354,200 pounds of ground beef recalled because of possible E. Coli contamination. That's a lot of dead cow. I think any time one of these recall news events hits the web...they should have some cowbells ringing in the background in remembrance of all the dead cows who were needlessly slaughtered and their bodies wasted due to E. Coli contamination. I gotta have more COWbells!!!! This is pretty sad, though. I hate when this happens...it's just a complete waste. It's bad enough the cow had to die. Now, the cow died for nothing. Yes, I'm a hypocrit cause I do occassionally eat beef. That doesn't mean I want to see thousands of pounds of ground beef(or cow) go to waste. I've been thinking about eating Buffalo(i.e. Bison). You can order fresh Bison meat on the web and some grocery stores carry it. It's lower cholesterol, saturated fat, and more protein. Does anyone here eat Bison meat regularly? Of course, there is a history there. In 1880(or roundabout), there were only 1,000 of these animals left to due the hunting for game and food by mainly the white man before some conservation groups started to preserve the animal. These great animals used to roam North America in vast numbers(millions and millions). The Indians had more than enough for food and other uses, such as tools and rugs. However, the white man came along and not only took all the Indians land killing most of them in the process, they also almost killed off all the damn Bison. Today, there are 350,000 Bison and growing so this is beginning to be part of the diet once again. Of course, being the hypocrit that I am....eating Bison meat should be no different from eating cow meat....except I gotta have that COWbell and they don't make a BISONbell. Or do they? On the other hand, I eat a lot of plant-based soy products so I'm not constantly consuming meat every day of my life. For instance, I will have a meatless burger or chickenless sandwich instead of the real thing many a time. I'm still a hypocrit, however, cause I can't care about the animal and eat the animal. Out of sight...out of mind I guess. Surf
When I was little, I had a buffalo burger at <a href="http://www.woolaroc.org/">Woolaroc</a> on a field trip. As I recall, it tasted pretty much like regular old beef. I don't know if I would eat buffalo now or not. We tend to get conditioned to only eating certain meats because of culture/habit, and buffalo is not in the standard diet. In 1830 there were 60 million buffalo on the plain. In 1926 4356 were left, according to the Woolaroc website. If you're ever up in North-eastern Oklahoma, around Bartlesville/Tulsa, be sure to make the drive to Woolaroc. It's pretty cool.
I've eaten Buffalo Burgers at the Sunset Grill over on Richmond (near Sam's Boat I think). I remember it being ok, but nothing that special. I'm not sure if the Sunset Grill is still there, though. Also, has anybody tried Longhorn meat? It's supposedly the leanest cattle meat you can get. I think it's something like 96-98% lean meat. I remember reading something about longhorn meat on the Web stating that a study at A&M said it had less fat and cholesterol than chicken. I know Tom Thumb sells it here in Dallas, so Randall's may sell it in the Houston area.
I read on one of the Buffalo meat websites the following. Note how it says in 1889 there were less than 1,000. If there were 60 million in 1830, then in 69 years that number went down to 1,000? If true, then in 69 years 59+ million Bison were wiped out. All I can say to that is either the numbers are wrong or HOLY SH*T F*CKING WOW!!!!!!!!! History The great American bison is a truly magnificent animal. It is the largest land mammal found in North America since the end of the Ice Age. This so-called American Buffalo is a descendant of ancient animals that crossed the Bering land bridge some 300,000 years ago. Technically they are Bison, bison (genus, species). They are not buffalo, as are the African Cape buffalo or the southeast Asian Water buffalo. They have virtually no relatives other than the Wisent, a species of this shaggy animal that lives in north-central Europe and of which there are a limited number. Before northern Europeans settled North America, there were an estimated 30-70 million bison ranging across the continent, from Alaska to at least the northern tier of Mexican states. The oldest herd fossils remaining in the lower 48 states are more than 100,000 years old. An important archaeological site in New Mexico, the Folsom Site, revolutionized American archaeology. It was the first time that irrefutable evidence of human tools and Ice Age animals were found together. The site proved to be a bison kill, or bison jump, where Paleo Indians killed and butchered 23 bison nearly 10,000 years ago. Once the mighty herds stretched in numbers beyond the horizon. To the American Indians, before the arrival of Europeans, these animals provided an unending supply of food and raw material for tools, clothing and other products. Additionally, the bison were considered spiritual beings that sustained the spirit as well as physical life. According to pioneer journals and scientific guesstimates, bison moved in herds that varied from 500-animals to more than 500,000-animals. To the early European explorers, the bison represented boundless wealth and potential for personal profit and freedom. That great wealth was almost completely wasted within a few decades by careless slaughter for fun and sport, and excessively exploitative hunting of bison for hides and tongues. By 1889, less than 1,000 were left and those were saved by the combined efforts of William Hornaday (Director of the Bronx Zoo) and a small group of ranchers. In 1905, the American Bison Society was formed to save the bison and protect rangeland for the animals. Today, those efforts are carried on by the National Bison Association and the Canadian Bison Association. The bison herds of today number in excess of 350,000 and are growing.
Anyone know how and the hell do you despose of that much bad meat ? 350,000 lbs !!!!! I mean, do your bury it ? ( that would be nasty ) do you incenerate it ? what ? I'm sure someone here can shed some light on this. Thanks, S.J.
You know...if they just dispose of the bad meat, then that is a complete waste. At the very least....they can use it to make dog food because dogs are not susceptible to e. coli like humans are. If they just destroy it, then that is complete bs. Hell, I would even cook it thoroughly and serve it up to the poor or something. As long as it is cooked to a certain temperature for a certain length of time, then it should be safe. They could always eat garbage instead I guess .
Apparently hunters used to slaughter bison by the hundreds as a form of sport in the 1800's. That would explain their drastic reduction over the last century. I took GRG 305 (geography) my freshman and was stunned to hear that Texas used to be full of bears, wildcats, wild boars, and other such large mammals. Not to mention the cougars that used to live in the hill country.
Vengeance - I've been to Woolaroc; cool place! Amazing collections of stuff including live antelopes (or sheep?) with two sets of horns, lots of various heads mounted on the wall, and that piece of 60-year-old birthday cake (did we really need to see that?). Now if only there were other things to do in Oklahoma... It would make more sense for us to eat bison, considering that it is a native animal of this country; haven't tried it... waiting for the price to go down... of course, it's also probably easier to ranch cattle since they aren't as likely to injure people who take care of them.
I'm not worried. My grandfather slaughters his cattle and we get the meat from those. Much better, cheaper and healthier (about 98% lean). BTW Baqui99-There still are some wild boars in Texas. Missouri City to be exact. We had our high school football field overrun by them about 4 years ago.
They're still out there, except for the wolves. Black bear can be found in East Texas, and I've seen several bobcats & coyotes, along with mountain lion tracks (you rarely see a live one - they're incredibly reclusive) on my grandparents ranch in the Hill Country. Pronghorn antelope live in the Panhandle, though their populations have dropped over the last decade, for reasons unknown. Wild hogs are everywhere in Texas, though they really don't belong here. Some are feral (descended from escaped livestock) & others were imported from Europe. They're unbelievably destructive animals, ranchers pretty much shoot them on sight (ranchers tend to shoot lots of animals on sight - coyotes, cats & foxes primarily - but in this case I agree with the practice). Elk used to be a plains animal like buffalo - they were forced to adapt to living high in the mountains as a result of increased hunting pressure, first from the plains Indians & then from European immigrants. Buffalo weren't as well suited to that environment, thus they were driven nearly to extinction. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. is breeding genetically "pure" bison descended from the last remaining members of the southern herd that used to roam central & north Texas. They're trying to acquire enough land to have a self-sustaining herd within the next 10-20 years. Buffalo steaks & burgers are quite tasty, almost identical to beef but a little drier (less fat). Ziggy's Healthy Grill on Alabama has some interesting exotic burgers, the venison & buffalo are great, but haven't had the desire to try the ostrich or kangaroo yet. Whole Foods sells buffalo ribeyes that aren't that much more expensive than beef.
Cougars (Mountain Lions) are definitely still around...though they are very reclusive. I've only seen one in the wild, and it pretty much freaked me out. We were in South Texas just outside of Cotulla, and I was driving my brother-in-law's Jeep Cherokee (one of the old ones; back when they were big). Anyway, I was on a two lane highway in the dead of night doing at least 65. I caught something out of my peripheral vision and I saw it.....just for a second though....as it was heading towards the road...and our truck. When it got in front of the headlights, I got to see it in all of it's glory. The damn thing was as big as a lioness. How I missed it, I'll never know. It was so close that it disappeared under the hood as it ran by. I wouldn't be surprised if the end of it's tail brushed the front of the truck. Luckily, it was running almost as fast as I was driving. As for bison, make a trip to Yellowstone, and you'll see some pretty good sized herds. Same thing with Elk.
