Buffalo Roast with Chipotle Roasted Garlic Jus

There are advantages to eating buffalo meat because it is lower in calories, lower in fat, has a wonderful flavor and is very tender.

Since there is very little fat in buffalo to keep it moist, it's important to roast buffalo at a lower temperature than you would roast beef so it won’t dry out and get tough. You may be able to special order buffalo steaks and roasts at your local supermarket but if not, it is easy to buy on-line.

Chipotle peppers are smoked and dried jalapeno peppers. If you cannot find them dried, you can get them in the Hispanic section of your local grocery store. They come in a small can in adobo sauce—a spicy, smoky red chili sauce. If all you can find is the canned variety, know that adobo is very spicy and you might want to scrape off some of the sauce before using the peppers.

Many roast recipes call for the meat to be placed on a rack before roasting. A roasting rack keeps the bottom of the meat from sitting in its own juices and steaming rather than roasting. In this recipe, you place the buffalo on top of the vegetables, and the vegetables act as an edible, flavorful rack!

Equipment

Roasting pan (not non-stick)

Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer

Fine mesh strainer/chinois

Carving knife

Cutting board

Wooden spatula

• 3 lb. buffalo roast
• 3 dried chipotle peppers
• 4 cloves of roasted garlic
• 1 pound onions, cut into quarters
• 1 pound carrots, cut into quarters
• 1 pound celery, cut into quarters
• 1 cups red wine
• 3 cups beef stock diluted with 1 cup of water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the garlic: Smash lightly with side of knife; peel off papery skins. Drizzle on a little olive oil and wrap all in foil.

Roast for about 25-30 minutes at 350F, until the garlic is very soft and smells sweet and nutty.

Preheat the oven to 250 F.

Cut the onions, carrots, and celery into quarters.

Dilute the stock with water.

Place all the vegetables except for the chipotles and garlic in a large roasting pan that has been coated with a little oil. Pam is fine.

Season the buffalo with some salt and pepper, and place it on top of the vegetables.

Add the diluted beef stock and roast the buffalo at 250 F for 2 1/2 hours or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 125 F.

Remove the pan from the oven and the roast from the pan and let it sit, covered with foil, while you work on the sauce. Remember, the roast will continue to cook while it is resting.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a bowl or plate and put the roasting pan on the stove over medium-high heat, across two burners if necessary.

Add the roasted garlic, peppers and red wine to the sauce pan and stir and scrape to deglaze the pan.

Reduce the liquids by about 1/3 and strain it to remove the garlic and peppers.

Taste for seasonings and adjust with salt and pepper.

Slice the buffalo roast and serve with the roasted vegetables and au jus sauce.

If you want to lean more about pepper mills and how to choose a good one for your kitchen, read my article, How to Choose a Good Pepper Mill

For more information about the health benefits of buffalo as well as the flavor profile, see my article on Buffalo Meat