Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
John Hollenhorst reportingA different kind of red meat went on sale in Utah today, the first time ever for an unusual dinner-time treat.
It's a type of meat you may have never heard of. But there's a pretty good chance it's healthier than what you're used to eating.
It's unusual meat from an unusual animal. Beefalo is a cross-breed of beef-cow and bison. Until recently, beefalo meat was sold only in Washington state. Nutritionally, it splits the difference between beef and bison.
They're cooking up a new kind of burger at The Store in Sandy. Buffalo meat has sold alongside beef for many years. But now there's a third choice: beefalo.
Sandy resident Aleigh Young said, "I think it tastes really good. And it's healthy."
Washington state rancher Mark Merrill, of Beefalo Meats, said, "It's sweeter and milder than beef. And it's more juicy."
Merrill says about 15 ranchers in his region produce 1,500 beefalo a year from a cross-breed developed 35 years ago. They look more like cows than bison.
"Originally they wanted to cross bison with cattle to get more hardy cattle," he said.
When cholesterol became a concern, low-fat beefalo found a marketing niche. "It has been shown to lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein)cholesterol," he said.
Well, the science isn't quite that clear.
By coincidence, a steak-eating experiment is underway at the VA hospital. Volunteers are eating steak six times a week -- beef or bison, no beefalo -- in this double-blind medical study.
Test volunteer Dan Olsen said, "It's a pretty good deal. Free steak; you can't really beat that."
Before and after munching down a steak, the volunteers are tested for blood flow.
E. Wayne Askew, director of the University of Utah Division of Nutrition, said, "Typical red meat is beef. So we're comparing a leaner meat, bison, to see if there is any health benefit of bison compared to beef."
This is the first formal study of beef versus bison. It could confirm what most nutritionists suspect: Bison is healthier eating than beef. As for beefalo and the claim it will lower your cholesterol, one old study showed it did. But only 12 people were tested.
"Because of the variability in humans, it was not a statistically significant drop. It might be. But you have to have more individuals than that to determine if it is," Askew said.
Merrill agrees more studies are needed. "People come by regularly that say, ‘Since I started eating this I've dropped my cholesterol 10 points, 20 points," he said.
Even the skeptical expert, Wayne Askew, suspects beefalo is healthier than beef. He just wants to see more evidence.
In recent months they've started selling it in Alaska, Idaho and today in Utah. The supply is limited, but more ranchers may get into it if people develop a taste for beefalo.
E-mail: hollenhorst@ksl.com
