Bison is one of those meats where you have to be careful how you prepare and cook it. Bison ribeye, for instance, has little intramuscular fat (read: very lean). It does, however, have a large fat deposit alongside the eye of rib, perhaps more so than beef ribeye. That being said, I would not recommend it to be cooked any further than medium-rare. Any further, and it will become expensive boot leather, due to the leanness. I find the raw preparation of bison ribeye needs to be trussed in order for it to retain it's shape, after it has been cut into portions. For example, once a steak has been cut from the loin, a length of butcher twine should be applied around the circumference of the ribeye steak, and gently tied, so that it may withstand the rigours of charbroiling, pan frying, or what have you. I have always found game type meats to be a little flabby for some reason, be it lamb, elk, muskox, or venison. So I tie them all up, to give them a little help. The benefits of this are reaped in the finished product, where presentation counts the most.
A fast cook method is what one looks for when grilling game steaks or chops. Bison lends itself to super-searing in a blazing hot skillet with a little browned butter. 2 minutes a side in the pan, let it rest for a few mintes, then... wunderbar! Charbroiling is also effective, and a little easier to control. Just be careful of flare-ups when that large fatty eye begins to melt!
Game meat dishes often benefit from a sauce, relish or condiment that is well balanced and built up with acids and reductions (gastriques)...tomatoes, full bodied red wine, aged vinegars, fruits (like blueberry, cherry, lingonberry, currants) accompanied with minced shallots. They play well off of the earthy and rich quality and texture of the game. A nice ladle of a homemade (of course) glace de veau (see blog entry on glace de veau) and a little pommery mustard is a nice way to bring that sauce together.
Cheers!
-D
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