While bison offers a similar flavour profile to beef, it is much leaner and cooks quickly, so it requires different preparation to achieve best results. Specific techniques vary by cut and cooking style, but here are our experts’ favourite tips for cooking with bison.
Bison steaks are very lean and will lose tenderness when cooked past medium. Even those who order beef well done will prefer a medium-rare bison steak.
Trust your meat thermometer, not your eyes! Cook your bison to an internal temperature of 50-53°C.
Allow the flavourful juices to spread before you cut your steak. Let it rest for double the time as beef.
Cooking mouthwatering bison steaks is quick and easy. Use our Bison Steak Cook Time Guide to determine the best cook times per thickness and preferred doneness for your Carmen Creek Gourmet Bison steaks.
Add pizazz to even the simplest bison recipes! Learn expert advice on how to cook Carmen Creek Gourmet Bison products and show off your culinary prowess with one of our favourite recipes.
Feed your wild side and review our bison burger tips and recipes.
Simple to cook but filled with flavour, cook perfect sausages and recipes.
Gourmet bison franks add flavour and fun. Explore tips and recipes here.
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| Preparation Tips | Your steak will be juiciest if you bring it to room temperature before cooking it. We also suggest waiting to add salt until immediately before cooking. Salting earlier may remove moisture. When it comes to steak, we prefer to keep the seasoning simple—olive oil, salt, and fresh-cracked pepper creates a delicious flavour-crust on the surface while ensuring the inside remains juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tip | Cook on high heat to an internal temperature of 50-53°C per the time suggested on our Bison Steak Cook Time Guide. Another chef favourite is to pan sear and caramelize your steak on one side before oven-roasting it on the opposite side for 5 minutes at 260°C. Once cooked to your preference (rare to medium-rare is recommended) let the steak rest without cutting into it for 5-10 minutes covered on a warm plate. This will allow the flavourful juices to spread throughout the entire steak. |
| Recipe | Maytag Bleu Cheese Crusted Bison Steak |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison is prepared and cooked similarly to beef. We recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Ground bison can replace ground beef in any recipe and will add robust flavour to any beef-inspired meal. This includes burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, Bolognese, soups, stews, chilis, and more. |
| Recipe | Bison Meatballs with Italian Red Sauce |
| Preparation Tips | Bison ribs have far less fat than beef ribs, so they cook differently (and taste delicious!) We suggest braising and barbecuing them in sauce instead of smoking them, which will keep them juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tips |
|
| Recipe | Award-Winning Bison Back Ribs |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison—and therefore bison burgers—are prepared and cooked similarly to beef. Pre-formed patties can be cooked from a frozen or thawed state, and we recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Make a bison burger that packs a punch! Finely chop a raw strip of bacon to blend with each ground bison patty, or add finely chopped vegetables for a healthier mix. |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Burger |
| Preparation Tips | We suggest gently simmering our bison sausages for 5 minutes prior to adding them on the grill. This will soften the casing and reduce snap. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Our bison sausages are already cooked and just need to be heated through. Whether you serve them on a bun or add them as the centerpiece of your entrée, you can’t go wrong with these flavourful yet simple bison sausages! |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Sausage Tacos |
| Preparation Tips | Our bison frankfurters are so good, you could eat them cold! No preparation is needed for them—they can be thrown directly on the grill. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Add your favourite toppings. We also enjoy serving them in crescent rolls, which makes them perfect for dunking into your favourite sauce. |
| Recipe | Bison Dog Roll-Ups |
| Preparation Tips | Your steak will be juiciest if you bring it to room temperature before cooking it. We also suggest waiting to add salt until immediately before cooking. Salting earlier may remove moisture. When it comes to steak, we prefer to keep the seasoning simple—olive oil, salt, and fresh-cracked pepper creates a delicious flavour-crust on the surface while ensuring the inside remains juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tip | Cook on high heat to an internal temperature of 50-53°C per the time suggested on our Bison Steak Cook Time Guide. Another chef favourite is to pan sear and caramelize your steak on one side before oven-roasting it on the opposite side for 5 minutes at 260°C. Once cooked to your preference (rare to medium-rare is recommended) let the steak rest without cutting into it for 5-10 minutes covered on a warm plate. This will allow the flavourful juices to spread throughout the entire steak. |
| Recipe | Maytag Bleu Cheese Crusted Bison Steak |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison is prepared and cooked similarly to beef. We recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Ground bison can replace ground beef in any recipe and will add robust flavour to any beef-inspired meal. This includes burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, Bolognese, soups, stews, chilis, and more. |
| Recipe | Bison Meatballs with Italian Red Sauce |
| Preparation Tips | Bison ribs have far less fat than beef ribs, so they cook differently (and taste delicious!) We suggest braising and barbecuing them in sauce instead of smoking them, which will keep them juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tips |
|
| Recipe | Award-Winning Bison Back Ribs |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison—and therefore bison burgers—are prepared and cooked similarly to beef. Pre-formed patties can be cooked from a frozen or thawed state, and we recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Make a bison burger that packs a punch! Finely chop a raw strip of bacon to blend with each ground bison patty, or add finely chopped vegetables for a healthier mix. |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Burger |
| Preparation Tips | We suggest gently simmering our bison sausages for 5 minutes prior to adding them on the grill. This will soften the casing and reduce snap. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Our bison sausages are already cooked and just need to be heated through. Whether you serve them on a bun or add them as the centerpiece of your entrée, you can’t go wrong with these flavourful yet simple bison sausages! |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Sausage Tacos |
| Preparation Tips | Our bison frankfurters are so good, you could eat them cold! No preparation is needed for them—they can be thrown directly on the grill. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Add your favourite toppings. We also enjoy serving them in crescent rolls, which makes them perfect for dunking into your favourite sauce. |
| Recipe | Bison Dog Roll-Ups |
| Preparation Tips | Your steak will be juiciest if you bring it to room temperature before cooking it. We also suggest waiting to add salt until immediately before cooking. Salting earlier may remove moisture. When it comes to steak, we prefer to keep the seasoning simple—olive oil, salt, and fresh-cracked pepper creates a delicious flavour-crust on the surface while ensuring the inside remains juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tip | Cook on high heat to an internal temperature of 50-53°C per the time suggested on our Bison Steak Cook Time Guide. Another chef favourite is to pan sear and caramelize your steak on one side before oven-roasting it on the opposite side for 5 minutes at 260°C. Once cooked to your preference (rare to medium-rare is recommended) let the steak rest without cutting into it for 5-10 minutes covered on a warm plate. This will allow the flavourful juices to spread throughout the entire steak. |
| Recipe | Maytag Bleu Cheese Crusted Bison Steak |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison is prepared and cooked similarly to beef. We recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Ground bison can replace ground beef in any recipe and will add robust flavour to any beef-inspired meal. This includes burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, Bolognese, soups, stews, chilis, and more. |
| Recipe | Bison Meatballs with Italian Red Sauce |
| Preparation Tips | Bison ribs have far less fat than beef ribs, so they cook differently (and taste delicious!) We suggest braising and barbecuing them in sauce instead of smoking them, which will keep them juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tips |
|
| Recipe | Award-Winning Bison Back Ribs |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison—and therefore bison burgers—are prepared and cooked similarly to beef. Pre-formed patties can be cooked from a frozen or thawed state, and we recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Make a bison burger that packs a punch! Finely chop a raw strip of bacon to blend with each ground bison patty, or add finely chopped vegetables for a healthier mix. |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Burger |
| Preparation Tips | We suggest gently simmering our bison sausages for 5 minutes prior to adding them on the grill. This will soften the casing and reduce snap. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Our bison sausages are already cooked and just need to be heated through. Whether you serve them on a bun or add them as the centerpiece of your entrée, you can’t go wrong with these flavourful yet simple bison sausages! |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Sausage Tacos |
| Preparation Tips | Our bison frankfurters are so good, you could eat them cold! No preparation is needed for them—they can be thrown directly on the grill. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Add your favourite toppings. We also enjoy serving them in crescent rolls, which makes them perfect for dunking into your favourite sauce. |
| Recipe | Bison Dog Roll-Ups |
| Preparation Tips | Your steak will be juiciest if you bring it to room temperature before cooking it. We also suggest waiting to add salt until immediately before cooking. Salting earlier may remove moisture. When it comes to steak, we prefer to keep the seasoning simple—olive oil, salt, and fresh-cracked pepper creates a delicious flavour-crust on the surface while ensuring the inside remains juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tip | Cook on high heat to an internal temperature of 50-53°C per the time suggested on our Bison Steak Cook Time Guide. Another chef favourite is to pan sear and caramelize your steak on one side before oven-roasting it on the opposite side for 5 minutes at 260°C. Once cooked to your preference (rare to medium-rare is recommended) let the steak rest without cutting into it for 5-10 minutes covered on a warm plate. This will allow the flavourful juices to spread throughout the entire steak. |
| Recipe | Maytag Bleu Cheese Crusted Bison Steak |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison is prepared and cooked similarly to beef. We recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Ground bison can replace ground beef in any recipe and will add robust flavour to any beef-inspired meal. This includes burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, Bolognese, soups, stews, chilis, and more. |
| Recipe | Bison Meatballs with Italian Red Sauce |
| Preparation Tips | Bison ribs have far less fat than beef ribs, so they cook differently (and taste delicious!) We suggest braising and barbecuing them in sauce instead of smoking them, which will keep them juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tips |
|
| Recipe | Award-Winning Bison Back Ribs |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison—and therefore bison burgers—are prepared and cooked similarly to beef. Pre-formed patties can be cooked from a frozen or thawed state, and we recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Make a bison burger that packs a punch! Finely chop a raw strip of bacon to blend with each ground bison patty, or add finely chopped vegetables for a healthier mix. |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Burger |
| Preparation Tips | We suggest gently simmering our bison sausages for 5 minutes prior to adding them on the grill. This will soften the casing and reduce snap. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Our bison sausages are already cooked and just need to be heated through. Whether you serve them on a bun or add them as the centerpiece of your entrée, you can’t go wrong with these flavourful yet simple bison sausages! |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Sausage Tacos |
| Preparation Tips | Our bison frankfurters are so good, you could eat them cold! No preparation is needed for them—they can be thrown directly on the grill. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Add your favourite toppings. We also enjoy serving them in crescent rolls, which makes them perfect for dunking into your favourite sauce. |
| Recipe | Bison Dog Roll-Ups |
| Preparation Tips | Your steak will be juiciest if you bring it to room temperature before cooking it. We also suggest waiting to add salt until immediately before cooking. Salting earlier may remove moisture. When it comes to steak, we prefer to keep the seasoning simple—olive oil, salt, and fresh-cracked pepper creates a delicious flavour-crust on the surface while ensuring the inside remains juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tip | Cook on high heat to an internal temperature of 50-53°C per the time suggested on our Bison Steak Cook Time Guide. Another chef favourite is to pan sear and caramelize your steak on one side before oven-roasting it on the opposite side for 5 minutes at 260°C. Once cooked to your preference (rare to medium-rare is recommended) let the steak rest without cutting into it for 5-10 minutes covered on a warm plate. This will allow the flavourful juices to spread throughout the entire steak. |
| Recipe | Maytag Bleu Cheese Crusted Bison Steak |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison is prepared and cooked similarly to beef. We recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Ground bison can replace ground beef in any recipe and will add robust flavour to any beef-inspired meal. This includes burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, Bolognese, soups, stews, chilis, and more. |
| Recipe | Bison Meatballs with Italian Red Sauce |
| Preparation Tips | Bison ribs have far less fat than beef ribs, so they cook differently (and taste delicious!) We suggest braising and barbecuing them in sauce instead of smoking them, which will keep them juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tips |
|
| Recipe | Award-Winning Bison Back Ribs |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison—and therefore bison burgers—are prepared and cooked similarly to beef. Pre-formed patties can be cooked from a frozen or thawed state, and we recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Make a bison burger that packs a punch! Finely chop a raw strip of bacon to blend with each ground bison patty, or add finely chopped vegetables for a healthier mix. |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Burger |
| Preparation Tips | We suggest gently simmering our bison sausages for 5 minutes prior to adding them on the grill. This will soften the casing and reduce snap. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Our bison sausages are already cooked and just need to be heated through. Whether you serve them on a bun or add them as the centerpiece of your entrée, you can’t go wrong with these flavourful yet simple bison sausages! |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Sausage Tacos |
| Preparation Tips | Our bison frankfurters are so good, you could eat them cold! No preparation is needed for them—they can be thrown directly on the grill. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Add your favourite toppings. We also enjoy serving them in crescent rolls, which makes them perfect for dunking into your favourite sauce. |
| Recipe | Bison Dog Roll-Ups |
| Preparation Tips | Your steak will be juiciest if you bring it to room temperature before cooking it. We also suggest waiting to add salt until immediately before cooking. Salting earlier may remove moisture. When it comes to steak, we prefer to keep the seasoning simple—olive oil, salt, and fresh-cracked pepper creates a delicious flavour-crust on the surface while ensuring the inside remains juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tip | Cook on high heat to an internal temperature of 50-53°C per the time suggested on our Bison Steak Cook Time Guide. Another chef favourite is to pan sear and caramelize your steak on one side before oven-roasting it on the opposite side for 5 minutes at 260°C. Once cooked to your preference (rare to medium-rare is recommended) let the steak rest without cutting into it for 5-10 minutes covered on a warm plate. This will allow the flavourful juices to spread throughout the entire steak. |
| Recipe | Maytag Bleu Cheese Crusted Bison Steak |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison is prepared and cooked similarly to beef. We recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Ground bison can replace ground beef in any recipe and will add robust flavour to any beef-inspired meal. This includes burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, Bolognese, soups, stews, chilis, and more. |
| Recipe | Bison Meatballs with Italian Red Sauce |
| Preparation Tips | Bison ribs have far less fat than beef ribs, so they cook differently (and taste delicious!) We suggest braising and barbecuing them in sauce instead of smoking them, which will keep them juicy and tender. |
| Pro Cooking Tips |
|
| Recipe | Award-Winning Bison Back Ribs |
| Preparation Tips | Ground bison—and therefore bison burgers—are prepared and cooked similarly to beef. Pre-formed patties can be cooked from a frozen or thawed state, and we recommend minimal handling during preparation. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Make a bison burger that packs a punch! Finely chop a raw strip of bacon to blend with each ground bison patty, or add finely chopped vegetables for a healthier mix. |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Burger |
| Preparation Tips | We suggest gently simmering our bison sausages for 5 minutes prior to adding them on the grill. This will soften the casing and reduce snap. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Our bison sausages are already cooked and just need to be heated through. Whether you serve them on a bun or add them as the centerpiece of your entrée, you can’t go wrong with these flavourful yet simple bison sausages! |
| Recipe | Grilled Bison Sausage Tacos |
| Preparation Tips | Our bison frankfurters are so good, you could eat them cold! No preparation is needed for them—they can be thrown directly on the grill. |
| Pro Cooking Tips | Add your favourite toppings. We also enjoy serving them in crescent rolls, which makes them perfect for dunking into your favourite sauce. |
| Recipe | Bison Dog Roll-Ups |
