Classic Venison Burger Recipe

There’s absolutely nothing better than a simple, classic venison burger with lettuce, tomato and pickle topped with crispy bacon slices for good measure. While there are many hunters that enjoy their harvest it seems way too many think that they have to smother venison with lots of spices or sauces and this works great with a lot of recipes. My challenge to you with this venison burger recipe is to forego the sauces and spices for once and enjoy the awesome flavor that venison provides. Now I’m not saying go bland here just season your venison the same way you would a beef burger and see how you like it. I want to list a few good tips for getting the most out of your venison burger without it falling apart or drying out. The two problems that seem to worry most cooks trying to make a venison burger.

Preparing Venison Burger

The first step to a good venison burger is preparation. If you already have your venison ground up the biggest obstacle is to keep the meat together throughout the cooking process. Venison burgers tend to fall apart when you flip them, but there are a couple ways to overcome this. Venison is a very lean meat and therefore dry and this is the main reason venison burgers fall apart on the grill. Mixing sausage is a great way to keep it all together and also adding a little fat to the burger will make it juicier. You can add your favorite breakfast sausage to the venison. It doesn’t take much to hold it all together and retain all that great venison flavor.

If you want to get the most venison flavor possible add a few egg yolks as a binding agent. Adding four egg yolks to a pound and a half of venison works great. Beat the yolks in a bowl before adding them to the ground venison. Add salt and pepper to the burger and mix it up with your hands or a potato smasher. The egg yolks should be thoroughly mixed into the meat for best results. The egg will help bind the burger together and will also add flavor. You can use the whole egg, however; the egg whites will add toughness to the burger. The yolks will give you a tender less rubbery texture. These are just a couple ways to prepare ground venison for a more enjoyable burger.

COOKING VENISON BURGERS

Cooking venison burgers is different than cooking beef burgers, you have to be careful to help maintain their cohesion. Try to leave the patties in one spot and not shuffled around and flipped the way regular burgers often do. Venison is a delicacy and should be shown a little more love on the grill.

One of the best ways to keep your burgers together is to only flip them once. This takes a little patience and experience goes a long way. You want the burger to cook half way through before the flip so you can finish it with a single flip. Never press your spatula down on your burger this just pushes all of the juices out of the meat and up in smoke. You want to keep all the juices you can inside your venison burger.

If you cook wild game then you have probably read or heard it a thousand times, but I’ll say it here again. “Do not overcook your venison!” Cooking venison too long will only dry it out and lose all those flavors that reside in the juice. You will be amazed how juicy venison really is, when prepared correctly . Medium rare is the best 125 to 130 degress. If you can’t do the red in the middle cook it to 140 degrees. The burger will cook a couple more minutes after removing it from the heat. With a little practice you can get your venison burger to medium doneness without sacrificing juiciness.   

Venison Burger Recipe Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground venison
• 1/2 pound of crispy bacon strips
• 4 egg yolks
• salt & pepper
• dill pickle
• lettuce
• tomato
• mayo

Venison Burger Recipe Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground venison, egg yolks and salt & pepper with your hands making sure the egg yolks get mixed throughout the venison.
2. Get your grill or griddle hot and ready.
3. Pat out the desired size patties and place them gently on your cooking surface. If you’re using a grill, watch for flare ups that can over cook your burger.
4. Keep a spray bottle handy.
5. Cook your burger on one side until about half cooked through. Turn it to finish cooking the other.
6. The time will vary depending on thickness, but a good rule of thumb is about 3 minutes to a side on a hot surface. Remember, venison is best prepared hot and fast, most of the time.
7. Set your venison burgers aside to rest a few minutes. Prepare your bun with the classic burger toppings and a couple slices of crispy bacon. Enjoy your classic venison burger.

Check Out Venison Dry Rub Recipe