The Perfect Venison Burger

One of the best things you can do with venison is make burgers. There's something about venison burgers that showcases venison is the best possible way.

However, there are some things to keep in mind before you venture off to make these epic burgers. I'll share my perfect venison burger with you at the bottom, skip ahead if you're not interested in the how's and the why's.

Cuts

The first thing to consider for the burger is the cut of meat, for most people that's a lot of the off-cuts, and for many more it's all cuts.

I generally try to keep the shoulders for burgers, but let me explain a little more.

Each cut of venison has different flavor profiles as well as texture. For each deer, I already know what I'm making. For dishes that need thin sliced cuts like Asian recipes, or stroganoff, I usually reserve the hind quarters for these.

Backstraps and tenderloins are the prime cuts and a shame to waste on burgers, but don't make the best burgers anyways as the flavor profile is too mild.

Other cuts like the neck, shanks etc. can make good burgers but are much better off slow cooked.

This leaves us with the should which just so happens to have the best flavor profile for burgers.

Here in the shoulder you'll find the secret cut called a flat iron, often too small for a steak, but probably the most flavorful of all cuts. So we use it for burgers.

Now that the cuts are out of the way, let's address the elephant in the room..... FAT

Fat

Deer don't have a lot of fat, and even if they did most find it unpalatable. It's not the same as that nice juicy pig or beef fat. I use pig fat I find it has a better texture than beef fat.

Probably the most important thing when making venison burgers is the fat percentage, and like most things in life there's no one see fits all.

I'll often adjust the fat ration according to the cooking method.

• Grilling - 20-25% fat. Fat drips out making flare ups, nice flame kissed burgers.
• Pan fried - 15-20% fat. Burgers will sit in fat when cooking, so reduce to avoid a greasy burger.
• Cast iron - 20% is bang on the money. Cast iron holds heat exceptionally well crusting the fat rather than making a greasy burger.
• Broiler - 20-25%. Similar to grill, minus all the exceptional flavors.

Knowing the fat percentage let's look at the best cooking method. The truth is this is easy, Grilling, hands down no competition.

However, sometimes, more times than I'd like to admit, I'm a little too lazy to fire up the grill. In these instances I'll use the cast iron or carbon steel pans.

That's it, I've tried every other method numerous times, broiling, sous vide, other material pans, etc. None come close to grilling, and cast iron is a distant second best.

This article is the perfect venison burger, and in my opinion that's the grill.

Temperature

One of the big things when cooking venison burgers is getting the right doneness.

Doneness is the degree to which the burger is cooked. So rare, medium rare, medium, and well done are commonly used terms.

This can be measured by cooking times or internal temperature. When oven cooking, I prefer going by internal temperature, but for the grill or pan frying, I am so familiar with it that I go by the cooking time.

• Rare -4 minutes-125F
• Medium-Rare-5 minutes-135F
• Medium-6 minutes-145F
• Well Done-8 minutes-160F

Venison Burger

Ingredients:

• 2.5 pounds wild boar meat
• 10 oz pork belly
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper ground
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional, good for pan frying)
• smoked salt for seasoning

Instructions:

• Cut the wild boar meat and pork belly into small chunks for the grinder.
• Grind the meat using a medium-hole plate
• Mix in the onion powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke. (see note 1)
• Form the meat into 3 ounce balls and set them in the fridge.
• Get your cast iron pan or grill hot, about 500-600F
• Prep your toppings while waiting for the pan to get hot
• Remove the burgers from the fridge and gently form them into a patty
• Salt the patty and place on pan or grill, and cook for about 5 minutes
• Flip the patty, and cook for another 4 minutes
• Place sliced cheese and cook for one more minute
• Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes
• Build the burger and serve

Notes

1. Don't over-mix the meat; it needs to stay loose to form the right texture for a burger.