest considering these options.
The Bun
There are a bunch of different buns to try for a burger.
Brioche - Gordon Ramsay suggests a good brioche burger bun. Brioche is softer and moisture than other breeds, and with a little toast it’s perfect!
Potato Rolls - They’re buttery, sweet, and almost never stale. We suggest toasting the buns to add some texture.
Sesame Seed Bun - Sesame seeds add visual appeal to the burger itself, and the seeds are also very healthy!
Ciabatta Roll - If you have a lot of potentially soggy ingredients like tomatoes on your burger, you want a thick crust that will help keep all that juice inside of the overall burger, which is why ciabatta provides a fantastic option.
Why a Bison Burger?
So after reading all this you may be thinking, why a bison burger over a traditional beef burger? Bison burgers are leaner than beef burgers and are higher in protein and iron, and lower in cholesterol, calories, total fat and saturated fat, and sodium. The burger itself is just as juicy as beef and in our opinion, as well as opinions from our customers, even better than beef. If you want a healthy option that tastes like a beef burger, you should switch today!
So what should you do for your burger needs? Contact JJ Bison on the web, email us at meat@jjbison.com, or call us at (443) 252 - 2099 to order your bison today!