My wife’s uncle scored a Bison Chuck Roast the other day, and we were tasked with turning it into something tasty! Knowing that bison is typically leaner than beef and that chuck roast is also a tougher cut, we identified the biggest challenge to be cooking the meat in a way that made it tender! To meet the challenge, we opted to enact two countermeasures:
- Cook the meat low and slow in the slow cooker for 8 hours.
- Add fat to the party in the form of bacon strips so they would render and tenderize the roast.
The combination of slow cooking and topping with bacon did exactly what we had hoped! But bacon doesn’t get crispy in a slow cooker, so we still had one last step to do to finish our meal. We put the roast under the broiler to put the final touches on the roast, and that crisped the bacon up perfectly! Then, while broiling, my mother-in-law turned the rendered fat into a really tasty gravy to pour over the meat as we ate!
We served our roast with Roasted Cauliflower and my mother-in-law’s world famous (at least it should be world famous) cornbread! But we also think this would go well atop a bed of any of our Sneaky Mashed Potatoes renditions!
Time: 8 Hours
Ingredients:
- Bison Chuck Roast
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Ground Sage
- Ground Thyme
- Bacon
- Optional (if you want to make gravy): 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
Method:
- Pat your roast dry, and place it in your slow cooker.
- Liberally sprinkle on your garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, sage, and thyme, and add a little salt as well.
- Layer some bacon strips across the top of your roast.
- Cook on low for 7.5-8 hours. As your roast cooks and renders fat, occasionally baste.
- When your roast is nearly done, turn your broiler on.
- Remove your roast from the slow cooker, and place it on a broiling pan.
- Broil for a few minutes to crisp up the bacon.
- Optional: If making gravy, pour your rendered liquids into a saucepan. Then, combine your corn starch with equal parts hot water, and stir to fully dissolve. Pour into your saucepan, and heat to thicken.
- Slice your roast into the thickness you desire.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
