This recipe was a fun one to create. I decided to season the bison meat with warm smokey flavors to compliment the bacon. Smoked paprika pairs well with bacon, that’s why it was my “go-to” spice for this recipe. We also decided to throw the sliced tomatoes on the grill to add some interesting texture and flavor to the dish. Grilling the tomatoes brought out their sweet flavor. It was almost like taking a bite of marinara sauce. They were delicious.

Once again, bison is very lean, and cooks very fast. Make sure to use a lower heat setting, and keep an eye on these babies until you get the timing right.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground bison
• 8 strips bacon-2 per burger
• 1 beef steak tomato, sliced and grilled
• Butter lettuce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Process:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
3. Form ground meat into 4 ounce burger patties.
4. Grill burgers 4-5 minutes per side.
5. Remove from grill and set aside.
6. Carefully place tomato slices onto the grill.
7. Grill tomato slices 3 minutes per side.
8. Remove tomatoes from grill.
9. Top the burgers with lettuce, tomato, bacon, and serve.