My deer burger recipe

The toughest part about making really good deer burgers is obtaining really good deer burger!  I like to hunt my deer in August and September when the meat on the hoof is at its best.  And then you have to butcher it cleanly and take good care of the meat.  I also find that lung shot deer taste better than head shot deer because there is no blood in the meat (we bleed our fish why not bleed deer?).  Don't even bother to make burger from a buck shot during the rut (usually November) - it will smell and taste awful!  I think it is the late season deer that give deer meat its 'gamey' reputation.  My deer meat never tastes gamey or wild in any way, and neither should yours!

Next step is removing all the fat, tendons and nasty bits when packaging the meat.  Deer fat seems to go bad in the freezer and hold off-putting flavors.  I package the 'suspicious' bits for my dogs and only save primo stuff to make my burger out of.  And then there is the burger grind (link to last one here).  When I grind my burger, I grind it semi frozen and I try and add around 12% beef fat.  That is enough fat to hold the burger together in the pan - no need to add oil or anything to the pan either.  And yet it is not the super fatty stuff you see at Safeway.  Best of all, since I made my own burger I know that it is high quality, and I have no issues with eating it rare or even raw.  Steak tartar anyone?

Now on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb quality deer burger with about 12-15% beef fat

Hamburger buns

1 red or yellow pepper or both!

1 large onion

Large pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar and another of salt

A dash of cumin seeds (optional)

Dijon mustard

Blue cheese

Couple of table spoons corn oil

Step one - Burger toppings

I cut up the onion and pepper(s) and add to frying pan with corn oil and a dash of salt and sugar.  The sugar will help the onions and peppers caramelize.  I like to add a dash of whole cumin seeds too.  I put the pan on low and let the onions and peppers cook slowly and caramelize.  I want them to burn a bit but not badly!

Step two - the burgers

I press my burgers out on a cutting board and have found that if you make them thinner in the center they cook up perfectly flat.  Hence all my burgers have a small dish shaped depression in their center.  While forming my burgers I have a cast iron skillet heating up on high.  I add a large pinch of salt but no oil to the seasoned pan.  When the pan is hot (meat should sizzle when added) I use a spatula to put the burgers in the pan (at this point you should be toasting the hamburger buns!). I generally turn down the frying pan to medium after adding the burgers.  The salt seems to keep the burgers from sticking to the pan.  I flip my burgers after a minute or two - I like them rare on the inside.  In general game also tastes better on the rare side.  Overcooked deer burgers lack the fat to taste good and just dry out.

Step three - the meal

This is the fun part.  I put some of the mustard onto the burger bun and add the burger.  Then on top I add the caramelized onions and peppers and some blue cheese on top.  Then I eat the burger!  Patrick