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SRC: Chipotle Bison Burgers with Spicy Ranch Sauce

February 13, 2012

Adapted from Eat Laugh Love

Another month of Secret Recipe Club and this month I had Denise from Eat Laugh Love. She has a big list of delicious looking recipes and so it was difficult to chose just one! Again, I went to my husband for help. I just knew he would pick this recipe because it’s right up his alley.

Don’t let the ingredient list scare you – this comes together in no time!

Spicy Ranch Sauce:
3 Tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons light sour cream
1 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 green onions, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon minced chipotle pepper with 1 Tablespoon of the adobe sauce

Burgers:
1 pound ground bison
1/2 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tablespoon chopped chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Worcestershire-Coffee Glaze:
2 heaping Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon coffee or espresso crystals
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter

Toppings (optional):
4 slices bacon, cooked
4 whole wheat hamburger buns
4 slices of cheese (sharp cheddar cheese is my preference!)
Assorted additional toppings (such as lettuce, tomato and grilled onion slices)

Directions:
1. Gently mix all ingredients of the burgers into large bowl.

Form mixture into four 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick patties. Place on small baking sheet. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.


2.  Meanwhile, whisk all ingredients of the spicy ranch sauce into medium bowl to blend. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Set aside.


3.  Stir first 5 ingredients of glaze in small saucepan over medium heat until coffee is dissolved. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Season glaze to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.


4. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Toast buns until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer buns, cut side up, to plates.
5. Grill burgers 5 minutes, basting with glaze. Turn burgers, baste with glaze, and grill until cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes longer for medium. Top each burger with cheese and allow to melt.
6. Place some of the spicy ranch sauce, then 1 burger on each bun. Top each with 1 slice bacon and desired additional toppings. Cover with bun top. Serve with remaining sauce. Serves 4. (Nutritional info is only for burger and the 2 sauce toppings)

Nutrition Notes: I found bison at my local Whole Foods, which was from North Dakota. Now let’s compare the nutritional profile of Bison vs. Beef:

Bison, ground, grass-fed, cooked 3 oz.

  • 152 Calories, 7 grams fat (3 grams saturated fat)
  • Excellent source of protein with 40 grams, which is 84% of the daily value (DV) in a 2,000-calorie diet. Also higher in iron than beef.
  • Negatives: bison is high in cholesterol with 82 milligrams or 27% of the daily recommended value. It is also more expensive. I paid $9.99 per pound where you could get a pound os beef sirloin for half that.
  • Sweeter and richer taste than beef.
Beef, ground, cooked 3 oz. 85% lean, 15% fat

  • 210 Calories, 12 grams fat (6 grams saturated fat)
  • Good source of protein with 21 grams, which is 43% of the daily value (DV) in a 2,000-calorie diet.
  • Negatives: beef is high in cholesterol with 75 milligrams or 24% of the daily recommended value. Beef is also high in saturated fats with 6 grams, which is double the amount found in grass fed bison.

Taste Test: Don’t be fooled by the picture below. Wholesome Husband ate 3 of these burgers! They were delicious! I’ll definitely be using Bison in place of beef again!

Enjoy!!



E Lerner, MS RD LDN

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  • Holy cannoli recipes

    Oh my goodness these burgers sound like heaven to my ears. The name caught my attention really fast and after reading the ingredients, I know that we would love these.
    Holy Cannoli Recipes

    • Anonymous

      As soon as I saw this recipe too – I knew my husband would want me to make it too! It’s delicious! Thanks for stopping by! :)

  • http://twitter.com/Haggis_Herring HaggisAndTheHerring

    What an incredible burger! I’d go to a very, very nice restaurant for something like that. 

    Great job!

    • Anonymous

      Thanks! :)

  • http://searchingforspice.wordpress.com/ Corina

    Looks gorgeous.   I also like to make my own burgers – They’re so much healthier than shop-bought ones, but I’ve never tried bison before.   I don’t think it’s very easy to get here in the UK.   Does it taste the same as beef?

    • Anonymous

      Thanks Corina! I think it tastes very similar to beef! With all the toppings, it was difficult to taste the Bison by itself but next time I’ll be sure to do that. Hopefully you can find it over in the UK! :)

  • http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/ Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

    The worcestershire coffee glaze is intriguing!  Not to mention the sauce sounds wonderful! 

    • Anonymous

      Yes Debbi, the coffee glaze was a little strange at first but it totally worked!! (Be prepared to want a cup up coffee in the middle of making these from smelling the wonder coffee grounds!) :)

  • Karen

    Phew, those are some big burgers!  I don’t understand how bison can be higher in cholesterol (vs. beef) when the fat content is less than beef. I would think it’s lower than beef in saturated fat, which would make a difference, too. 

    • Anonymous

      HI Karen! Yes – it’s confusing that the beef, which is lower in fat than the Bison has less cholesterol but the fat content is no necessarily related to cholesterol levels. Take the egg for example. It has less than 5 grams of total fat but has 186mg of cholesterol. Pretty high considering the low fat content. It all depends on the nutrient composition!

  • http://profiles.google.com/kirstinmtroyer Kirstin Troyer

    Yum! That looks so good. I’ve had Bison a few times and enjoyed it

    • Anonymous

      Thanks Kirstin!

  • http://evans-eatlaughlove.blogspot.com/ Denise

    Erin, glad you and hubby liked these!! They are my guys’ fave burger for sure.
    We’ve bought a quarter of a bison for a number of years now from a farmer in
    mid-state Missouri. I’m guessing you can find such downstate IL if you like it
    and have the freezer storage. It’s much more economical and nice supporting a
    local farmer. 

    • Anonymous

      Oh wow – I didn’t know you could buy a Bison like that! Very interesting and I certainly love supporting local farmers! Thanks Denise!

  • http://twitter.com/savourthesenses Jenny Morris

    These sound amazing! I have been craving a burger lately. On the list to make! Great SRC post =)

    • Anonymous

      Thanks so much Jenny!

  • Allisonpence

    I have never thought to buy bison instead of beef. I get scared of unfamiliar meats but these photos may sway me. Yum.

  • Kristy Gardner

    bison burgers are heaven in my mouth. We make em with blue cheese and thyme – i’ll try this next “thyme” for a change. bookmarking! ….sorry i’m such an idiot: “thyme” – what was i thinking?