Bison, Anyone?

Dec 8, 2020

By Bernie Hunhoff

Bison meat is gaining popularity at restaurants in the Black Hills and western South Dakota. Sandi McLain, longtime proprietor of Big Thunder Gold Mine in Keystone, says visitors from around the globe are eager to try the legendary food staple of the western prairies.

“We run more of a quick-food-style place,” says McLain. After panning for gold in the actual 1890s Big Thunder mine, parents and kids develop quite an appetite so hearty buffalo burgers are often a hit. Some hungry and adventurous “miners” even try McLain’s Rattlesnake & Pheasant Sausage.

McLain believes buffalo and wild game of all types are gaining popularity in the Hills. Just in Keystone, she says her fellow restaurateurs the Front Porch, Ruby House and Powder House Lodge all now have wild game on the menu.

Unfortunately, most of Keystone’s eateries are closed for the winter but McLain shared a buffalo meatloaf recipe that may someday end up on her Big Thunder menu.

Big Thunder Buffalo Meatloaf

(Makes approximately 6 servings)

2 pounds ground bison
1 carrot, cubed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 button mushrooms chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon steak sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Use food processor to pulse onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms and garlic until finely chopped. Add vegetable mixture and rosemary in skillet and cook and stir for about 5 minutes until vegetables soften. Mix vegetable mixture, bread crumbs and milk in bowl, then cool to room temperature. Stir egg, salt, steak sauce and peppers into vegetable mixture. Add buffalo meat and mix with your hands until blended.

Lay in baking dish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for about 30 minutes. Glaze if you wish (perhaps brown sugar with ketchup or mustard). Then bake another 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve.