# Pan broiling ground beef/bison; it never fully cooks!



## Holdthescroll

I've been trying my best to cook beef/bison on my skillet over a stove-top, but the meat never seems to entirely cook.  I'm afraid that if I don't learn how to cook these meats properly, I'll end up with e-coli one of these days.  Here's what I'm doing:

1) Put 1 lb of ground beef/bison on skillet
2) Turn stovetop to medium heat
3) Try my best to make the meat as cooked as possible

I always end up with pink spots in the middle of the meat.  Is there anything I can do to cook these meats better?  (also, I just bought ground turkey and plan on using the same cooking method)

I'm new to cooking, so don't judge ... lol.


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## jennyema

That's not "pan broiling."  That's pan frying or sauteeing.  

But really the only thing you have to do is cook it for a longer amount of time.

I suggest you turn the heat on to medium or medium high, sprinkle some salt in the skillet, dump the meat in, and cook it, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.


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## keltin

Are you trying to make patties or just crumbled ground meat? If it’s crumbled ground meat, just stick with medium high heat, and stir it often as if you’re stir frying. Keep an eye on the biggest piece as your doing this, and when you think it’s done, break the biggest piece open with your spatula and check for pink. If there is no pink, drain it, otherwise, keep cooking.

For patties, you’ll want to drop your heat down to medium, and you’ll want to cover the pan to retain heat and allow the patty to cook on all side instead of just where it is in contact with the pan. Keep your patties to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Don’t make 2 inch tall mini-meatloafs! Let the burgers go 5-8 minutes on one side, then flip. Go another 5-8 minutes on the other side and flip again. You should get an instant read meat thermometer to check the internal temp.....but once you get some practice, you’ll be able to judge doneness by pressing on the patty to determine its texture and how much it “gives”. But never mash down hard on the patties as this squeezes the juices out and leads to a dry patty.

Bison is really lean meat, and can burn before it gets done. So you may want to make your Bison patties a little thinner, lower your temp a little after your first flip, and add a little bit of oil to the pan. You could also add some fatty pork sausage to the pix, but that would change the flavor of a true bison burger.


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## ChefJune

If you cook bison clear through, you will render it inedible.  It takes on the texture of shoe leather. 

We always broiled hamburgers in the oven.  My mom made my dad's very thin so it would cook through in the time ours became medium rare.

These days, I rarely make burgers at home, but I would never cook them past medium rare, so pan frying them is a no-brainer.  I think you are over-reacting to the e-coli "thing."  Wash your hands and handle all meat carefully.  Unless, of course, you _prefer_ your meat well done.


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## buckytom

i've heard that bison/buffalo meat will stay a little pinker longer, even though the internal temperature has risen to a safe point.

when making buffalo burgers for people who prefer more well done, i have noticed that it took me much longer to "cook the pink out". actually, the hockey pucks that i made still didn't look well done all the way through.

if you're making burgers, try making them skinnier, especially thinner in the middle.


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## GB

Holdthescroll said:


> I always end up with pink spots in the middle of the meat.


It sounds to me, and I could be wrong, that you are not breaking up the meat once you out it in the pan. How exactly are you doing it? Are you just dumping a chuck of ground meat into a hot pan and letting it cook or are you using a spoon or spatula to break the meat up and move it around?


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## Holdthescroll

*slightly off topic*

I haven't been breaking the meat up; I'll try breaking it into thirds with my spatula next time.

And on a completely different topic ... I'm trying to make good turkey for deli-style sandwiches, a lot like the kind of turkey that Whole Foods sells for $11/lb.  I bought a pound of ground turkey, but I'm already starting to think that that was the wrong choice.  Where should I buy the meat (Schnucks had nothing)?  And how do I cook the meat


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## kitchenelf

Deli-style normally means sliced - you'll have to come up with a different recipe for your ground turkey.

I would buy an organic turkey breast (one with no solution injected in it) and brine it in apple juice, kosher salt, brown sugar, garlic, thyme, rosemary, limes, oranges and then smoke it or bake it or off-set grill it.  I have no idea what kind of deli turkey whole foods sells.


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## GB

Holdthescroll said:


> I haven't been breaking the meat up; I'll try breaking it into thirds with my spatula next time.


What is it that you are trying to make with the meat? If you are using it as ground meat then you need to break it up a lot more than just thirds. Your goal should be to try to separate each little piece of meat. _Really_ break it up, like into hundreds or thousands of pieces. 

Now if you are making burger or meatloaf or some other formed type meat then you do not want to break it up that way, but if you are just cooking it to throw into a pasta dish or something like that then you want to break it up as much as possible.


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## Holdthescroll

GB said:


> What is it that you are trying to make with the meat? If you are using it as ground meat then you need to break it up a lot more than just thirds. Your goal should be to try to separate each little piece of meat. _Really_ break it up, like into hundreds or thousands of pieces.
> 
> Now if you are making burger or meatloaf or some other formed type meat then you do not want to break it up that way, but if you are just cooking it to throw into a pasta dish or something like that then you want to break it up as much as possible.



interesting; I'm not making patties with it, I'm a health junkie and want to be eating 1/3 lb of either type of meat at a time, so thirds are convenient to me in that way.  do you still recommend breaking it up into tiny pieces?


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## GB

Well again, it depends on what you are making with it. Do you have a particular use in mind?


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## Holdthescroll

I eat it straight up, nothing on it


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## GB

Then yes you want to break it up as much as possible as it cooks. Have you ever had a sloppy joe or similar sandwich? The meat should be broken up like that as it cooks.


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## Holdthescroll

thx man, i had no idea


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## GB

Stick around. You will learn a lot here!


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## buckytom

holdthescroll, do a search for a sandwich call "maidrites", or "loose meat", or steamed meat sandwiches.

if you're just cooking some broken up bits of meat in a pan, add a little seasoning like salt and pepper, and a little water to help the meat stay moist.


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## jennyema

buckytom said:


> holdthescroll, do a search for a sandwich call "maidrites", or "loose meat", or steamed meat sandwiches.
> 
> if you're just cooking some broken up bits of meat in a pan, add a little seasoning like salt and pepper, and a little water to help the meat stay moist.


 
I was also thinking of a maidrite!


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## buckytom

holdenmcscroll,  
for some maidrite info: http://www.maidrite.com/maid-rite_history.html

yummm, a bison madrite. the best "real" madrite i've ever had was in the tiny town of aledo, illinois. not far from muscatine, or davenport. 

ya gotta go to the source if you want the real stuff.

i've heard a lot of crazy stories from people about the secret recipe for maidrites: everythng from using bull meat, to coca cola, to corn or soy "milk", to chicken stock.

i'd try steaming it with a salty stock like beef or chicken, or even try it with a beer. but ya gotta add salt. try to get a really flavorful cut of tough meat and grind it or get it ground ground for you.

hope this helps.


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## GB

Yes salt is a must! You do not want too much salt, of course, but salt is (IMO) the most important ingredient in cooking.


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## JGDean

I have some 1/2" thick frozen bison patties. What is the best approach if I want to grill them on a natural gas grill? Frozen or not? Seasoning?


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## Steve Kroll

JGDean said:


> I have some 1/2" thick frozen bison patties. What is the best approach if I want to grill them on a natural gas grill? Frozen or not? Seasoning?


Not frozen. Once they're thawed, just treat them as you would fresh hamburger patties. And yes, you will want to season them.


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## salt and pepper

Holdthescroll said:


> I've been trying my best to cook beef/bison on my skillet over a stove-top, but the meat never seems to entirely cook. I'm afraid that if I don't learn how to cook these meats properly, I'll end up with e-coli one of these days. Here's what I'm doing:
> 
> 1) Put 1 lb of ground beef/bison on skillet
> 2) Turn stovetop to medium heat
> 3) Try my best to make the meat as cooked as possible
> 
> I always end up with pink spots in the middle of the meat. Is there anything I can do to cook these meats better? (also, I just bought ground turkey and plan on using the same cooking method)
> 
> I'm new to cooking, so don't judge ... lol.


 
   Iv'e been eating wild game all my life, including bison. I like it rear to med rear. Don't worry about color, just cook it to 140 degrees or more.
  Most wild game should be cooked rear to med or it gets too dry because of the lack of fat. Cook it as you would a rib eye or T-bone.
   I have made it in sushi just by searing it for 2 minutes per side and marinating it Saki and soy sauce for 30 minutes. It's raw, with no ill effects.


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