Grilled Bison Steak with Compound Resting Butter
On September 20, 2021 (Updated May 07, 2024)
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This Grilled Bison Steak is cooked to utter perfection and topped with a gorgeous horseradish compound resting butter for a delicious and decadent steak. It’s the ideal steak when you want to branch out from beef or you need something a little extra for dinner this week.
Bison Steak
Bison is flavorful yet lean meat, so a long and low cook is not forgiving if you want to keep it juicy. To get a nice even cook as well as a great crust, cooking at high heat and flipping often (about every 30 seconds) is going to be the best method.
This bison steak is simply seasoned and cooked quickly for a nice and juicy steak that is absolutely delicious. Bison meat tends to have a richer and sweeter flavor than beef, so a resting compound butter makes this a truly amazing experience.
Best Way to Season Bison Steaks
When seasoning bison steaks, you don’t need to get too fancy. I used my Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub. It’s a simple salt and pepper seasoning with a handful of simple extras that complement meat without overpowering the flavor.
If you don’t have any Beef Rub on hand, you can use a simple mixture of equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Still not simple enough for you? A great flaky salt and fresh cracked black pepper are truly all you need to season these steaks. Choose your own adventure and make these steaks fit your needs.
How to Cook Bison Steak
Bison steak is ridiculously easy to make. No extra marinades or fancy footwork are needed to get a nice, juicy steak. All you need is a hot grill and you’re good to go!
- Season. Using Beef Rub or equal parts salt and pepper (throw in some garlic powder as well for extra flavor), season the bison steak on all sides.
- Grill. With your gas grill or charcoal grill preheated to High heat (around 650 degrees F), place your steaks directly on the grill grates and cook for around 6-7 minutes for Medium steak (cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F).
- Rest. Rest the steaks with a dollop of resting compound butter (check out the recipe card below for this recipe!).
- Serve. You’re ready to enjoy these steaks! They’re perfect as a quick treat yo’ self dinner for one, a fancy date-night dinner for two, or a “wow the crap out of everyone” dinner for a group. Whatever the occasion, these bison steaks are ready to please.
How Long to Cook a Bison Ribeye Steak
Cook time for a bison steak will vary depending on your preferred doneness. Here’s a general time guide for how long it will take to cook this steak with your grill preheated to High (around 650 degrees F).
- Rare (125 degrees F): 4 minutes
- Medium-Rare (135 degrees F): 5 minutes
- Medium (145 degrees F): 6 1/2 minutes
- Medium-Well (155 degrees F): 8 minutes
I do not recommend cooking bison past medium. Bison meat is very lean, so it should not be overcooked. If you stick to pulling the meat when the internal temp reaches 145 degrees F, you’ll be set to enjoy a beautiful bison ribeye.
Tips for Making Bison Steaks
Here are some tips to making the most flavorful, perfectly cooked bison steaks every time.
- Consistency is key. Look for rib eye steaks that are consistent in thickness. I prefer them to be closer to 1 inch thick for this method. The repetitive flipping and high temperatures are well suited to steaks that aren’t super thick.
- Get creative! Mix up the flavors in the resting butter. This version is heavy on herbs and horseradish. If you don’t love those ingredients, check out my Steak Resting Butter for another option and ideas for new flavors.
- Add some smoke. If you want to add a little smoke to your steak cook, add a handful of hickory chips to your charcoal right before putting the steaks on or make a wood chip foil pouch if you want to smoke on a gas grill (link to smoking on a gas grill post)Final thoughts.
More Game Meat Recipes
Ready to branch out from the classic beef and chicken recipes? Try these other unique meat recipes
Grilled Bison Steak Recipe
Here’s hoping you enjoyed this recipe for grilled bison steaks. Oh, and don’t feel like you have to wait for date night or a special occasion to whip these up. It’s been a long week, and you deserve a little something extra!
If you loved this recipe, make sure to let us know in the comment section below! You can also find us on social media by searching for Hey Grill Hey.
Grilled Bison Steak with Compound Resting Butter
Ingredients
- 4 10-ounce bison ribeye steaks
- 2 Tablespoons Beef Rub or equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Horseradish Resting Butter
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- ½ Tablespoons horseradish paste
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- ½ Tablespoon rosemary finely chopped
- ½ Tablespoon Beef Rub or equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Instructions
- Prep the bison steaks. Season the ribeye with the Beef Rub on both sides from at least 8” above the meat to ensure even coverage. Let them sit at room temperature while you prepare the grill.
- Preheat. Heat your grill to High heat (between 600-700 degrees F) for direct-heat cooking.
- Make the butter. Prepare the compound butter by mixing all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside at room temperature.
- Add wood chips. Optional step, if using charcoal: As you go to place the bison on the grill, throw about 1 cup of hickory chips onto the charcoal, spreading it evenly on the charcoal.
- Grill the steaks. Place the bison steaks right on the hot grill grates. Use long grill tongs to flip the steaks every 30 seconds until they reach your desired internal temperature (see notes for temperature doneness).
- Rest and serve. Remove the steaks from the grill to your serving platter and spoon 1 Tablespoon of compound butter on each while they rest. Rest for at least 5 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- About 4 minutes for rare (125 degrees F internal temperature)
- 5 minutes for medium-rare (135 degrees F internal temperature)
- 6.5 minutes for medium (145 degrees F internal temperature)
- 8 minutes for medium-well (155 degrees F internal temperature)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
