Bison burgers that don't dry out

Most bison burger recipes fail for one reason: ground bison is too lean for burgers. Beef burgers benefit from the 80/20 ratio (20% fat) — bison is more like 95/5. That fat is what carries flavor and keeps the burger juicy when it hits the griddle. Take it out, and you get hockey pucks.

The fix: add 2 tablespoons of grated frozen butter back into a pound of ground bison. The butter melts into the meat as it cooks, replacing the fat that's missing. Subtle, but it's the whole game.

The method

1. Grate frozen butter. 2 tbsp, on the largest holes of a box grater. Has to be frozen — soft butter just gets squished.
2. Mix gently. Combine ground bison with the butter shreds. Use your fingertips. Do not overwork — overhandled meat gets dense.
3. Form 4 loose balls. About 4 oz each. Don't pack them tight; leave them shaggy.
4. Get the griddle screaming hot. Cast iron or flat-top, max heat, 5 minutes. The pan should smoke faintly.
5. Smash. Drop a ball on the dry pan. Lay parchment over it. Smash flat with a stiff spatula or burger press. Salt and pepper aggressively.
6. Don't touch. 90 seconds, no peeking. The crust is forming.
7. Flip. Slap on cheese. 60–90 seconds. Bison goes from perfect to overdone in 30 seconds — pull early.
8. Toast the bun in the fat. Pull the burger to a plate. Toast cut-side down in whatever's left in the pan.
9. Stack and eat immediately. Sauce, burger, onion, pickle, top. These don't keep. Eat them hot.

Common mistakes

Cooking too long. Bison burgers should be slightly pink in the middle. They will be — you don't have to aim for it; you have to fight the urge to overcook. If you're hitting 160°F internal, you've overshot.

Pressing the burger down with the spatula after the smash. Don't. Once the crust forms, leave it alone. Pressing squeezes out the juice you're trying to keep in.

Cold pan. The whole point of smashing is the maillard crust, and you don't get a crust on a lukewarm griddle. If you can't comfortably hold your hand 6 inches above the surface for 2 seconds, it's hot enough.