Wyoming. Where else can you see geysers and eat bison?

Wyoming. Its name comes from the Lenape Indian word mecheweami-ing (try to pronounce that!), which means “at (or on) the big plain.” Wyoming is the least populated of the 50 states yet is the tenth biggest state area wise.

The jackalope was “born” in Douglas, Wyoming when brothers Ralph and Douglas decided to add antlers to a dead jackrabbit they taxidermied. They then sold the creature - and their tall tale - to anyone willing to buy it. You can still buy a license to hunt jackalopes in Douglas, Wyoming.

Wyoming is covered by Yellowstone National Park, taking up almost 96% of the state. Although you can't find jackalopes here, Yellowstone provides a habitat for nearly 300 species of birds, 16 species of fish, 5 species of amphibians, 6 species of reptiles, and 67 species of mammals including elk, brown and black bears, several types of goats, and probably the most well known, bison.

Way back in 2019 (which feels like a loooooong time ago), my family and I vacayed to Yellowstone along with my grandparents. It was ridiculous for an Iowan who is used to seeing for miles and miles to drive up the side of a mountain. And not to mention the geothermal features and pine trees. They are unlike anything you'll find in the prairie.

It was also an amazing wildlife experience. We were able to see grizzlies, black bears, elk, and bison galore. Which brings me back to our States on My Plate Wyoming meal.

While planning dinner, we thought about our Yellowstone experience with its many wonders like geysers and a flourishing ecosystem. While I would have loved to simply boil some water from one of the geysers, I thought that was too simple. So, keeping Yellowstone in mind, we decided we needed to create something made of bison. We visited the wonderful Meat Lodge and got some ground bison to make bison burgers.

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Meat feels gooshy and I don't like it.

We started our bison burgers by putting our two pounds of ground bison into a bowl and added some worcestershire (which is my favorite word), garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, and dry mustard. And then I had to incorporate the spices and the bison with my hands. It probably wasn’t as bad as the sourdough from California, but I still can’t say I enjoyed it.

We then shaped our meat from a pile of ground-up bison into burger patties. I can tell Dad had more practice at this then I had. Once we had our four burgers formed, you could totally tell which patties I had made, and which Dad had.

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Grilling in winter is cold on the feet.

Then we put the patties on the grill. But before we went out, I made the genius idea of going onto the back deck barefoot. Which of course was not a good idea, considering the fact that winter in Iowa can get cold. So, while my feet were slowly freezing, me and dad applied the burgers on the grill. We quarter turned them every three minutes, to as Dad said “Get those nice grill lines”. After 9 minutes of quarter tuning (three quarter turns in all) we flipped the patties over, and grilled the burgers on that side for 9 minutes.

By the time they were done, they were a nice brown. We pulled the burgers off the grill and flopped them onto a plate to bring them inside. Dad almost dropped one of them onto the deck floor.

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It's like I'm back in WY.

We made a sauce for our bison burgers out of mayo, dijon mustard, and oregano. We topped each burger with the sauce, cheese, lettuce, pickles, and onions. Dinner is served!

The bison burgers had a more gamey flavor - the flavor was more substantial and sharper than your average beef patty. The sauce definitely helped balance the bison flavor. I'd definitely do them again. They tasted great and were a wonderful reminder of my trip to Wyoming.

Want to try them yourself? Check out this recipe: Best-Ever Bison Burger.