For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been focused a lot on drying foods for the trip out to Washington for the Buffalo Intensive. So, the bison in my diet has been mostly in burger form, so there’s nothing interesting to write about there. Sure, the seasonings change based on the mood that strikes during the big cook-up, but a burger is a burger, even if the meat is good. If I’m not squeezing it in between two buns and cramming in a crazy combo of toppings, then I’m just indulging in some quick and delicious bison meat.

But I had the foresight on Friday night to reach into the freezer and pull out a couple of pounds of bison short ribs. I bought these at the meat processing plant for Woodland Farm. It’s good to know that the bison lived out its life in Goshen, KY, about 85 miles from my front door.

Now, I’ve never in my life cooked short ribs before, so I decided to go the crock pot route. Plus, it was a long weekend, and I wanted to make the Sunday cook-up simpler than usual. I looked around at a lot of recipes, but I decided I didn’t want to go the barbecue or red wine route. I wanted something different, and then I thought about the mustard we got in Portland, at The Grotto gift shop. I have a weakness for buying two food items on any trip: mustard and honey. A close third is hot sauce.

Well, this mustard is a honey mustard. And it had garlic…so it was sounding more and more appealing the more I thought about it.

As usual, the measurements in here are approximate.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs bison short ribs
• 1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced (half-moons)
• 3-5 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 C honey mustard
• 1 tsp minced garlic (add more of this or powder if you use regular honey mustard)
• 2-3 T lemon juice
• 1 T arrowroot powder (or thereabouts)
• Bacon grease (tallow, olive oil, whatever you like)
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. Layer the bottom of the crock pot with onions and carrots.
2. Heat a skillet with bacon fat until it starts to sizzle.
3. Sear the short ribs in the skillet on all four sides, about 3 minutes per side.
4. When there’s a nice sear all the way around, place the short ribs on top of the veggies in the crock pot.
5. Mix honey mustard, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together. Pour over marinate.
   
6. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
7. Remove the short ribs and vegetables from the crock pot.
8. Transfer the liquid from the crock pot to a small pot.
9. Over medium heat, bring the liquid to a simmer and whisk in the arrowroot powder. You might need more or less, depending on the amount of liquid. The goal is to get it to a gravy-like consistency. Adjust the seasonings—I added salt, pepper, and some roasted garlic powder.
   
10. Serve the short ribs over the veggies, and drizzle the mustard sauce over the top.

It was delicious! However, if you’re sensitive to greasy food, I’d recommend trimming the fat from the ribs before you sear them. My daughter requested that I serve them with some mashed cauliflower next time…and I am planning on spooning some of that mustard gravy over the top!