Posh Venison Burgers Food

VENISON BURGERS

Steps:

• Make sure the meat and bacon are cold. Cut the venison into chunks that will fit into your grinder. Do the same for the bacon. Mix the two together roughly so you can add a bit of each into the grinder as you go. Grind 1/2 to 2/3 of the mixture coarsely and the rest with the fine die. NOTE: If you are grilling your venison burgers, flip this so you grind 2/3 of the mix fine and only 1/3 coarse -- the reason is because grilled burgers tend to cook better and stay juicier when the grind is fine.
• Make between 4 and 6 patties, depending on how large you want your burgers. Form the patties with only as much force as absolutely needed -- you want the patties to hold together only loosely. Make them about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Use your thumb to press an indentation into the center of each patty: This prevents the burgers from turning spherical when you cook them. Set the burgers aside.
• Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the sliced onion and cook until it's done to your liking. Some people like juicy onion with a little char on the edges, some people prefer to go the full caramelized onion route. When finished, put the onions in a bowl so you can have them ready.
• I prefer grilled burgers, so I'll go through that method. Heat your grill on high and be sure to scrape down the grates with a wire brush. Only salt your burgers right before you cook them, and if you are salt-sensitive you might not need to with these because of the bacon. Place the patties on the grill and cook them without disturbing them (with the grill cover open) for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how well done you like your burgers. Flip and cook for the same amount on the other side. I prefer 3 minutes per side with a really hot grill.
• When you flip the burgers, grind some black pepper over them, then spoon a little caramelized onion on each one if you'd like. With about 90 seconds to go on the second side, lay the cheese on top of the onions and cover the grill until the burger's ready. If you like toasted buns, toast them on the grill in this last 90 seconds. When everything's done, move the burgers and buns to a sheet tray or plate so the meat can rest for 5 minutes, while you build the burgers.
• You can do this any way you want, but I start with a green thing, then some ketchup or mayo or whatever, then the burger patty that has the onions and cheese already on it, topped with a slice of tomato (or roasted red peppeand finally some more of whatever condiment I happen to be using. My method is just how I do things; you can do anything you'd like.

POSH VENISON BURGERS

Steps:

• Peel the onion including the first layer, keeping it whole. Grate it on the rough side of a box grater. Squeeze out most of the onion juice and discard then drop the pulp into a bowl.
• Add the venison, pork, Worcestershire sauce and parsley. Season really well then mix together.
• Form into 4 burgers, flattening them out so that they're bigger than the buns as they will shrink when cooking. Oil the burgers on both sides and season again, going heavy on the pepper.
• Heat a large heavy frying pan to hot. Add the burgers and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add the cheese to the top and cover with a lid or baking sheet to create some steam and melt the cheese. Mix the mayo and mustard and spread over the bottom of the toasted buns. Add some watercress and top with a burger and the bun top.

"GRILLED" VENISON BURGERS

Steps:

• In bowl, mix dry ingredients.
• Add venison and mix well.
• Add liquid ingredients and mix well with a fork, until bread crumbs are barely noticeable.
• On plastic wrap, form into 8 (4 ounce) patties, making them round and very flat-- like a fast-food burger.
• They can be cooked immediately, but I prefer to freeze them first.
• Place them on a large cookie sheet and freeze them several hours.
• Remove from freezer and place waxed paper between each burger as you stack them.
• I stack them in 2 1-quart freezer zip-lock bags.
• Preheat cast iron skillet to very hot.
• Cook frozen burgers until they are slightly charred on one side (about 3-4 minutes) and then turn and cook until the other side is slightly charred and burgers are medium-well.
• Do not overcook.
• Turn burner off and leave burgers in the pan while you put condiments on your hamburger bun.
• If cooking thawed burgers, cook about 2-3 minutes per side.