Had my first Deer hamburgers today

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  • Striper69

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 31, 2014
    1,400
    Iowa
    I've only been grilling the steaks from my venison so far but today I decided to finally see how the hamburger I made from my deer cooked and tasted. I had a 1/2 pound package in the freezer so I made 2 1/4 pounders with cheese and bacon. I put some mesquite rubbing on them also. They came out tasting pretty good!

    Now I can grind up the smaller pieces of steak that are too small to grill as steaks. I'm gonna get my nephews to come over and watch footbal and have them try the burgers too. :party29:
     

    geda

    Active Member
    Dec 24, 2017
    550
    cowcounty
    Now I can grind up the smaller pieces of steak that are too small to grill as steaks. :party29:

    I have done this before, thought I was going to have the best burger ever but it was really disappointing. Cleaned up straight deer steak meat without any gristle has the wrong texture when it is ground up for burgers. I remember wishing that it had more bounce to the chew, I joked "why didnt I put more rubber bands in this?". Mixing steak meat scraps in with a larger grind of stuff is fine since it is diluted. Feel free to try it, I just wanted to share my experience. Small chunks are however really good for making cheese steaks, fajitas, kabobs, various stir frys, and curry.


    Now if you really want to rock your world grind 1/3 part bacon in with some normal grinding meat. Then put bacon on top. MMMMMMMM that is the right way to eat deer burgers :).


    For smaller steak meat like tenderloins and the small end of the loin up by the shoulder sous vide works great. 1-2 hours at 125F with 1/2 a stick of butter and some spices, then toss it in a hot cat iron frying pan with some of the melted butter from the bag for 1-2 minutes to brown the outside. After frying deglaze the pan with the rest of the with the remaining juice then save it as a dipping sauce. This is easy, hard to mess up, and tastes great. It tastes so good that I was able to wean my picky kids onto solid deer meat using this technique.
     

    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,282
    HoCo
    I do about 10-15% bacon in my ground venison. Makes perfect burgers.

    I have already ground venison, how do you add the bacon?
    Mine also came out DRY because the venison is super lean.
    Hamburger helper, deer tacos, chili, all good. Burgers for me has been no bueno
     

    rossiski

    Active Member
    Dec 28, 2019
    169
    Carroll County
    I have always mixed 20% beef fat with mine and grind them twice. For me its the perfect ratio of fat with the super lean venison.
    But, I cant argue with bacon. That always makes anything better :party29:
     

    gwchem

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 18, 2014
    3,434
    SoMD
    I have already ground venison, how do you add the bacon?
    Mine also came out DRY because the venison is super lean.
    Hamburger helper, deer tacos, chili, all good. Burgers for me has been no bueno

    I process deer myself, and just add the bacon to the grinder with chunks of venison.

    I also only grind once, and with a medium sized plate on the grinder. Two times through the grinder messes up the texture for me.
     

    davsco

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 21, 2010
    8,607
    Loudoun, VA
    we never add anything to our ground venison burger (no fat no nuthin), always comes out yummy in burgers and casseroles!
     

    USArmyJoe

    Pretty good shot
    Oct 5, 2021
    163
    AA County
    I have already ground venison, how do you add the bacon?
    Mine also came out DRY because the venison is super lean.
    Hamburger helper, deer tacos, chili, all good. Burgers for me has been no bueno

    Since I do not have my own grinder, I put the pack of bacon in the freezer for a bit (20-30 mins) to firm up, then slice it into bits, and pan fry it. This cooks the bacon and renders a lot of fat out, which I keep in a jar. When cooled, the fat will solidify, and it is easy to scoop out and mix in to cold ground venison, along with some crispy bacon bits.

    I do it this way because I use the bacon in other things too, and keeps it versatile. If you don't want bacon bits for other things, then mixing in the raw chopped bacon into the meat will get you a great result too. I find it works best when the meat is all cold.
     

    AlBeight

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 30, 2017
    4,371
    Hampstead
    we never add anything to our ground venison burger (no fat no nuthin), always comes out yummy in burgers and casseroles!
    THIS! I too like my deer meat to taste like, well...... deer meat. A good pre-cook marinate if you must, but it’s not cow, and it doesn’t taste like cow, no matter how much people sometimes want it to.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    I have already ground venison, how do you add the bacon?
    Mine also came out DRY because the venison is super lean.
    Hamburger helper, deer tacos, chili, all good. Burgers for me has been no bueno

    You have make the burgers right and cook them at a low heat.

    I usually heat my grill to only around 300F (usually lowest flame setting with it covered).

    I mix 100% ground venison, call it a 1.2-1.3lb package (5 burger patties), with about 1/8-1/4 cup bread crumbs, a tablespoon or so of diced dehydrated white onion (or twice that fresh onion of some sort diced small), an egg and then depending on how I want it to taste

    About a tablespoon of milk if I want them plain. Or what I usually do is add about a tablespoon of brown or yellow mustard and about a tsp of Worcestershire sauce.

    I shoot to cook them medium. I took me a couple of years to get it just right (tended to over cook them). If you cook it well done it’ll suck for sure.

    IMHO I like a good venison burger way more than a beef burger. I personally dislike mixing bacon/pig fat in with my grind. Changes the taste and I like my meat super lean (both health and taste). I do occasionally throw bacon in with the fixings. Though IMHO Turkey bacon tastes better in this context because it is leaner.

    Also nice is Turkey bacon wrapped backstrap cooked real low on the grill over about an hour basting it every 10 minutes with your favorite BBQ sauce or a nice molasses and whiskey glaze. Plus it gives you an excuse to standard there with a beer or two in front of your grill like some 1950s cliche *manly sounds intensify*

    IMHO adding beef or bacon fat changes the taste some, but mostly it makes how you cook it significantly more forgiving. Not that I am calling anyone here lazy or a bad cook. I am sure they are doing it because that tastes the best for them :-)

    PS I hope ya’ll can take the joke
     

    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,282
    HoCo
    You have make the burgers right and cook them at a low heat.

    I usually heat my grill to only around 300F (usually lowest flame setting with it covered).

    I mix 100% ground venison, call it a 1.2-1.3lb package (5 burger patties), with about 1/8-1/4 cup bread crumbs, a tablespoon or so of diced dehydrated white onion (or twice that fresh onion of some sort diced small), an egg and then depending on how I want it to taste

    About a tablespoon of milk if I want them plain. Or what I usually do is add about a tablespoon of brown or yellow mustard and about a tsp of Worcestershire sauce.

    I shoot to cook them medium. I took me a couple of years to get it just right (tended to over cook them). If you cook it well done it’ll suck for sure.

    IMHO I like a good venison burger way more than a beef burger. I personally dislike mixing bacon/pig fat in with my grind. Changes the taste and I like my meat super lean (both health and taste). I do occasionally throw bacon in with the fixings. Though IMHO Turkey bacon tastes better in this context because it is leaner.

    Also nice is Turkey bacon wrapped backstrap cooked real low on the grill over about an hour basting it every 10 minutes with your favorite BBQ sauce or a nice molasses and whiskey glaze. Plus it gives you an excuse to standard there with a beer or two in front of your grill like some 1950s cliche *manly sounds intensify*

    Thanks,
    My mom used to add the bread crumbs and egg when I was a kid to ground beef. I'm going to try this out on Saturday. Defrosting meat in the fridge will go to chili though tonight. I have some meat still in the freezer from January's hauls I need to finish off. Too much eating out this spring and summer!
     

    Striper69

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 31, 2014
    1,400
    Iowa
    I do about 10-15% bacon in my ground venison. Makes perfect burgers.

    Yeah, I put 10% pork fat in the ground venison. JFYI :)

    That was the first time. The next year I added chopped bacon. Not sure if this was what I used yesterday but I think I gave away the first batch.

    I do need to tweak my cooking time and intensity of the grill fire though. I think the burgers can come out juicier next time but they were OK this time.
     

    gtodave

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 14, 2007
    14,169
    Mt Airy
    The only problem with putting raw pork in your ground is if you want to cook it medium/medium rare (which you should for venison) you aren't cooking the pork to a safe temperature. That's why I always use beef fat or beef mix.

    I've done the cooked pork fat in the ground before, that works well, but most of it renders back out.
     

    Ecestu

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 11, 2016
    1,451
    You have make the burgers right and cook them at a low heat.

    I usually heat my grill to only around 300F (usually lowest flame setting with it covered).

    I mix 100% ground venison, call it a 1.2-1.3lb package (5 burger patties), with about 1/8-1/4 cup bread crumbs, a tablespoon or so of diced dehydrated white onion (or twice that fresh onion of some sort diced small), an egg and then depending on how I want it to taste

    About a tablespoon of milk if I want them plain. Or what I usually do is add about a tablespoon of brown or yellow mustard and about a tsp of Worcestershire sauce.

    I shoot to cook them medium. I took me a couple of years to get it just right (tended to over cook them). If you cook it well done it’ll suck for sure.

    IMHO I like a good venison burger way more than a beef burger. I personally dislike mixing bacon/pig fat in with my grind. Changes the taste and I like my meat super lean (both health and taste). I do occasionally throw bacon in with the fixings. Though IMHO Turkey bacon tastes better in this context because it is leaner.

    Also nice is Turkey bacon wrapped backstrap cooked real low on the grill over about an hour basting it every 10 minutes with your favorite BBQ sauce or a nice molasses and whiskey glaze. Plus it gives you an excuse to standard there with a beer or two in front of your grill like some 1950s cliche *manly sounds intensify*

    IMHO adding beef or bacon fat changes the taste some, but mostly it makes how you cook it significantly more forgiving. Not that I am calling anyone here lazy or a bad cook. I am sure they are doing it because that tastes the best for them :-)

    PS I hope ya’ll can take the joke

    Lol. Is that you, Thorazine?
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    Yes , "pure" Venison is * different * from beef . More protein , very low fat , more muscular . If you try to treat 100% ground venison just like ground beef , you run the risk of being dried out and tough . If it is "just" an ingredient in a larger recipe , like chili , much less of an issue . Straight up 'burgers it's forefront .

    Pro/ Semi Pro deer processors routinely add beef fat to ground venison , unless otherwise requested . Many people prefer , and supply bacon instead . The ratio I was first told was I lb of the cheapest nastest $0.99 bacon per deer .

    ************************

    As far as how to process/ have procesed all the " other than most Prime Cuts " , it's personal preference . Some people prefer ground , some prefer sausage . Personally I like to make lots of Deer Jerky .
     

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