It turns out that the bison that once roamed the Great Plains of North America as far as the eye could see were in danger of extinction. There were only 28 bison left in the entire continent at the start of this century. This shocked Americans into making sure that this animal, which had played such an important role in their great pioneering history, would not become extinct. So a large-scaled breeding programme was thus launched.

A large-scaled breeding programme was thus launched.

Habitat
Originally, wild bison lived on the Great Plains in the eastern parts of Canada and the United States. Today, bison no longer live in the wild. Instead, they are maintained by breeding programmes on large ranches: around 300,000 bison in the US and 200,000 in Canada.

Season
Because there is no breeding or slaughtering season, this meat is available all year round. Only the bulls are slaughtered for human consumption.

Meat
In general, the meat of bison is considered to be of better quality than that of good beef cattle breeds such as Angus, Limousin and Charolais. Bison meat is deep red with a certain amount of marbling. The parts are extremely large but can easily be cut to size. Bison should be prepared in the same way as beef.

Cuts
Virtually every type of cut is available. Keep in mind that the cuts use the American designation: ribeye, striploin, topside, inside and knuckle.