Venison Burger Recipe

A simple venison burger is arguably the most iconic wild game meal in the country. A classic American burger with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and cheese, and of course, ketchup, mustard, and mayo at the ready, is a timeless dish that can be incredibly juicy and delicious – or dry, crumbly, and ruined.

One of the major concerns many people have with wild game burgers is that they tend to be too lean (lack of fat), which may also cause the burgers to fall apart if not prepared or cooked properly. There are a couple of ways to combat this, so let’s get into it.

Regarding being lean due to a lack of fat within most wild game meats, many hunters look to add some sort of fat and or other domestic meat to their venison. While I have always had the mindset that I am out to make my venison the cheapest meat possible for my family, others may be new to venison and want to cut the taste with that of beef or pork. They may also have access to family-farm beef or pork, which would cut costs significantly.

Common methods of cutting meat into venison would be a 50/50 ratio of beef and venison. Adding fattier cuts, such as chuck eye or brisket, would be ideal for grinding into their venison. However, any fatty cut would work. Another common method of cutting meat into venison is to buy a pork shoulder/butt due to its fat content and grind that into the venison at a 50/50 ratio.

Now, of course, you can lessen the ratio of beef or pork to allow the venison to shine through more; this is all preference based on taste and budget. One way to cut the cost of adding beef or pork to your venison is to just add beef fat or pork fat. This is typically the route I find myself taking with my ground venison. I prefer a 20% ratio of either beef or pork fat with my standard ground meat, whichever I can get my hands on. As I place the fat and meat through the grinder, it may end up somewhere between 15%-25% if I’m not diligent, and I am ok with that.

While we are on the topic of fat type, when I make breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, brats, etc., I generally try to make sure that it's pork fat, and I may go as high as 33% fat. When making snack sticks or summer sausage, I prefer using beef fat, but either fat is perfectly fine.

Luckily for me, a local grocery store meat department keeps beef and pork fat trimmings closer to deer season. They keep it in the freezer section, and it's generally $1/lb. I have paid as much as $2.79/lb. when I was in a bind, but $1/lb. seems to be the standard for something most stores generally throw out. If your store doesn’t regularly keep fat, simply call the meat department and ask them if they could hold some back. Be clear about needing it to be good clean fat for mixing into your venison. You will likely not be the first person they’ve had ask over the years.

When adding fat or meat to your venison, it is always best to ensure that everything is semi-frozen before sending it through your grinder. This ensures that the grinder doesn’t get overworked and that the meat and fat don’t get gummed up, which is common when grinding a large amount of fat/meat.

In the recipe below, we have chosen to use freshly ground venison, with no fat or meat added, just pure venison. In this case, it is whitetail deer, but the same would be true if it were elk, moose, mule deer, antelope, etc.

Since there is relatively zero fat in this ground venison, the burgers can fall apart due to not having the fat act as a binder. This is even more true when the burger has been ground, frozen, and then thawed. Thawing your meat is how the majority of families prepare their meals, and that freeze/thaw process doesn’t help keep those burgers holding together as well. They tend to stick together a little better when freshly ground.

One reason that the thawing process may tend to cause your burgers to fall apart is due to the myoglobin (the fluid that looks like blood) that pools up in the bottom of your bowl when thawing. That moisture, if left in your burger mixture, will try to escape as you are cooking in the form of steam, and it will cause the burgers to turn gray if you are not cooking hot enough. Placing the meat on a rack or placing paper towels under the meat will help drain or absorb this excess fluid and help the meat stick together better.

That said, the key to our burgers is that we have found that adding just a little bit of breadcrumbs and an egg gives the meat just the right amount of binder without changing the texture to where it feels and looks like you are eating a meatball.

Most families use 1 lb. ground meat packages, and for 1 lb. or slightly less, you want to use no more than 1.5-2 tbsp. of breadcrumbs with just 1 egg. If you are one of those families that uses closer to 1.5-2 lb. of venison for your burgers, you will want to use 2-2.5 tbsp. and still just 1 egg. Err on the side of using less, and you can always adjust it the next time.

Total prep time: 10 minutes
Total cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6 people

Ingredients

• 1-1.5 lb. ground venison (no fat added)
• 2 tbsp. of breadcrumbs (Italian seasoned preferred)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. burger or steak seasoning (1 tbsp. kosher salt & ¼ tbsp. black pepper would work as well)
• A good bun

Optional toppings:

• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Pickle
• Onion
• Cheese of choice
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Mayo

Directions

To prepare the burger, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk it like you are making scrambled eggs. Then add your breadcrumbs and seasoning and stir again to incorporate them all together. Add this mixture to your ground venison and form into patties to match your buns. Slider buns, Hawaiian rolls, brioche buns, and regular ole’ burger buns all change how large and thick your patties should be, so you get the right ratio of bun to meat.

After making your patties, set them to the side to “set up” and preheat your skillet, flat top, or grill to medium-high heat. Preheat slowly to ensure that it is good and hot.

Simply sear your burgers on each side to your desired doneness (2-3 mins on the first side and 1-2 mins on the second side, depending on how hot your cooking surface is). The key is to not overcook the burgers. Shooting for a medium to medium-well doneness is what our family prefers, and that keeps them juicy. Rest the burgers only long enough not to burn your mouth, ensuring they stay hot and juicy. Assemble your burger the way you prefer and enjoy!

--Wild Game Cook