We welcome queries from journalists on all topics associated with the protein business and its connection with restaurant and hospitality business in Texas, the Southwest and the United States. Our culinary and meat industry experts are available to respond to your questions.
For information, contact Fran Gallagher,
Praestar Public Relations,
214-762-6193,
|
|
 TENDERBISON™ JOINS THE WINN MEAT COMPANY ROSTER OF FINE PROTEINS
DALLAS (June 6, 2008) - The southwest's premier purveyor of fine proteins has added TenderBison™ to its family of fine product offerings, company officials announced today. The TenderBison that Winn will carry is produced by the North American Bison Cooperative, based in New Rockford, North Dakota.
"Bison's popularity has soared in the last year. This healthy, lean meat can take on a variety of flavor profiles, giving chefs a virtual blank canvas on which to create immeasurably flavorful recipes," said Jamie Samford, Vice President of Product Development and Corporate Chef. "Another wonderful advantage of TenderBison is its grain finishing produces a consistent, outstanding flavor, with qualities that make bison a winner on the menu every time."
"Bison is probably the most natural protein you could have on your menu," added Samford. "These buffalo have been in North America almost unchanged for 10,000 years!"
The North American Bison Cooperative (NABC) includes more than 300 member ranchers in the United States and Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. The NABC was formed in 1993 and operates a state-of-the-art processing plant in New Rockford, North Dakota. It is the only USDA and EU approved bison processing facility in the United States. Demand for bison meat is growing steadily as a more health-conscience consumers discover the benefits of bison.
TenderBison™ products are all natural: they come from premium grade, ranch-raised, grain-finished bison. TenderBison are source verified, and tested by the USDA to be free of growth hormones and stimulants. No animal byproducts are ever fed to bison.
Because bison is lean, it cooks faster than beef. Bison contains no animal byproducts, growth hormones are ever used. And bison meat is antibiotic-free
Here are some basic tips for cooking marvelous bison:
For ground bison or bison burgers, cook about 2-3 minutes less than you would beef. There is very little fat, so overcooking may result in a dry burger. Bison burger is safe to cook to medium rare. If you are browning bison for tacos or your favorite recipe, there's no need to drain the meat because it is so low in fat.
For roasts, low temperatures and high moisture yield the best results. The best oven temperature for preparing a bison roast is 275 degrees then continue to cook until desired doneness (as indicated on your meat thermometer). Covering the roast in aluminum foil or using a roasting bag helps retain the juices during cooking. Cook a frozen bison roast at 275 degrees adding 1/3 to ½ additional cooking time to the time originally specified in your recipe. Remove roasts from oven at about 5 degrees underdone and allow to set for 15-20 minutes, depending on size.
For steaks, preheat broiler at least 5 minutes, then broil farther away from the heat than you would a beef steak. Broil for less time than you would beef, for the doneness you prefer.
If you are grilling, simply grill for less time than you would beef.
About Bison
The great American bison is a truly magnificent animal with wonderful, marvelous flavor. It is the largest land mammal in North America since the end of the Ice Age. Estimates of the pre-European herd size vary from 30,000,000 to 70,000,000 animals and they ranged over most of North America.
There are three subspecies of bison: the Plains bison, Wood bison, and the European Wisent.
Where bison and Native Americans lived together, the bison provided much more than food.
Unregulated killing of bison led to the many millions of animals being reduced to no more than 1,500 individuals in the mid to late 1800s.
Legal protection of the bison in Yellowstone Park, the establishment of preserves like the National Bison Refuge in Montana, along with individuals raising bison on their own land, have helped restore the bison to over 350,000 animals. Current estimates place the size of the U.S. herd at 270,000 animals, with most of the production occurring on private ranches.
Winn Meat Company has been providing food service clients with top-quality meat products and services for over 100 years. The company was originally founded as Bunting’s Wholesale Market in 1902. Robert Winn bought the company in 1974. Today, Mr. Winn’s son Todd and son-in-law Walter Wilkerson continue the family tradition of service excellence that is now the hallmark of Winn Meat Company.
From specialty cuts to custom orders, Winn Meat Company is dedicated to giving customers not only high-quality products and services, but value. Capabilities range from sourcing unique products to in-house development of products to meet customer specifications. Winn Meat Company is proud of many longstanding relationships built on a commitment to quality and service. Winn Meat Company offers a broad range of products, from true dry-aged beef to fresh foie gras. For more background, please visit www.winnmeat.com.
|
