One Of The Best Frozen Burger Brands Features Both Bison And Bacon

There's something undeniably satisfying about making your own burgers from scratch, but finding the time can be hard. Fortunately, there are plenty of amazing frozen burger brands out there, and they're not just getting creative with beef. In particular, Force of Nature is serving up something a little more unique, and that includes a line of meat products sourced from bison, elk, deer, and wild boar.

The history of bison has been incredibly turbulent. Once widespread across America, Indigenous peoples relied on them for food, skins, shelter, tools, and clothing for thousands of years. They were nearly hunted to extinction in the 19th century, with estimates suggesting that numbers dropped from as many as 60 million bison to just around 300. Today, conservation efforts have once again made them a viable food source, albeit an expensive one. As of this writing, Better Health Market lists four 16-ounce patties as retailing for $23.19, as opposed to the $14.29 price of four 16-ounce Applegate Farms turkey burgers.

Force of Nature sources its bison from family-owned ranches across the West and Midwest, stressing responsible stewardship along with a delicious end product. Its bison patties with uncured bacon are one of the most unique and flavorful frozen burger patties on the market today, but what makes them worth the steep price tag?

Read more: 11 Things You Didn't Know You Should Be Doing With Bacon

Responsibly Raised Bison Herds Mean Low-Fat, Healthy Burgers

Force of Nature prides itself on what it calls the "Regenerative Revolution," which is basically a dedication to antibiotic-, chemical-, and hormone-free farming and ranching. Animals are raised in their native environments, and farmers care for them from the ground up — literally. Soil and grasses are treated with the same focus on all-natural methods.

What does that mean for the customer? Not only is bison typically lower in fat than beef, but it's also lower in calories. Still, it comes with everything that you want in a healthy form of red meat, as it's high in protein, B vitamins, iron, selenium, and zinc. One Force of Nature bison bacon burger contains 210 calories, 14 grams of fat, 22 grams of protein, and 30% of the daily recommended intake of iron.

But what about taste? Some might shy away from bison thinking it'll have a gamey flavor, but it absolutely doesn't. It's incredibly similar to the taste of beef, although it can be slightly sweeter. It also tends to be on the very tender side, although there's a footnote here: The low fat content means that it's easy to overcook. That's easy to avoid with a little diligence, though.

What Are The Benefits Of Uncured Bacon?

While there is a difference between cured and uncured meat, this difference may not be what you think it is. Force of Nature advertises the bacon in its bison beef patties as uncured, and while that distinction is important, it's also worth a closer look.

Cured and uncured bacon are actually both still considered cured meat products, but the difference is in the source of the curing agents. While cured bacon is made with salt and sodium nitrites, uncured bacon is made with naturally occurring sources of these compounds, such as ingredients like celery juice powder and sea salt.

Does it matter? That's a tricky question, and some scientific research has linked processed meats and nitrates with certain cancers. For instance, one study published in 2022 in the International Journal of Epidemiology found there were high rates of breast and prostate cancer among individuals who consumed high amounts of processed meats containing nitrates. In 2023, The Washington Post spoke with University of Wisconsin at Madison meat science professor Jeff J. Sindelar, who told them that although the use of nitrites as curing agents was a crucial step in preventing the development of conditions like botulism, "Nitrite is nitrite, regardless of the source." The good news here is that Force of Nature stresses that it raises its heritage-breed pigs under the same humane, pasture-raised principles as its bison, which is a win for anyone wanting a delicious, bacon-y burger that's better for the environment.

Read the original article on The Daily Meal.