Grilled Beef (or Bison) Skewers

I had grand intentions of creating a dish, Grilled Bison Skewers. It is a recipe from Chef Sean Sherman that would have been part of my Beyond Borders project. Chef Sherman is someone that I have closely followed, ever since I ate at his amazing restaurant Owamni and learned about his efforts to restore indigenous foodways. My parents gave me his cookbook, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, as a gift, where this recipe could be found. 

One day, while I was walking through the aisles of a grocery store, I decided to make the skewers. I knew that the grocery store had bison, so all I needed was the other ingredients. I got the corn and squash, but I could not find any turnips. After some thought, I decided to substitute parsnips. As I already had a lot of sumac and smoked salt at home, I was ready to get the bison meat.

I headed over to the meat section and perused the bison. The store had bison ribeyes and bison strip steaks, both of which were very expensive. Right next to them were packages of sirloin. Thinking (incorrectly) that it was bison sirloin, I grabbed a package, especially given it was much cheaper than both the ribeyes and the strip steaks. It was not until I was in the middle of checking out that I realized that it was beef sirloin, not bison sirloin. The grand intention of creating an indigenous dish came crashing down with what would be characterized as a colonialist ingredient. (Cows were introduced to this continent by the Spanish.) I could no longer do a Beyond Borders post, because the skewers did not reflect the cuisine of the indigenous peoples.

I was very frustrated with myself. Ordinarily, this post, even with its beef, would never have seen the light of day on this blog because of my mistake. However, I have another project, The Mindfulness Foodways, where I am working to change how I approach cooking. And, here is the thing: as I thought about this project, I acknowledged that my mistake was due to inadvertence. I also recognized how fortunate I was to be able to make such a mistake. If I was in the shoes of an indigenous person who was living on a reservation (where the conditions of poverty are well documented), I would most likely not be standing in a store with the range of food before me, let alone have the ability to buy expensive ingredients, like beef. I stood in a position of privilege, which remained a position of privilege even though I sought to honor indigenous cuisine. 

As part of being mindful, I must acknowledge my privilege and the conflict that it creates within me. I want to explore and learn about the cultures and cuisines of other peoples, yet, I do not walk in their shoes when doing so. My present circumstances limit my ability to travel and learn first-hand from the people themselves. While I hope to do that someday, I am presently left with all I can do to learn about their cuisine and culture from afar. In so doing, I spend a lot of time thinking through everything I write to ensure that the proper respect is given. Perhaps that intent, as well intentioned as it is, can allow an erroneous purchase to be overlooked. 

GRILLED BEEF (OR BISON) SKEWERS

Recipe respectfully adapted from Sean Sherman, 

The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, page 128

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds of bison sirloin (preferably, or beef sirloin), cut into 1- to 2-inch cubes  
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• Pinch sumac
• Pinch smoked salt
• 2 to 3 ears of sweet corn, shucked and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 to 4 young turnips (or parsnips), cut into 2-inch chunks 
• 3 summer squash, cut into 2-inch chunks

Directions:

1. Prepare the grill. Heat the coals or a gas grill for direct heat.

2. Prepare the skewers.  Brush the bison with 1 tablespoon of the sunflower oil and sprinkler with sumac and smoked salt.  Brush the corn, turnips and squash with the remaining oil. Thread the meat, sweet corn, turnips, and squash alternately on 4 to 6 skewers. Sprinkler the meat and vegetables with additional sumac and smoked salt.

3. Grill the skewers.  Grill the skewers about 4 to 6 inches from the heat, turning frequently, until the bison is no longer pink in the center, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve drizzled with wojape.

ENJOY!