While buffalo meat is deep and red in color like its beef counterpart, the taste and protein-to-fat ratio are actually quite different. Not often thought of around the family dinner table, buffalo meat has made its way into high-end restaurants, supermarkets and meat specialty shops alike.

But before you go looking for grass-fed buffalo meat for sale for your business, it takes some time to educate yourself on the different types of meat and how it should be prepared in keeping with food quality and safety standards.

1. Determine the nutritional value of buffalo bison meat.

2. Properly prepare your buffalo meat for consumption, utilizing food safety guidelines.

3. Educate yourself on the different cuts of buffalo meat for sale in your restaurant or meat specialty shop.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn the nutritional value associated with buffalo meat

Familiarize yourself with the general nutritional value of buffalo meat. Leaner than its beef counterpart buffalo meat, it offers an exciting alternative to those who are trying to follow a low fat lifestyle. Just remember to look for the nutritional value of the cut of meat you'll be utilizing. Like beef, there are different cuts of meat. Some of those cuts contain more fat than others.

I recommend: Check out the website Nutrition Data which is part of a series of websites owned by Conde Nast. They offer a comprehensive look at the nutritional value of buffalo meat. The National Bison Association also offers an in-depth look.

Cook your buffalo meat in a manner that follows food safety regulations

Just like other forms of meat, your buffalo meat must be properly prepared so that all of the bacteria on the meat is killed during the cooking process. Remember to always wash your hands, plates, utensils and anything that comes in contact with the buffalo meat thoroughly before it has been cooked.

I recommend: Check out the website for the United States Department of Agriculture for information on proper handling of buffalo meat. Also, the InterTribal Bison Cooperative provides tips on the handling of bison meat and food safety as well.

Learn the different cuts of meat as part of your buffalo meat education and training

Like its beef counterpart, there are many different kinds of buffalo meat. A cursory search can find everything from buffalo steaks to buffalo ground meat, to organic buffalo meat, to even buffalo filet mignon. Take the time to educate yourself on the subtleties of these different cuts of meat so you know how to prepare it and use it in your restaurant or sell it in your meat specialty shop.

I recommend: Visit the website for the Canadian Bison Association for a comprehensive diagram on the different cuts of buffalo meat that the animal produces. The Wisconsin Bison Producers Association offers a comprehensive diagram as well.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can cook buffalo meat in the same manner you prepare many other meats. Grilling, pan frying, roasting and broiling will all bring out the wonderful flavors of buffalo meat for your restaurant or meat specialty shop. It should be noted that because of the lower fat content, cooking buffalo meat is slightly quicker than cooking beef.

Savory and nutritious buffalo meat appears on restaurant menus all over the United States because more consumers are reporting that buffalo meat is unlike any meat they've had before. Since the 1970's, western ranchers have been herding bison and buffalo meat so they can provide healthy and natural meat products for American consumers at reasonable prices.

The public's response has been overwhelmingly supportive, and with good reason. When it comes to flavor, buffalo meat gets high scores for its slightly sweet, deep beef taste. Low in calories and cholesterol, buffalo meat is much healthier than other red meats. Because buffalo and bison spend their days grazing freely on grass, the animals' meat remains free of drugs and antibiotics. The products are also quite versatile for restaurant cooking, since cooks can use buffalo and bison meat interchangeably in almost any meat recipe. If you've never thought about adding buffalo meat to your restaurant's menu, consider these practical tips:

1. Establish accounts with buffalo meat wholesalers for great selection and affordable prices.

2. Develop recipes and techniques for cooking buffalo meat to add variety to your menu.

3. Serve organic buffalo meat products that are popular with health-conscious patrons.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Reduce costs when you buy wholesale buffalo meat directly from the supplier

Buffalo meat processors take direct orders from customers. By eliminating the middle man, you'll pay prices that are more reasonable.

I recommend: Buffalo Gal started raising buffalo in 1976. Today, the company raises buffalo on its own ranch and processes a complete line of buffalo bison meat products for the foodservice industry. The Buffalo Guys of Elk Mountain, Wyoming, has been producing buffalo meat since 2000. In 2002, they started to make their buffalo meat products available by direct sales through the Internet. They're now selling to stores in every state. Their buffalo products range from hot dogs to buffalo ground meat and London broil cuts.

Take advantage of recipes and tips on cooking buffalo meat from the professionals

Since buffalo meat is just beginning to appear on more restaurant menus, many cooks are not sure how to cook it. Get the most out of your purchase by educating your cooks about cooking methods distinctive to buffalo meat.

I recommend: A distributor of buffalo meat wholesale, The Healthy Buffalo provides recipes, nutritional information and cooking tips on its website. Arrowhead Buffalo Meats has been a leader in buffalo meat products supply to the restaurant industry. Its website explains how to substitute buffalo meat in any standard beef recipe you use.

Get organic, grass fed buffalo meat for sale from suppliers who deal with certified ranches

Even buffalo meat is not immune to the growing trend among consumers to buy organically grown and processed foods.

I recommend: Cowboy Free Range Meat, operating out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, offers exceptional rib eye and New York Steak cuts of organic buffalo meat. Diamond Organics offers grass fed buffalo meat products on its website. You can even get free delivery on the variety sampler package.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Buffalo meat has much less fat than regular beef. Therefore, it cooks up quicker, which also means you must pay careful attention not to overcook it.

Buffalo is marketed as "the beef alternative" in the United States. While the word "buffalo" brings up images of wild herds roaming across the great plains regions, today's buffalo meat comes from domestic or at least tended herds of buffalo that graze either in feedlots or on pastured ranch land. The following key terms will help you to build a basic understanding of buffalo meat and how the buffalo meat industry works.

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The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Feed lotting

Feed lotting refers to the practice of confining buffalo in a feedlot, where they are then fed by ranchers instead of grazing for their food. This lets the ranchers control the amount and composition of food the buffalo receive and is used as a practice to ensure maximum weight gain before slaughter.

I recommend: The Northern Buffalo Ranch explains the practice of feed lotting, including its motivation by the belief that feed lotting produces more flavorful, tender meat.

Grass-fed

Grass-fed buffalo are allowed to graze for themselves on pasture land, as opposed to being raised and fed in a feed lot. The reduced stress of grass feeding and having the extra room to roam is reputed to increase the quality of the meat.

I recommend: The Wild Idea Buffalo Company explains the characteristics of grass-fed buffalo, including why it's superior to feed lot buffalo, and provides a nutritional comparison.

Bison

Bison is the proper name for what is commonly referred to as 'buffalo' or 'American buffalo.' Any meat being marketed as buffalo in America is almost guaranteed to be bison meat.

I recommend: Defenders of Wildlife offers a fact sheet about bison and American buffalo.

Brucellosis

Brucellosis is a disease found in wild bison that may be communicated to non-vaccinated cattle and captive bison being raised for meat. Brucellosis may also be transmitted to humans who eat brucellosis-contaminated buffalo or bison meat.

I recommend: The Buffalo Field Campaign offers a fact sheet about brucellosis, including the history of the disease and information about testing methods and transmission of the disease.

National Bison Association

The National Bison Association is a US-based non-profit organization of producers, processors and marketers with the mission of creating a sustainable future for the bison/buffalo industry, including use of meat and byproducts.

I recommend: The National Bison Association explains the history of its development and its purpose.

Cuts of meat

Chuck, brisket, short plate, flank, hip and sirloin--these are all among the names for specific cuts of meat on a bison or buffalo. Each cut comes from a specific place on the animal and has typical characteristics of tenderness, taste and grain.

I recommend: The Canadian Bison Association provides a diagram illustrating which part of the bison each cut of meat comes from and which are the most tender.