Buffalo vs Beef

[fire438]

Have several buffalo briskets and some buffalo chuck roasts to smoke. I have done a great deal of pork, chicken and beef but never smoked buffalo. I am thinking that I can use the same strategy and cooking temps as beef. But would like some input from some of the members who may have some tips for smoking buffalo.

 

[kruizer]

I am no expert with smoking buffalo but i know the meat tends to be drier than beef so you might want to inject some type of broth into the meat.

 

[browneyesvictim]

Never done Buffalo before. I brought popcorn and I'll be watching!

Buffalo brisket... Wow! That could get super dry but also has the potential to be really flavorful! The chuck is much more forgiving. So I'm thinking chuckie burnt ends... In fact I would be inclined to separate the point on the brisket and make that into into burnt ends too. The flat I would grind for burger. Yeah... I know its not smoked, but would make some of the best burgers EVER! Of course you can smoke the burgers for a bit too.

 

[fire438]

Thanks, I know it will be drier so will plan on lots of injection and then wrap it in foil and place in cooler for a while when it gets close to done temperature. It should be done at the same temp as beef I would assume but you know what assuming does. I like the burnt ends idea too. If I think of it Ill get some pictures but I'm usually feeding my stick burner with one hand and have a beer in the other.

 

[tallbm]

Thanks, I know it will be drier so will plan on lots of injection and then wrap it in foil and place in cooler for a while when it gets close to done temperature. It should be done at the same temp as beef I would assume but you know what assuming does. I like the burnt ends idea too. If I think of it Ill get some pictures but I'm usually feeding my stick burner with one hand and have a beer in the other.

Hi there and welcome!
I've never smoked buffalo but I would treat it as though it were more like wild game. I've smoked plenty of wild pork and it is way leaner than farm raised so that is what I am drawing my conclusions from.

Beef chucks can dry out on you so my approach to them is to smoke naked until about 170F and then wrap with a splash of some liquid (usually old wine in the fridge). This keeps my chucks from drying out and makes them awesome!

Now with wild pork front legs I do the same thing and I have no issues and everything comes out fantastic.

You may want to give one piece a test run and see how it comes out and then treat the remaining pieces the same way but tweak in the direction that makes the most sense from the first run. That would be the best advice I could give having experimented with wild pork this way.

Let us know what you do and how it turns out... with pics! :D

 

[tx smoker]

Injecting is probably a great idea, baste occasionally, then probably wrap toward the end to retain moisture. The term "buffalo" however is a misnomer. Buffalo are indigenous to Africa and Asia (water buffalo, cape buffalo, etc). What is available here is Bison, typically what is designated as North American Bison. The differences are the beard on North American, the hump, and the ability to withstand extreme cold. If you took a Cape Buffalo and put it in the plains out west in the Winter, it'd never survive. I learned all of this not too long ago when I bought a bunch of "buffalo" meat for a big shindig we were hosting and the good folks here set me in the direction of learning the difference between the two.

Shedding some light,
Robert

 

[fire438]

Injecting is probably a great idea, baste occasionally, then probably wrap toward the end to retain moisture. The term "buffalo" however is a misnomer. Buffalo are indigenous to Africa and Asia (water buffalo, cape buffalo, etc). What is available here is Bison, typically what is designated as North American Bison. The differences are the beard on North American, the hump, and the ability to withstand extreme cold. If you took a Cape Buffalo and put it in the plains out west in the Winter, it'd never survive. I learned all of this not too long ago when I bought a bunch of "buffalo" meat for a big shindig we were hosting and the good folks here set me in the direction of learning the difference between the two.

Shedding some light,
Robert

You are absolutly correcr. Here in Kansas i guess we just call anything not beef a buffalo. Thank you so much for the tips i am planning to cook them in August. I will try to get pictures and let you all know how it went.