best venison burgers

Who's loves a good burger?! Today I am giving classic venison burgers a fresh glow-up with sourdough buns, cheddar cheese and allll the premium thick-cut bacon! These will be the best venison burgers you will ever put in your mouth, hands down! Can you tell I'm getting a little excited?

I am serving these with an easy aioli, a creamy mayonnaise sauce, to spread onto the toasted sourdough buns. Woodsy thyme upgrades the oven-roasted fries, and I promise even the kids will love’em!

Grab a drink and bring your appetite! The best venison burgers of your life are comin' in hot!

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HOW TO COOK WITH GROUND VENISON

If you have a freezer full of ground venison giving you the stink eye, this is for you! I know, I know. Back in the day, you didn't like wild game burger because your grandpa cooked it in a bad chili. This is not the same!

HERE ARE MY TOP TIPS FOR COOKING WITH GROUND VENISON

1. Prepare the meat well. Let it naturally thaw in the refrigerator. A quick microwave defrost will ruin the flavor of the meat (I would know, I’ve done it plenty of times). The meat also forms better patties if the meat is still refrigerator chilled and not room temperature.
2. Season it while you cook it! I remember hearing once upon a time that salt shouldn’t be added to venison in the early stages of cooking. This is FALSE! Go ahead and add the spices in the beginning (and during!).
3. Venison benefits from added fats and acids. This both helps structure the ground meat, plus it helps to balance the natural flavors of a mature buck or bull.
4. Cook it on medium/high heat to get perfect crispy caramelization. Don’t let it slowly boil in it’s juices as a heat that is too low draws the precious moisture out. A good venison burger is served medium to medium/rare. It should have a nice pink center, but not be saying, "Oh, that's raw burger in there, isn't it?" Unless you are my husband, then by all means serve it extra pink!

BEST VENISON BURGERS | LOADED WITH CHEDDAR CHEESE, BACON & SPICY AOLI

For reference, today I am using 1 ½ pounds of ground elk. Venison flavors and texture can vary greatly depending on the age and health of the animal, how it is processed and the grind of the burger. My favorite ground venison is elk that has been prepared by a picky butcher who removed almost all of the silver skin.

This 1 ½ pounds will make a six burgers: one for everyone in my family, plus one bonus for a lucky someone’s lunch later this week. No venison? No problem! This recipe can ABSOLUTELY be made with ground beef, ground pork, ground chicken or ground deer.

In a mixing bowl, add the meat, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper. Mix with your hands until the seasonings are evenly dispersed throughout the meat.

Use your hands to form the elk meat into ½ inch thick patties. Season the patties generously with salt and pepper. Preheat a cast iron skillet, grill, or smoker. Fully preheating your working surface allows it to give the burgers a nice sear. A preheated cast iron skillet is also nonstick and will naturally release the meat when the sear is complete.

Cook the bacon in the cast iron skillet until done, then remove the bacon while leaving the grease. Add the patties to the bacon grease and cook for three to four minutes per side. My husband swears that the best venison burgers are cooked medium/rare with a nice pinkness to the center.

Add the cheese during the last minute and let it melt allll over the patty. I highly recommend buttering the buns and toasting them during the last few minutes of grilling!

HOW TO MAKE A JUICY DEER OR ELK VENISON BURGER

There are two ways to add juiciness to wild game meat like deer and elk. One way is by cooking it in a high quality fat like rendered lard, or bacon fat. Another way is by adding an acidic liquid directly to the ground meat. If you are struggling with venison that seems extra lean or has a 'gamey' flavor, try this!

1. Defrost the ground venison in a glass mixing bowl. It should still be refrigerator cold.
2. To the bowl of venison, add ½-2 teaspoons of your favorite acid: apple cider vinegar, wine, balsamic vinegar, or lemon juice. When I this, I also like to add one teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce or tobacco sauce for extra flavor. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Form the patties and continue with the recipe.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST VENISON BURGERS

• 1 ½ pound ground venison, or substitute ground beef, pork or chicken
• 6 hamburger buns, we love sourdough, brioche or ciabatta
• 12 slices Cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
• 6 strips bacon thick sliced and cut in half
• ¾ teaspoon salt to taste
• ¾ teaspoon black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING THE BEST VENISON BURGERS

• Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. The skillet should have a glossy, clean and smooth surface. If the skillet looks dull, add a small amount of oil. 
• Cut the bacon strips in half. Cook them in the cast-iron skillet until done. Remove the bacon from the skillet, but leave the rendered bacon fat.
• While the bacon is cooking, prepare the ground venison. In a mixing bowl, add the meat, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper. Mix with your hands until the seasonings are evenly dispersed throughout the meat. Form the meat into evenly sized patties.
• Cook the patties in the bacon fat for about five minutes per side. Use a meat thermometer to check for the ideal internal temperature of 145°, which is a medium-cooked burger.
• Time to build the burger! Each burger gets a two slices of cheddar cheese, two pieces of cooked bacon and a smear of aioli. Serve immediately!

HOW TO MAKE QUICK PICKLES

When the garden is bursting with cucumbers, this is the perfect fresh recipe! These tangy pickles are made by immersing crunchy slices of cucumbers in a mixture of vinegar, sugar and garlic. Begin by washing and slicing the cucumbers into thin slices. Smash two cloves of garlic and add them to a microwave safe bowl with the sugar, vinegar, and ⅓ cup of water. Heat until boiling, then add the cucumbers and set aside to pickle. Definitely not a necessary addition to these burgers, but a fun twist if you have the ingredients handy.

WHAT IS AIOLI | AN EASY AIOLI RECIPE

Aioli adds a garlicky kick to hamburgers and sandwiches and is made with two very humble ingredients, garlic and mayonnaise. When making aioli, the garlic gets made into a paste with some fancy knife skills. First, mince the garlic and then smash it into a paste by pressing and dragging the knife over the pieces. In a small bowl, mix the mayo with the garlic paste. Give it a little taste test and then add just the right amount of salt and pepper. Now onto the fries!

HOW TO MAKE OVEN ROASTED FRIES WITH THYME

French fries are SOOO last year. Meet oven roasted or air fried fries! These flavorful fries can be roasted in the oven or baked in an AIR FRYER! I plan one-half of a potato per person and slice them into long, slender, spears. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and space the potato slices on the sheet in a single layer, with spaces between. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and finely chopped thyme. Roast at 475° for about twenty-five minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.

These oven fries can also be cooked in a single layer of in an air fryer at 390 degrees for 20 minutes. We recently added a SECOND RACK to our air fryer and it's been very helpful for cooking larger quantities. I always pause the air fryer and give the basket a shake halfway through.

If you try to bite into one immediately, you will get burn your mouth… don’t ask me how I know! That smell, though! YUM.

Grab the full recipe here: OVEN FRIES | EASY BAKED FRENCH FRY RECIPE.

HOW TO SERVE A PERFECT BURGER

Now the magic happens. The juicy burgers are topped with melted cheese and slathered with aioli. The buns have been toasted and the pickles are marinated and drained. The fries have been... eaten. Oops. Anyways, now is the time to layer the the bun, burger, pickles, and aioli. Serve it hot and enjoy the mouthwatering fruits of your labors!

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead