Buffalo Burgers

I just bought several buffalo burger patties from the farmer's market and have had various vendors tell me different ways to grill them.

Has anyone ever cooked buffalo patties before and can tell me how to cook them to perfection?

Also, what kinds of toppings bring out the buffalo flavor, if there is such a thing.

Thank you.

You want to cook them to no more than medium. I'd shoot for medium rare. Buffalo is a lot leaner than beef, and the mix generally used for buffalo burgers is also leaner than used for normal burgers. Otherwise I'd cook them just like beef burgers. Top them any way you want, but stay aware that it's generally a richer tasting meat.

Here's hoping they're not thin preformed patties. If they are you may want to consider smooshing them together to form fewer, but thicker, patties.

-ed

Do these patties consist of only ground buffalo or have they added fat and/or seasonings to them? Do you have a lean percentage?

Most of the buffalo I've seen is above 90% lean, sometimes around 94 or 95%, although you can get it in the 80s too. The very lean buffalo is not great for burgers, in my opinion, unless you're willing to add some butter to the process or maybe cut it in with some less lean beef.

Best,
Michael

gleam wrote:Top them any way you want, but stay aware that it's generally a richer tasting meat.

This is a good point. I think you'll want toppings that stand up to the taste of the meat. I'd go for a buffalo burger with a pungent bleu cheese, carmelized onions, and watercress.

By the way, had a damn tasty buffalo sausage at Hot Doug's yesterday, with a sweetish chipotle mustard on it.

eatchicago wrote: I'd go for a buffalo burger with a pungent bleu cheese, carmelized onions, and watercress.

Totally. Sounds great to me. An alternative to caramelized onions that I like a lot is french fried onions. Even the french's ones from the can work fine.

And what EC says about fat percentage is, indeed, key. A great burger is usually 80-85% lean. Ground buffalo meat is usually 95% lean. You can make good burgers at lower fat percentages, but it's WAY more difficult.