This blog post is a little less about the restaurant (it is a fairly common chain) and more on the concept of replacing beef with bison. In the past 5 years or so, nearly everything has formed its way into being a substitute for beef. Rightfully so, as a society we have come to realize the impacts our cow product loving ways have had on the environment. From tofu to Impossible Burgers to Beyond everything and anything, brand names and protein alternatives have packed together to create taste-a-like and close enough we can feel better about (whether it’s deserved to feel better, and these practices are actually more sustainable, is a different argument for a different website).
Enter a separate animal source to replace beef with, bison. Enter Ted’s Montana Grill. It may be the recent Yellowstone on Peacock kick that my boyfriend and I are on, but while home in Florida and out for a dinner, the Montana namesake was calling on us to join. I should have known by the bison mascot, that the menu would offer bison in many forms. To start, the ever-so intriguing bison nachos below:
Nachos on an appetizer menu are my weakness. Mostly because I always want to order them, and I am well aware they alone count for a meal and a half. But bison nachos?! You do not come by those very often. Pepper jack, diced tomatoes, jalapenos, green onion and bison chili with a healthy serving of nacho cheese and a dallop of sour cream. So, what you get here is a standard plate of nachos, but instead of the chili being made with beef, it is made with bison. I wish I could say I was blown away from my first bite with bison but to be honest, I could not taste the difference at all. Maybe that is a good thing and just how bison should taste, kind of how they say “alligator tastes like chicken?”
The chili itself was quite good, with spices that had a hint of sweetness and tender bison meat; but, Bison chili removed, the nachos were wrong to start with nacho cheese instead of the fresh and melted and slightly stale store-bought chips. Additionally, if you are going to do a chili over nachos instead of shredded meat, you better make sure it seeps in! Once we finished the top layer of chips, there were only diced tomatoes and some random slivers of melted cheese. Not my cup of chili, but on the bright side, it got way better from there.
First the noncommitment to a beef and bison option- the Delicious Duo. Two 3oz burgers one beef and one bison with lettuce, tomato, dill pickle and a mustard remoulade on a sesame bun. Served with your choice of a side which you really have no option but something fried. I went with onion rings, and they tasted just like any good fried onion circles. The burgers were what interested me much more. Beef was excellent. These are small sliders, so you really have to be careful not to overdo them since you are working with less meat. Very juicy and with the perfect toppings, I could go for a few of these.
Then the bison meat burger. The taste difference may not be immediate, but it is definitely there. Lighter and sweeter were the first impressions but still rich and tender. The burger was just as delicious as the previous beef and, what I liked the best, is this tasted far less gamey than beef. I loved it! I’d substitute the previous beef sliders for this bison slider any day. Same toppings and sesame seed bun used; the bison burger beats out the beef in taste. From there it gets better as my new to bison and curious self went down a Google search showing that bison is:
- Leaner
- Fewer calories
- Far less fat
- Processed as little as possible
- Higher in protein
- Higher in iron than any other meat
- In fact, contains higher amounts of protein, iron and vitamin B-12 than beef, pork, chicken and salmon
Those are just the highlights. There are several studies and guidelines from sources like the USDA and Healthline showcasing how bison is a better substitute for several meat sources. This on top of the delicious and rich flavor had us fully commit to the bison switch that night. See the featured Bison Filet photo for this post. I highly recommend you make the commitment and try it out too #teambison.
