Griff's American Buffalo Burgers

Tens of millions of American Bison (which we usually refer to as buffalo) were awaiting the European settlers who traveled across America's Great Plains in the early 1800's. But among these settlers were trappers and traders, who thrived from the uncontrolled selling of meat and hides. And they weren't the only ones killing off the American Bison. Train companies made a business out of providing tourists the chance to shoot buffalo from the windows of their coaches. These shooters slaughtered innumerable bison, only pausing to reload upon running out of ammunition. The corpses of these animals were just left out on the plain. They even had buffalo shooting contests. It is said that one person set a record by killing 120 bison in only 40 minutes. (Do the math--that's 3 per minute!) "Buffalo" Bill Cody is reported to have killed more than 4,000 buffalo in just two years. What a great contrast this is with how the Native Americans had conserved, for centuries, this great resource by hunting only for food and making use of the entire animal.

However there is good news. Through the responsible efforts of many Americans, the American Buffalo is coming back. When I was a boy visiting my grandparents in South Dakota, I enjoyed driving through the plains and seeing hundreds of these majestic animals. I also remember my parents eating a buffalo dinner at the restaurant at Mount Rushmore. (I had chicken or something--the idea of eating buffalo seemed too strange to me!)

So what could possibly be more American than an American buffalo? Maybe an American buffalo burger! Ground buffalo meat is appearing more and more in grocery stores. Mixing butter in with the meat might seem a bit odd, but it adds a little fat, helping to bring the flavor out, and it keeps the burger from becoming too dry, as buffalo meat is very lean. (By the way, its leanness makes buffalo meat a great choice for a healthy meal!)

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground buffalo meat
3 tbsp. butter
1 egg, beaten
1 clove minced garlic
2 tbsp. finely chopped jalapeno pepper (with most of seeds and membrane removed)
2 tbsp. finely chopped green onion
1 tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. Lawry’s® seasoned pepper (or just ground black pepper)
4 tsp. ketchup
2 tsp. horseradish
1 tsp. yellow mustard

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, heat the butter just enough to melt it. In a large mixing bowl, blend well all ingredients, including the melted butter, and make into four or five patties. Cover the burgers and refrigerate for about an hour. Fire up the grill, spray grill with some PAM® (or rub some vegetable oil on it) and grill the burgers on both sides just like you would grill hamburgers--that’s it--all the seasonings are already in the burgers! If you do not wish to grill, just oil a pan and fry.

Griff’s Grilled Half-Moon Mediterranean Burgers

Last weekend was warm and sunny here in the hills of northern central Arizona (in contrast to what's been going on out east!), so I figured it was time to fire up the old grill. I wanted to do something a little different than the usual Arizona grilling experience, so here's what I came up with:

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lamb
1 lb. ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2.5 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. dried mint
1 tsp. Lawry’s® seasoned pepper (or ground black pepper)
10 pieces pita bread

Instructions:

Mix ingredients together well in a mixing bowl. Form into small patties (should make about 10 patties). Then, cut each patty down the center, making 2 half-moon shapes, so that when you serve on the pita bread (folded over), the shape of the burger conforms to the pita bread. Grill the patties on a well-oiled grill. Baste each side or patties with olive oil while grilling and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper if desired. Warm the pita bread in an oven or microwave before serving. Place two of the half-moon patties on each piece of pita bread and fold the pita bread over. Tastes great with fresh onion slices and fresh tomato slices added—and, or course, Griff’s Mediterranean Cucumber Dressing (see recipe below).

Griff's Mediterranean Cucumber Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried mint

Instructions:
Thoroughly mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

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