What's your beef with bison?

The American bison is back, and not just on the Great Plains.

Thanks to two Teds — President Teddy Roosevelt and media mogul Ted Turner — the bison has traveled an unlikely path from ubiquity to near extinction to rising star of the culinary scene.

The problem now is that Americans — who last year bought 31 million pounds of bison meat, about double from five years earlier — have become so unfamiliar with the meat, most don't know how to prepare it.

"Bison meat is utterly delectable, similar to beef though more intense and not at all gamey," says chef John Ash, author of "American Game Cooking." But because it's so low in fat, bison also is easy to overcook and turn tough.

At its peak, the North American bison (also called buffalo) may have numbered close to 125 million. But by 1900, they had been hunted to near extinction. The population began a slow bounce back in 1905, when Roosevelt founded the American Bison Society, the United States' first effort to save the iconic animal.

Bruce Aidells, author of "The Complete Meat Book," also credits Turner with helping the bison's culinary comeback. Turner owns the world's largest herd of bison and has sought to make the meat a part of the American menu once again. It's working.

In recent years, bison has begun showing up on a growing number of restaurant menus and has become a staple at larger grocers and natural food stores. Even big-box retailer Costco began carrying it in 2007.

David Carter, executive director of the National Bison Association, says bison enjoys a "sweet spot" between interest in healthful foods, sustainable farming and a broadening American palate.

For the most part, bison are pasture-raised and healthy, meaning ranchers don't need hormones and antibiotics. It's also healthy to eat. The leanest cuts have just 143 calories and 2 grams of fat per 31/2-ounce serving, compared to 9 grams for the leanest cut of beef.

The flavor of bison is quite similar to beef, but perhaps a bit more intense and meaty.

Carter points out that there is some variation in flavor because unlike cattle, bison are still a relatively wild animal and most ranchers want to keep it that way to preserve the natural quality of their product.

But leanness comes with a price. While bison is interchangeable with beef in most recipes, it requires a little extra attention because the meat is so lean.