The Grass Doctor

Does buffalo meat taste more like grass-fed domestic beef or corn-fed beef?

I am both a lover of hamburgers and of animals, and after reading up on the health of corn-fed cows, it broke my heart. Am wondering if there is a way to get the corn-fed taste without making an animal sick to get it....I've heard it said buffalo tastes just like domestic beef more or less and I've never heard of corn-fed buffalo....

Public Comments

1. Buffalo is a much leaner, but tastier (tho expensive) alternative to beef. Most buffalo are raised on grasses and taste delicious.
2. Buffalo is definitely the better meat, but did you know that because of ancient laws passed down from our ancestors, you must wrestle the buffalo to the ground and kill it bare-handed? Otherwise, you will be cursed forever. Or, you could just become a vegetarian and enjoy some delicious walnut/lentil burgers. Much easier. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy0NWgWrMdM
3. I'd say grass fed - or free range. To me, Buffler tastes much better than beef. It actually has flavor. Beef you buy at the grocery usually needs something added to it - catsup, onions, all manner of seasonings - to make it have flavor.
4. The Buffalo I had many years ago, taste gamy, really good but gamy and nothing like beef, better then beef but not like it. It pretty much reminded me of a mix between pork and venison. Yeah, strange I know. I have stop eating beef long ago, just does not taste as I remember it from when I was young so many years ago before all the crap they are now giving the cattle. And the world wonders why so much cancer is being found in people these days. Good luck with the Bison.
5. I suspect the people who say said that the buffalo meat tasted like beef, or actually better than beef -- have actually never tasted it, or don't have a mature enough palate in order to make that determination. To answer your question - have you ever had venison? The taste to me is a blend of grass-fed beef and venison together. It does have a bit of "gaminess" that the other poster mentioned. I've had it both as ground meat and as steaks - and the result was the same. If you happen to to be the one to cook it, you might even be disappointed in the taste because raw buffalo looks so good! It's bright red, and firm. If it was beef - it looks like USDA prime beef. But when you bit into it - you'll notice the difference. There is a reason it isn't more popular. It is because it doesn't taste as well. To a rancher - buffalo is the better choice as they are larger animals. Less work to produce more meat. If it was better, it would sell more as people would demand it. But it doesn't.
6. The taste of the buffalo meat would largely depend on what the animal ate during its life. Some commercial buffalo are fed grains to help them "finish" for slaughter, but most are grass-fed. If you really like the taste of beef, but don't want a corn-fed animal you can simply buy grass-fed beef from a local grower. Below are a couple directories to look for a local grower.