Awesome Venison Burgers

Glendon Mullins

Hillbilly Moderator
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Highland County Virginia
The dill relish and the worcestershire are what make it so good! But everybody's tastes are different. It'll probably still be good without it. Might be able to chop up some pickled jalapeño as a substitute if you like that better. In fact, I think I'm going to try that next time lol
Yeah for some odd reason I cant do dill pickles, and it's weird, I like bread and butter pickles, sweet pickles, sweet relish etc. just fine lol. But something with dill pickles i cant do, i guess its the dill. I guess a fella could do sweet relish as a substitute
 

johnbow

FNG
Joined
May 27, 2023
Messages
21
My best friend and hunting buddy shared this with me, and I couldn't believe how good it is. I don't have exact amounts, but I can give decent estimates. The last batch I made was 1lb 10oz of ground venison with no added fat. Here's what I added:
2 or 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
5 strips thick bacon run through food processor (about 3 strips per lb)
2 tblsp dill pickle relish
1 to 2 tsp yellow mustard
1 or 2 tsp onion powder (to taste)
1 or 2 tsp garlic powder (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste (I use Tony's)
So, I just mix it up by hand, let sit in the fridge for an hour or two, form into large thick patties, and grill at wide open heat (around 600) for 4 minutes a side. They turn out juicy and delicious every time. I have another friend that adds grated cheeses to his and swears by it. I prefer my cheese on top, but there's endless ways you could make it your own, but don't skip the pickle relish! Everybody I've served these to agrees that it makes the dish. Hope you enjoy as much as I have
Edit: the patties are a bit prone to sticking on the first side. I remedy this by spraying some canola oil on the grate right before dropping them on the grill.
Thanks for sharing
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2020
Messages
649
Bringing this back to the top. Tried these for the first time today (minus the bacon), and man they’re good. I don’t typically like venison burgers, and the fiance, who often won’t even eat elk or antelope burgers, can’t get enough of these. I think I’ll probably double the relish next time as I didn’t really notice it. But regardless, very good
 
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RMajors

RMajors

Lil-Rokslider
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Oct 19, 2020
Messages
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East Texas
Bringing this back to the top. Tried these for the first time today (minus the bacon), and man they’re good. I don’t typically like venison burgers, and the fiance, who often won’t even eat elk or antelope burgers, can’t get enough of these. I think I’ll probably double the relish next time as I didn’t really notice it. But regardless, very good
If you don't eat bacon, another fellow on here suggested freezing butter and grating it on the big side of a box grater to mix in the meat instead of bacon. I still haven't gotten around to trying it, but I can't imagine butter making them worse. Glad you and your fiancé enjoyed them though, this is exactly the reason I couldn't keep this recipe to myself. It was a game changer for me, as the ground meat always seems to be the last thing left, and I've struggled to use it all at times.
 
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RMajors

RMajors

Lil-Rokslider
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Messages
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East Texas
Speaking of Worcestershire sauce , I recommend W sauce. They have regular and spicy. We really like em. Pickled jalapeños sounds like a great idea. I’ll have to give this a try.
Sorry I somehow missed this, but yeah the W sauce is great. The flavor is very concentrated. And I have since tried the pickled jalapeños when I was out of dill relish, and I can confirm the burgers were indeed delicious.
 

wowzers

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
185
I’m going to try this but I haven’t patted out a burger in years. Smash burger on a searing hot pan is the way.
 
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RMajors

RMajors

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 19, 2020
Messages
175
Location
East Texas
I’m going to try this but I haven’t patted out a burger in years. Smash burger on a searing hot pan is the way.
For beef burgers, you bet it is. My favorite smash burger is 2 smallish patties, with 2 pieces of american cheese of course, lots of caramelized onions, dill pickles, and a big mac style sauce. It's a sloppy mess to eat, but it's so good. These are by far the best venison burgers I've ever eaten though. No dry, crumbly patties here.
 
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RMajors

RMajors

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 19, 2020
Messages
175
Location
East Texas
I recently borrowed a trick from the Meat Church YouTube guy and have been adding half a packet of onion soup mix to my burger before forming the patties.

Give it a try!
I recently did give this a try, and it definitely adds some beefiness to the meat. Looking at the color and texture of the soup mix, I believe it has some beef base in it, and probably some msg. It's definitely worth trying, but I'd advise backing off your normal amount of salt a bit.
 

wowzers

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
185
For beef burgers, you bet it is. My favorite smash burger is 2 smallish patties, with 2 pieces of american cheese of course, lots of caramelized onions, dill pickles, and a big mac style sauce. It's a sloppy mess to eat, but it's so good. These are by far the best venison burgers I've ever eaten though. No dry, crumbly patties here.
I use elk burger but I add 10-15% fat when I grind.
 

Jethro

WKR
Joined
Mar 2, 2014
Messages
1,177
Location
Pennsylvania
@RMajors question for you, the bacon is it cooked or raw?

I just made some and we’re loving the flavor, but I couldn’t keep them from breaking apart on the flip.

I used raw bacon
 
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RMajors

RMajors

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 19, 2020
Messages
175
Location
East Texas
@RMajors question for you, the bacon is it cooked or raw?

I just made some and we’re loving the flavor, but I couldn’t keep them from breaking apart on the flip.

I used raw bacon
I use raw bacon, and from time to time I've had this problem as well. I'm not sure why it happens some times and not others, even from the same batch of meat. I have started adding an egg to the mixture as suggested by another member on here. Getting them good and cold again before cooking seems to help as well. But, I cooked some a few nights ago that were giving me the same issue. The meat mixture just seemed wetter than normal, and I even squeezed each ball of meat out in paper towels, but they kind of sunk into the grates on the grill and didn't flip well at all. I think next time it seems really wet I'm going to put either bread crumbs or crushed crackers in to see if it will help dry it out.
 

J31Bodie

FNG
Joined
May 13, 2024
Messages
10
Location
NE WI
My best friend and hunting buddy shared this with me, and I couldn't believe how good it is. I don't have exact amounts, but I can give decent estimates. The last batch I made was 1lb 10oz of ground venison with no added fat. Here's what I added:
2 or 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
5 strips thick bacon run through food processor (about 3 strips per lb)
2 tblsp dill pickle relish
1 to 2 tsp yellow mustard
1 or 2 tsp onion powder (to taste)
1 or 2 tsp garlic powder (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste (I use Tony's)
So, I just mix it up by hand, let sit in the fridge for an hour or two, form into large thick patties, and grill at wide open heat (around 600) for 4 minutes a side. They turn out juicy and delicious every time. I have another friend that adds grated cheeses to his and swears by it. I prefer my cheese on top, but there's endless ways you could make it your own, but don't skip the pickle relish! Everybody I've served these to agrees that it makes the dish. Hope you enjoy as much as I have
Edit: the patties are a bit prone to sticking on the first side. I remedy this by spraying some canola oil on the grate right before dropping them on the grill.
This looks really good, I'm going to try it this weekend. What does the pickle relish add to the mix, and would you substitute or add jalapenos to it if you wanted that flavor?
 
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RMajors

RMajors

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 19, 2020
Messages
175
Location
East Texas
This looks really good, I'm going to try it this weekend. What does the pickle relish add to the mix, and would you substitute or add jalapenos to it if you wanted that flavor?
Yes I've been adding finely diced pickled jalapeños to mine lately. The pickle relish just adds some acidity to it, and I'd never leave it out. If you don't like dill pickles, you might not like it, but I'd try it if you like pickles. I've been putting both in, and the jalapeños definitely are good.
 

Randyb

FNG
Joined
May 22, 2024
Messages
10
Location
Spokane WA
My best friend and hunting buddy shared this with me, and I couldn't believe how good it is. I don't have exact amounts, but I can give decent estimates. The last batch I made was 1lb 10oz of ground venison with no added fat. Here's what I added:
2 or 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
5 strips thick bacon run through food processor (about 3 strips per lb)
2 tblsp dill pickle relish
1 to 2 tsp yellow mustard
1 or 2 tsp onion powder (to taste)
1 or 2 tsp garlic powder (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste (I use Tony's)
So, I just mix it up by hand, let sit in the fridge for an hour or two, form into large thick patties, and grill at wide open heat (around 600) for 4 minutes a side. They turn out juicy and delicious every time. I have another friend that adds grated cheeses to his and swears by it. I prefer my cheese on top, but there's endless ways you could make it your own, but don't skip the pickle relish! Everybody I've served these to agrees that it makes the dish. Hope you enjoy as much as I have
Edit: the patties are a bit prone to sticking on the first side. I remedy this by spraying some canola oil on the grate right before dropping them on the grill.
yum
 
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Messages
21
Lipton onion soup has long been standard in my burgers. Add some shredded cheddar to the mix before forming the patties.
 
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