Let's try burgers again

[Terp Tom]

Hello Pit,

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last burger cook that didn't go so well. Last month the MIL was over and we picked up some hot dogs and a pound of ground bison to make burgers. "Want to grill 'em?" the wife asked at the last minute.

I added the seasonings and divided the ground bison into four balls. Smash burgers it would be. I fired up a full chimney of KBB, put it in the center of my kettle, and put my two cast iron skillets on the grate. Once they were hot I smashed the meat balls flat and started flipping.



I also spiral-cut the dogs as you can see. Lightly toasted the buns in the toaster oven and kindly asked the MIL to fry the onions in the kitchen. It all turned out a lot better this time:



The meat was cooked through and juicy, and most importantly, held together. Since it's Bison I had no information about the lean/fat content. It tasted beefy but somewhat lacked in flavor.

Well that was fun. Anyone have any tips on making Bison burgers?

[Redwng]

The chef at Ted's Montana Grill in Atlanta told me "do not go over 130 with bison, keep it around 125 when you serve it or you will lose some of the flavor". I had paid $18.50 for this burger meal which was fantastic.

[Donw]

Last bison burger I had was at Ted’s in NYC. I have to say it was also a fantastic burger.

[bbqLuv]

Looks great but where is the PBR?
Happy Grill to you.

[Terp Tom]

I'll try to remember to put it in the pic next time.

And it's Shiner Bock. Cheers!

[Mosca]

What seasonings did you add? Like, to the meat, before the patties were pressed?

It’s really hard to help long distance, without a bite of burger. Honestly, I saw those photos and thought, "I bet those burgers turned out great!" Also, I’ve never done bison, and that makes it even harder to help, as much as I want to.

Here is some general advice for diagnosing issues: go back to basics. Get some decent 80:20 or 75:25 ground beef, maybe spend an extra buck per pound for the CAB. Make quarter pound patties, season them with just salt and pepper right before cooking (but after forming patties). Press them thin, but not smashers. Grill or fry them at about 400*-500*. Watch the temp with a thermo, pull them as soon as they hit 160; they’ll still be juicy there.

That’s all I got, my friend. I hope that helps.

[Terp Tom]

Black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Just like it says in the book.

Thanks as always for the advice.

[Stuey1515]

Nope, Bison is a bit thin on the ground here 😄

[Terp Tom]

I see what you did there, sir.

[HawkerXP]

Looks good to me!