For Father’s Day and Summer: Gather ‘Round the Grill

In our house, summertime means grilling time, and it all begins with Father’s Day.  

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate fathers everywhere than to fire up the grill and cook a juicy steak or burgers, barbecued chicken, grilled salmon garnished with tropical fruit salsa, fall-off-the-bone ribs, or lightly charred veggies.

Grilling is much more than a cooking method. Each time my husband Randy or I grill, family and friends gather around to watch the action. The smoky aromas of meat as it cooks, the sounds as it sizzles, flames that flare when melted fat hits the fire, basting with flavorful sauces, turning the meat over or rotating ears of corn — each provides a sensory experience that draws guests to the grill, usually with a frosty beverage in hand.

One of the proteins I especially enjoy grilling is bison. Once numbering in the millions, bison’s numbers have dwindled significantly, but they remain an important symbol of our country’s heritage. This magnificent animal was critical to the lives of Native Americans for food, clothing, and ceremonies, but it was also critical to our prairies’ ecosystems. Bison are regenerative by nature, and while roaming the continent, they helped sustain the plains through grazing, fertilization, trampling, and dispersal of seeds. These actions led to resilient soils able to withstand climate impacts like flooding and drought.

Thanks to dedicated ranchers, today bison are valued for their heritage and as a healthy and extremely lean protein that’s incredibly flavorful when properly prepared. The key to cooking or grilling bison is to serve it medium rare. Because it’s low in fat, the meat becomes dry and tough when overcooked, but at medium rare, bison is as juicy and tender as a beef ribeye steak.

For summertime, an easy recipe that’s sure to please is coffee-rubbed bison steak soft tacos. A simple dry rub of finely ground coffee, onion and garlic powders, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper is rubbed into each steak before placing on the grill. While the meat cooks, sliced sweet bell peppers and onion are lightly charred in a grill basket until they are crisp-tender. Once the meat is cooked, I briefly place flour tortillas on the grill until they are soft and ready to fill with sliced meat and veggies.

Christy Rost is a cookbook author, host of Celebrating Home cooking videos, and longtime Park Cities and Preston Hollow resident.  Her ‘At Home with Christy Rost’ cooking series for Eat This TV Network airs on AmazonFire, AppleTV+, Roku, Samsung TV, and YouTube.  Please visit christyrost.com for details and recipes.