Ground Venison Tips


 

Morrey Thomas

TVWBB Super Fan
I hunt deer and wild boar in the fall, and put enough meat in the freezer to last until the next season. My preferred use of game meat is to grind into sausages and burger. I know lots of folks like stews and roasts, etc., but to me game meat is dry if not really cooked properly. A pan seared back loin filet is awesome, but for the long haul, ground venison is very versatile.

Getting to the tips of perfecting really fine ground venison. I found a local butcher who sells prime beef, so when he caps the fat off of ribeyes, he saves some of the fat for me. I give him less than a dollar a pound for this fat. Quality fat is the number one tip since wild game has virtually no fat, and if the deer does have fat, you'll need to trim that away due to the very strong gamey flavor. I'll put 2 pounds of cubed beef fat into 10 pounds of cubed lean venison. A wild game burger with no fat is dry, crumbly and not appealing (to me) at all. (For health minded folks, many meat supply companies offer fat substitutes, however, I have not tried them)

Tip number two: add a pound of bacon ends and trimmings in with the mix. Coarse grind once, of course you'll need a grinder and don't forget to keep your ingredients real cold.

Tip three: Make a slurry of one small peeled onion and one half of a seeded green bell pepper. Puree in blender with a half cup of water until liquefied. Mix well with the coarse ground meat. Then run through coarse grinder one last time.

The onion and bell pepper are not detectable in the finished product, but they take all the mineraly or gamey flavors right out. This meat is perfect for ALL uses including burgers on the grill, lasagna, spaghetti, soups...if it calls for hamburger..use this instead. I freeze in portions in my vacuum sealer.

Anytime a child says "hey this is the best burger ever, may I have another", you know 'ya done it right!!
 
I put my meat grinder parts in the freezer as well, the colder the better. Try "Allegro" marinade I found it pairs very well with venison.
 

 

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