The best part of hunting wild game is feeding yourself and your family with delicious, healthful protein ... and when it comes to delicious, healthful protein, American bison is the ne plus ultra. It's as rich, mild and flavorful as farm-raised beef (in fact, many people find it better-tasting than cattle), only with 25% fewer calories and saturated fat. Nobody knows this better than Savage Arms and James Sanders, the chef behind the famous cooking channel, Instagram//bigblackbbq. To be certain, you can use beef for this recipe if you don't have bison--but why would you want to? In this episode of Wild Table with Savage Arms, Sanders walks you through his recipe for the perfect protein: smoked bison burnt ends. Follow along with this list of ingredients and instructions:
Ingredients
- 1 Bison Chuck Roast
- Rosemary infused olive oil
- Heath Riles Garlic Butter Rub
- Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub
- Blackstone Grills Essential Blend Rub
- Stick of unsalted butter
- Beef broth
- Saucy Luke Mullet BBQ sauce
Instructions
STEP 1:
First, start seasoning the chuck roast by applying a light coat of olive oil as a binder. Then apply your rubs, for me that was the Garlic Butter Rub, then the essential blend, and lastly the TX Brisket Rub. Let that sit while you prep the smoker.
STEP 2:
Preheat smoker to 225 degrees. This cook was done on my Ironwood 885 Traeger with Traeger mesquite pellets and the super smoke setting. If using a traditional smoker I’d recommend hickory, cherry, or mesquite. When ready, put the bison roast on the smoker and sprits with a bottle of 50% beef broth and 50% water every half hour for the next 2-3 hours. The goal is to build a good bark on the roast prior to the next step.
STEP 3:
When the bark on the chuck roast has formed, it’s time to bring it inside and wrap. First, I cut the roast into little 1inch cubes and put in the foil pan. I then put the stick of unsalted butter in the pan, cover, then put back out on the smoker. Crank the heat up to 250 degrees until the cubes are hitting around 202-205 degrees. At this point they should tender and ready for the finishing steps.
STEP 4:
Once they are done, open the pan and top them with your favorite BBQ sauce, I love the Mullet Sauce by Saucy Luke for these. Toss them around in the pan so everything mixes. Put the cover back on them and let them rest for about 30 minutes. If you prefer the sauce to tack on them, you can put them back on the smoker for about 15 minutes, but you risk over cooking them so pay close attention to them if you do. For presentation, I pour the bison burnt ends onto a large piece of butcher paper or a big butcher block. Then have toothpicks if your group wants to keep their fingers clean. Enjoy!
