Pan Seared Bison Steak Recipe

This pan seared bison steak recipe is served on a bed of red and yellow bell peppers that have been stir-fried and tossed with a grainy mustard sauce. Bison steaks are easy to cook and full of flavor. My post will walk you through selecting, preparing and cooking bison steak.

This is a great recipe if you’ve been curious about trying a bison steak over a beef steak. If you’ve never eaten bison, it’s very similar to grass fed beef. Makes sense since bison are raised and roam in open pastures.

Flavor and Texture

• What does bison taste like? Bison is slightly sweeter and richer than beef. And has a more dense texture due to being lower in fat.
• Bison steaks are lean, rarely have any marbling, which is why bison steaks never seem greasy. Bison steak offers a leaner, richer alternative to beef, celebrated for its robust flavor and nutritional benefits.

Bison Nutritional Profile

• Is Bison healthy to eat? Bison meat is an excellent alternative to beef. It’s lower in fat and cholesterol. And learning how to cook bison is easy because it’s virtually just like cooking beef. Bison is high in protein and iron and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Source: National Bison Association.
• The most important thing you need to keep in mind is that with bison’s lower fat content, it will require less cooking time. Use a digital meat thermometer to make sure your bison steak is cooked to medium rare. Which is an internal temperature of 135 degrees.

This pan-seared bison steak recipe is easy enough for the beginner cook, clever enough for the adventurous and elegant enough for entertaining.

This recipe features Bison New York Strip Steaks resting on a bed of sautéed red and orange bell peppers and onions and seasoned with salt and pepper and zesty grained mustard. Mouthwateringly delicious.

Let’s take a look:

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Red and orange bell pepper, sliced into strips
• Sweet Onion, cut into rings.
• Coarse grain mustard.
• Bison New York Strip Steak.

Ingredient Substitutions and Swaps

• Coarse Grain Mustard: There are several brands available. I like Maille Old Style Whole Grain Dijon. Another option which is also readily found on supermarket shelves is Inglehoffer Stone Ground. And there are so many specialty stone ground mustard products available for purchase, use your favorite or have fun and experiment with different brands.
• Oil: Use butter to fry those peppers in place of the oil.

Popular Quality Bison Steak Cuts

Selecting The Right Cut: This recipe calls for a Bison New York Strip Steak, however you can substitute any of the following bison steak cuts.

• Ribeye
• Sirloin
• Tenderloin
• Flank

1. Step 1: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add two teaspoons of the oil. Once the oil is shimmering. Add sliced onion and sliced bell peppers and cook until onion is golden, about 8 minutes. In a small bowl whisk mustard with water and add to onion and pepper mixture and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat and cover to keep warm. 
2. Step 2: How Do You Pan Fry A Bison Steak? Get a pan nice and hot and then add seasoned steaks with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook about 4 – 5 minutes per side or until desired doneness is achieved. 135 degrees F is recommended.

Pro Tip: When laying steaks in a hot pan with hot oil, carefully place the side nearest to you first and lay the steak away from you. That will keep any hot oil from landing on your hand. 

What To Serve with Bison Steaks

Since this recipe for bison steak comes with its own built-in side dish of sauteed peppers, a good choice would be mashed potatoes.

If you’re looking for more side dish ideas for bison steak, check these out:

• Creamy Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad
• A simple tossed Accompaniment Salad.
• Garlic Butter Baked Potatoes
• Savory Cast Iron Skillet Potatoes

Sauces and Toppings

Even though this bison steak recipe comes with sauteed peppers in a mustard sauce, here some other ideas if you’s like to switch things up.

• Drizzle with this easy homemade Balsamic Glaze Recipe.
• Or this recipe for compound steak butter: Mustard Whiskey Butter.
• Or how about this Cognac Creamed Mushrooms sauce.
• Instead of the sauteed peppers, serve this recipe simply topped with dollop of Roasted Red Pepper Coulis.

Storage

As with any meat, Bison steaks should be cooked the day you bring them home. But they will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. If you can’t cook them within this time, remove them from the paper or container they came in from the store and place them in a freezer safe bag, press the air out. Or better yet, use a vacuum seal machine. Bison steak will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months and up to 6 months if vacuum packed.

Equipment Needed

For a pan seared bison steak, Use either a French Carbon Steel Fry Pan. Or a Cast Iron Skillet. I prefer the Carbon Steel Pan, as that’s what we used to pan sear in Culinary School.

It’s unique composition allows for even heat, the pan heats up quickly and it’s not as heavy as a cast iron. A carbon steel pan is oven safe, meaning you can start steaks on the stove top to brown and finish in the oven.

I have provided an Amazon link for the carbon steel fry pan. As an Amazon Affiliate, I receive a small commission if you purchase this pan through the link. At no extra charge to you.