Fixing awful elk burger

[optimusprime]

I shot a cow last year and processed it myself. I used some pig fat from a pig we had butchered. Usually the fat makes it taste awesome but this year it’s awful. It tastes “weird”. I can’t even describe it. It’s beyond super gamey tasting. Almost rancid. The pig fat should have been fine as everything else from that pig was delicious. The elk meat itself is good as the steaks were great and my brother in law took the other half and used beef suet. He said his meat is amazing. Is there anything I can do to fix my burger or am I SOL? I have about 50 lbs left and it’s all burger. I don’t want to toss it but I can’t stand the taste.


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[michaelc10]

Sounds like the pork fat went rancid.

 

[87TT]

Ketchup, lots of ketchup.

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

You’re SOL.
Pork fat turns rancid faster than beef fat.
Some people add pork to their burger, but I would not do it. I get beef fat from the trim off the ribeye cuts. None of that yellow shit with the glands in it. Solid white.
Pork for smokeys, thuringer, etc. Beef for burger.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Dog food, ration it out slowly to boost their protein levels and calories and save money on the bagged stuff.

 

[Michael54]

Yea its ruined. Either grin and bear it. or dogfood. Or depending on your relationship you can "Gift" it to your in laws lol

 

[Rob5589]

Sounds like the fat was rancid. Bummer.

 

[optimusprime]

This is guys. It’s really a bummer. It’s not enjoyable to eat at all. The fat was frozen for the better part of a year. Last time I did it it was awesome. Guess the dog will be happy.


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[BRTreedogs]

I had 90 lbs done with pork fat at a processor couple years ago.
Guilt got us through about 20 lbs, rest went the way of dog food.
Terrible

I used bacon this year to make breakfast sausage. But in general I'm over pork fat.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Not sure if this will help but I have made some dishes like curried beef and Piccadillo (spiced Cuban beef stew) with some slightly off ground meat before. It’s an old, old school trick to jus spice it until it tastes fine. Might be worth a try.

 

[roymunson]

What was said above. pork fat went bad.

We usually grind our venison straight and add some fattier ground beef when we brown the burger. Keeps things fresher and keeps potentially spoiled meat out of the good meat.

Sorry to hear about it.

 

[Yooper]

Long shot, but you can try adding two tablespoons of red wine vinegar to the meat while you're browning it. It was something my grandma used to do with wild game burger that wasn't the best tasting. I've done it a few times with some gamey whitetail and it works pretty well. I usually add it halfway through the browning process. Worth a shot anyway.

 

[Broomd]

Yep, rule #1, pork fat does not keep!

Try to tell guys, they never learn rule #1.
Unfortunately, you're screwed.

 

[s1768s]

Glad I did only 50% of mine with pork and the rest with brisket. I hope I beat rule #1 this year.

 

[Banded_spooney]

Shoot, I’ve had elk burger with pork fat 4 years after grinding it.

I’ve never seen it go bad.

 

[HahgBuck3317]

I've never added anything to my elk meat but I started using pork fat with my whitetail grind a few years ago and haven't had any issues. I always vacuum-seal the extra fat I get from the butcher shop and use it up to almost a year later and it's always been fine for me.

 

[S.Clancy]

The key is to never add any fat, then it will last a long, long time. I always pan fry the burgers in butter, you can always add fat in the cooking process.

 

[Tod osier]

While I don't add any pork fat to my general grind, I add it to burgers and sausages, it doesn't go bad.

Bad elk makes bad awful elk burger... That is my new mantra.

 

[CRJR45]

You guys are missing the point , he said the fat was bad before he had it added to the Elk , I think .

 

[BRTreedogs]

You guys are missing the point , he said the fat was bad before he had it added to the Elk , I think .

Yeah its not going bad frozen.
Its bad to start.
Ether the meat had some sour in the field that didn't get cut out or the pork fat got sour and went un noticed.
My understanding is it can start to turn very quickly.
Like in 30 min sitting on the counter while setting up to grind.