COOK: Venison Burgers with Bacon, White Cheddar, & Caramelized Sweet Onion

• Venison Bacon Burger Ingredients
• Equipment Needed to Make Fresh Homemade Burgers
• How to Cook Venison Bacon Burgers
• Storing & Serving Ideas
• Side Dishes to Pair with Venison Burgers

It’s hard to beat a good homemade cheeseburger for a satisfying meal… but sometimes you have a superlative burger that is unforgettable. This venison burger, topped with crispy bacon, melted white cheddar, and caramelized sweet onion, is one of those burgers, and is one of our favorite venison recipes.

But if you’ve ever had a disappointingly dry venison burger, have no worries about repeating that here. We’re going to add bacon when we grind the venison, adding a subtle smokiness that cooks up into an always juicy burger.

If you don’t have access to venison, you can use this same recipe with beef chuck to make bacon beef burgers. You’ll still get that delicious smoky flavor and extra juiciness from grinding the bacon with the ground meat mixture. Because venison is very lean, it’s common to add 10-20% fatty pork shoulder, fatback, or fresh beef trimmings (unrendered tallow) to the deer meat when grinding it.

You can make these freshly ground venison-bacon burger patties for your next barbecue and wow your guests. Or, grind the burger mix in bulk (as we do) and freeze it so it’s ready whenever you get a burger craving without hauling out the meat grinder.

Venison Bacon Burger Ingredients

Venison or Beef Chuck Roast:

You can use your preferred cuts for grind, but cubed chuck roast (shoulder) makes excellent burgers. Freshly ground meat will make the best burgers, especially if you can grind the bacon in with the meat at the same time so that you don’t overwork the meat while mixing in the bacon.

This easy venison burger recipe is delicious, and worth the little bit of extra effort to grind yourself. If you don’t have access to deer meat you can use beef chuck to grind your bacon burger blend.

If you don’t have a meat grinder or food processor, or only have pre-ground meat, you can still make this work! Opt for a leaner blend of ground meat (90/10 or 80/20) and add minced or finely chopped raw bacon to the ground meat, mixing just enough to combine the bacon with the burger.

Bacon:

The bacon flavor is layered in these venison burgers, as it’s in both the ground meat patties and also as a crispy topping. You can cook the garnish bacon however you prefer. I do mine in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop, and then use that same pan to caramelize the onions, but you can also use the oven method and bake your bacon to get perfectly flat slices.

Onion:

The caramelized onions cook in some of the rendered bacon fat, for even more smoky richness. I used sweet Vidalia onions, which make the sweetest caramelized onions. You can also use white, yellow, or red onions. Either way, slice the onion thinly and evenly so they caramelize quickly. The salt in the bacon fat helps the onions release their moisture and cook down into a tasty topping.

Cheese:

A sharp white cheddar is a perfect pairing for these burgers, but you can use your favorite burger cheese. Swiss is also fantastic with the bacon and caramelized onion topping, or try pepper jack for some extra zip.

Burger Buns or Brioche Rolls:

Use your favorite fresh burger buns, preferably something with a bit of structure to stand up to this juicy burger without falling apart. We used buns that have everything seasoning on top, to add an extra layer of flavor, but you can use whatever kind you prefer.

Condiments & Toppings:

A venison burger is easy to personalize, and everyone has their own favorite way to top their burgers… you can uh, have it your way? I used homemade Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, sliced homemade pickles, and romaine lettuce. In summer, I add a slice of garden-ripe tomato.

Or, you can keep it simple and let the venison, bacon, melted cheese, and sweet onions shine.

Equipment Needed to Make Fresh Homemade Burgers

Meat Grinder or Grinder Attachment for Stand Mixer:

You can make these with pre-ground venison or beef, but for the freshest, best tasting juicy burgers, you’ll want to grind your own burger blend. This way, you can grind the bacon directly with the shoulder roast, which will give you incredibly flavorful and juicy burgers. I use a meat grinder attachment on my KitchenAid mixer, but if you make a lot of sausages or ground meat, it’s worth investing in a higher-powered dedicated grinder.

Keep everything very cold, and take breaks from grinding meat to clear any sinew from the grinder blade. Make sure you unplug the grinder or mixer before unscrewing the blade cover! I like to use a coarse grinder plate for burgers, but if you prefer a more uniform texture you can use the fine plate.

Some people like to freshly grind their meat for burgers (which is the quantity given in the recipe below), but we usually do ours in batches. This batch (in the photos below) was the boned out and cubed meat from one large venison shoulder, about six pounds, ground with one pound of bacon. You can scale this recipe up or down, keeping the ratio of bacon to lean meat between 10-20%.

We usually freeze this bacon burger mix in one pound freezer chub bags.  You can also freeze pre-formed patties separated with waxed paper or plastic wrap, or freeze them in a single layer on a sheet pan, then bag or vacuum seal them once they are frozen solid.

OR

Food Processor:

In a pinch, you can make small batches of your own mince for burgers in a food processor. Dice the shoulder roast and rough chop the bacon, and pulse them in the food processor just until they are combined and chopped enough to hold together in patties.

Cast Iron Skillet, Griddle, or Grill:

It’s hard to top a smoky, char-grilled burger, but you can make an amazing burger on the stove top with minimal fuss and in any weather. It helps to have a heavy cast iron pan or griddle. You can get a fantastic sear and make crispy smashburgers in your kitchen with just a hot pan and a sturdy spatula or burger press.

How to Cook Venison Bacon Burgers

step one: grind the venison & bacon

• grind the cubed venison (or beef) chuck with raw bacon (80/20 to 90/10 meat to bacon ratio… use less bacon for marbled choice beef, more for leaner venison or lean beef).
• shape & season 1/4 to 1/3 lb patties (we like thin 1/4 lb patties for skillet smashburgers and thicker 1/3rd lb ones for grilling)

step two: bacon & onions

• Cut bacon slices in half. Cook the bacon over medium heat, turning often so it doesn’t curl, or you can bake the slices on a sheet pan.
• Set the bacon slices aside, and drain all but a tablespoon or two of the bacon fat. Reserve the rest of the bacon fat for the burgers.
• Peel and slice the onions. Saute the onions in the bacon fat. Cook over medium low heat until the onion slices wilt and begin to caramelize, about 15-20 minutes.

step three: sear burgers

• Get your cast iron or heavy gauge stainless pan very hot.
• Season the burger patties lightly on both sides with salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning or Montreal steak seasoning.
•  Add a tablespoon or two of the reserved bacon fat to the hot pan, then the burger patties. Sear the burger well on the first side, pressing the patty into the pan to get a good crust.
• Flip the patties and sear and press the second side.
• Top the patties with cheese & bacon slices and remove from the heat once the cheese is melted.
• Toast or gently warm the buns in the pan while the cheese is melting.

step four: assemble & serve

• Spread caramelized onions (& mustard) on the bottom bun
• Top with burger patty, melted cheese, & bacon
• Add other condiments & lettuce, tomato, or pickles

Storing & Serving Ideas

Freshly cooked burgers are always best hot off the griddle or grill. If you do end up with leftovers, refrigerate promptly and reheat them gently so they don’t dry out.

If you want to make these in advance, you can grind the meat and refrigerate or freeze either the bulk meat mixture or pre-formed patties. Use refrigerated patties within three days, or freeze them immediately.

Side Dishes to Pair with Venison Burgers

• Cajun Crispy Potato Wedges (Easy Oven Fries)

• Green Salad with Bistro-Style Creamy House Salad Dressing

• Triple Pickled Pepper Pasta Salad with Pepperoni and Chicken (or Chickpeas)

• Lemon-Herb Roasted New Potatoes

More Venison Recipes:

• How to Make Homemade Venison Wiejeska (Fresh Kielbasa with marjoram)

• Venison Leberknödel – How to Make German Liver Dumplings

• Five-Alarm Venison (or Beef) Chili

• Venison and Queso Chile Rellenos with Smoky Salsa Roja