Two decades of unique meat at The Bison Ranch
What started as a fondness for jerky more than two decades ago evolved into one of the more unique spots in the Valley.
ELLSWORTH TOWNSHIP, Ohio - What started as a fondness for jerky more than two decades ago evolved into one of the more unique spots in the Valley. It's called The Bison Ranch.
Greg Ellis opened it back in 1995, using some Buffalo jerky his sister sent him from Montana as his inspiration.
"Kind of a whim. A friend of mine knew a guy that raised Buffalo in Hartville and I went out and talked to him and bought one off of him and five off another farm in Beloit. They're both gone now and we're pretty much the only ones left around," said Ellis.
Ellis started out with those six. Now he's up to 26 and Greg's still fascinated.
"They could jump six feet. They could clear that fence with no problem. They'll run 35-40 miles an hour and they're just a neat animal to watch," said Ellis.
He gets just as big of a kick, though, out of educating people about bison meat. Ellis still gets first-timers in the door all the time; another chance to make someone a believer.
"Buffalo meat is better for you than beef. It's lower in fat than turkey," said Ellis. "Buffalo meat doesn't marble where beef does, it will get fat in the meat. It cooks faster than beef does. A burger, you want to cook it 3-4 minutes, flip it one time, 3-4 minutes and you won't get any fat whatsoever out of it. You could cook a thousand burgers in the same skillet, you'd have to add oil to cook them."
So as trends shifted more toward health-conscious options, the Bison Ranch found its sweet spot.
It recently opened a new store that's open twice a week, all year long. Inside the shop is where you can get whatever you want, from burgers to steaks to snack sticks, all raised right here.
"Every Saturday somebody will come in and say, 'I've driven by here for years and I finally stopped.' It's just kind of funny that some days you'll get three people who walk in and say the same thing," said Ellis.
Opening new minds, every week to the possibilities at the ranch.
You can find it on Route 45 in Ellsworth. It's open Fridays from 12 pm-6 pm and Saturdays from 10 am-5 pm.
