FAQs
Is your buffalo meat free from antibiotics, hormones, and GMOs?
Yes, yes, yes and yes! We’ve seen and personally experienced the health benefits of a grass fed and finished buffalo free from antibiotics, hormones, and GMOs and it changed our lives. We can’t wait for it to change yours too.
How do I cook buffalo meat?
Cooking buffalo meat is similar to cooking beef and bison. Most of the recipes you already use (or new beef or bison recipes you find) can substitute buffalo meat instead. Here are some buffalo cooking tips:
- The internal cooked temperature of buffalo meat should be between 135° F (rare) to 145° F (medium rare) to 165° F (medium).
- Buffalo flavour is stronger than beef flavour. You may find that recipes that call for beef need less buffalo meat, for a similar flavour.
- Buffalo meat is lower in fat than most red meat – which is great for your body – but means that it will cook faster. Preserving the moisture will keep it from drying out. You can keep your buffalo meat from drying out by reducing your recipes cooking temperature and/or reducing the cooking time.
- For tender buffalo meat, “low and slow” cooking methods are a great way to go. Cooking buffalo meat at a lower temperature for a longer time keeps it tender and delicious. Braising is also a favourite go to technique for cooking buffalo.
- When preparing buffalo burgers cook the burgers to no more than medium, until the pink is just starting to disappear.
- Keep in mind that buffalo meat doesn’t shrink while cooking like other meats and won’t leave behind excess grease which is great for you - and your meal!
Check out our recipes for some great ideas how to serve up your next buffalo meal!
Is buffalo meat better for you than beef?
Yes! One serving of buffalo meat contains a mere 7.21 grams of fat, and about 55 milligrams of cholesterol. To put that in perspective, the same size serving of 90 percent lean beef contains about 10 grams of fat, and about 65 milligrams of cholesterol. This means buffalo is a very lean meat and also means that you will get more value for your money by purchasing buffalo meat because less of the weight is getting trimmed or drained off as fat.
Buffalo meat has a lower calorie count than other meats. For example, a 100 grams serving of buffalo meat -- about 3.5 ounces , or about 1/4 pounds -- contains about 146 calories. This makes it one of the lowest-calorie meats. A similar serving of 90 percent lean beef contains about 176 calories, while pork contains about 218 calories and turkey contains about 149 calories. Even venison, another very lean meat, contains more calories per serving, with 158.
Buffalo meat, like bison, is a common dietary choice for individuals who suffer from allergies to more common meats. (source: Livestrong)
Both Water Buffalo and Bison meat “are high in zinc, which is important in increasing white blood cells to fight off infections,” says Kerry Clifford, registered dietician and spokesperson at Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, it’s “packed with protein, iron and Vitamin B12, too.” (source: NBC News)
What does grass-fed and finished mean?
Isn’t all beef grass fed you might ask? Unfortunately, that’s usually not the case for the majority of beef found in the grocery stores. Beef and even bison might be grass fed for some of their life and then fed grain closer when they are butchered to fatten them up quickly. Grass finished means that the animals are fed grass their whole lives, with no sudden diet changes. We like to say our animals are only grass fed to take away some of the confusion.
Animals that live off an only grass fed diet take longer to grow to butchering size, sometimes between 6 to 12 months longer. This grass diet leads to a generally healthier product in the end which is remains very tender. Some health benefits of 100% grass fed animals include:
- Generally lower in fat & calories
- Likely to contain more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids
- More conjugated linoleic acid
- More antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin E
Where can I buy grass fed buffalo near me?
You can purchase buffalo directly from our farm in Salmon Arm via our online store for farm gate pick up or at farmers markets and restaurants locally and in our surrounding area. Head on over to our Where to Find page for a complete list of our local partners.
What does buffalo meat taste like?
Buffalo meat has a taste similar to grass fed beef and bison. You can taste the quality of our grass fed and finished buffalo which means you can eat less of it and receive more flavour! Check out our selection of cooking with delicious buffalo meat recipes.
What is buffalo meat called?
Buffalo meat! It’s not called beef or bison, though some people are understandably confused about what the difference is between bison and buffalo (see our Water Buffalo page to learn more!). We also call our meat; water buffalo meat, grass-fed buffalo meat, grass finished buffalo meat, hormone free buffalo meat, and antibiotic free meat.
Are your products organic?
This is a great question with a complicated answer. Our animals are fed local hay and grass that is free from sprays and pesticides. Unfortunately, we can’t officially say that our meat is organic as every farm that we purchase our feed from would also have to be certified organic. In order for those farms to be certified organic these farms have to be a certain distance from another non-organic property, and unfortunately that’s not the case with all our suppliers.
Where is your meat butchered?
Our buffalo are butchered at a local butcher Lepp Farm Market. Our goal is to make use of the entire animal, and we work with butchers and chefs that do the same.
Can you ship your eggs?
Eggs are fragile, and they cannot be shipped. However, they are available for local pickup in Salmon Arm.
Where/When Can I Pickup My Order?
Orders can be picked up at:
1603 Yankee Flats Rd
Salmon Arm, BC
V1E 3J4
When you place your order you will have the opportunity to schedule your pickup time and day.