Great Slave Lake in northern Alberta to northern Mexico is the bison’s historical range, the largest terrestrial mammal. Estimates of the number of Canadian Bison Meat that previously roamed North America range from $25–$70 million, although the precise number will likely never be known.
Naturalist William Hornaday, who lived in the West for an extended period before and throughout the bloodiest years of the slaughter, makes the following observation about the seemingly unlimited Canadian Bison Meat population and the challenge of measuring its size: If you wanted to know how many buffaloes were alive at any given time before 1870, you might as well have counted the leaves on a tree or made a rough guess.
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Standards For Evaluating The Quality Of Carcasses From Wild Bovines
Carcass grading standards for livestock and poultry are included in these rules. Influencing Factors for Bison Grading:
Matureness, muscling, fat coloration, and the ratio of fat to lean and fat cover are the primary variables used to identify the grade of a Bison Meat carcass. There is a clear correlation between a bison’s age and its tenderness, making maturity a crucial component in determining how bison are categorized.
Determination Of Maturity
To know the class of carcass he is grading, the grader must be able to discern the sex and relative maturity.
Bison carcasses are divided into three categories based on the degree of ossification of the cartilaginous caps of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh thoracic vertebrae, located directly below the knife rib sight. Carcasses with between 50% and 80% ossification are classified as mature, while those with less than 50% are classified as immature.
Bison ossify and live longer than beef because of this. The anterior skeleton ossifies more quickly than the posterior. The cervical region of the thoracic spine may show more ossification than the back.
Muscling: In the context of meat grading, “muscling” refers to the degree to which different areas of the carcass or wholesale cuts have developed about one another, as well as the ratio of meat to bone.
Muscle Content Determination
Muscle content in a Canadian Bison Meat carcass is determined in the same way as beef is. The front of a bison is more powerfully muscled than the back, making it a more efficient herd animal. When making their final muscle determination, graders must keep this in mind.
FAT: Fat refers to the quantity, color, firmness, and distribution of fat on the outside of the carcass.
Color Determination Of Fat
Yellow fat is unacceptable for A and B1 grades. It ought to be colorless or faintly pinkish, reddish, or amber. While there is no evidence that a fat yellow cover indicates inferior eating quality, it has been historically linked to more mature carcasses, leading to discrimination in the trade.
The grader of a Canadian Bison Meat carcass should look at both the inside and external fat to determine the level of yellowing.
Determination Of Fat Firmness (Texture)
The grader should learn to distinguish between the good and poor quality of fat, as this is a feature that helps determine the overall quality of a carcass. A perfect coating would be white, firm to the touch once set, and have a smooth, creamy consistency. Contrast this with a carcass with a thin, supple coating of rubbery, oily fat rich in amber.
Lean Meat Color And Firmness
The lean meat color is an indicator of quality that may be determined by looking at a knife-cut segment of the loin muscle after it has rested for 10 minutes. The A and B1 standards require firm, deep red skin. Dark-cutting meat has the same eating quality as its bright-red counterpart, but it is less appealing to the consumer due to its appearance.
Conclusion
Even though bison does not have a long history in Ontario, they are a staple in the culinary traditions of the rest of Canada. You may purchase Canadian Bison Meat and other goods from farmers, specialty stores, and even some of Ontario’s finest restaurants. We appreciate your visit.