Successfully harvesting a deer also means having plenty of meat for grinding, which you can do at home with a meat grinder and produce excellent tenderloin steaks and chops. Since ground venison is so versatile in the kitchen, you can use your deer in a wide variety of dishes, such as ravioli, stuffed peppers, sausage, and hamburgers.
Although it’s not difficult, there are a few preparations you should make before grinding your deer meat at home. Similar to this, there are a number of recommendations to keep in mind to ensure success and the production of the tastiest minced venison.
Right Fat Ratio for Venison Burgers
First off, deer meat is nearly fat-free, as many hunters are aware. It produces a very lean mixture when you grind it by itself, which might be too crumbly to hold together well. If you’re looking for ground venison to use in chili or spaghetti, that may be the perfect option. It will be lean meat that crumbles nicely. But you’ll need to add some fat if you want to grill venison burgers.
Beef fat is the preferred source when making deer burgers. It enhances the flavor (especially if you add some trimmed ribeye fat), but it also helps the meat hold its shape and better binds the pieces of meat together. Try asking around. You can typically find beef fat at the meat counter at the grocery store or your neighborhood butcher. You’re looking for those chunks of white gold in the final ground meat.
Although there is a general rule, the ideal fat ratio for venison burgers is somewhat arbitrary. Usually, we’ll add 2 pounds of beef fat to 10 pounds of venison (for a total of 12 pounds). This comes out to about an 83/16 meat/fat mix. Currently, some consumers prefer their burgers to be juicier and fatter, so they may combine 2 pounds of fat with 8 pounds of venison. However, if you discover the mixture to be too rich for you, you can reduce the amount of fat or increase the amount of meat. Find a venison burger fat ratio that you really like by experimenting, then note it down so you can make it again the next time.
Process to Grind Deer Burgers
Obviously, this whole process starts with the right meat. What meat goes in the grind pile can be a contentious topic at deer camp because everyone seems to have slightly different preferences. While some hunters trim each grind piece as if it were a perfect steak cut, others simply add ALL the extra parts, including the silver skin, sinew, and everything. The bottom line is that the meat will grind more smoothly and have a better texture overall if it is free of all connective tissue. Whether it needs to be flawless is up to you, but try to clean it up fairly well.
Again, you don’t need to add any beef fat if you prefer a very lean grind and want to try making some venison patties. However, you’ll probably need to handle it carefully while grilling because it could crumble. Try the fat ratio for venison burgers that we discussed above (2 pounds beef fat to 10 pounds venison) for a richer burger that holds together better.
For grinding venison burgers:
To begin, first cut the venison into small chunks by grinding it with a coarse dye plate. After that, change to a fine or medium dye plate and reprocess the venison with the fat. As you go, alternately add the venison meat and beef fat to the grinder to better incorporate it. At this point, you can also get creative. To grind venison into the ideal burger, add onions, garlic, and wet or dry seasonings as you go. When you’ve finished a batch, try grilling or frying a test patty to see how it holds together and determine whether the seasoning needs to be adjusted. If something is off, you can adjust it by adding more meat, fat, or seasonings.
As you can see in the video, we love Meat! Your Maker products. Whether you need a durable and high-quality grinder to make these patties or you need a vacuum sealer to package them at the end, they have the right tools for the job.
Packaging Your Venison Burgers
The process is completed by packaging everything so that it can be safely kept until mealtime. You could do this with plastic bags or freezer paper, but the likelihood of freezer-burned meat using those techniques is much higher. Vacuum sealing is the best method for preserving food, whether it be wild game meat, meat from the grocery store, fish, or other foods. The likelihood of freezer burn is significantly reduced by a good vacuum sealer because it will remove all the air and seal the bag tightly.
You could package the meat in 1- or 2-pound bags for a typical family of four, which should be sufficient for an average meal. Or, if you know you’re going to use the mixture to make venison burgers anyhow, you might as well form the mixture into patties in advance and freeze it. That way, when the time comes, all you have to do is defrost and place on the grill. Create the patties in the sizes that work best for your family, and then stack them in layers of two with wax paper in between, or just do one layer in a vacuum seal bag. It’s fun because you get to make all the calls with this.
We hope this guide will be helpful if determining the proper fat ratio for venison burgers has previously been challenging. But ultimately, it’s just a suggestion. Play around with the mixture of venison vs. until you find something your family and I really like Then light the grill, call some friends over, and enjoy a hot meal, a cold drink, and some amusing hunting tales.
Grinding Deer Meat with the Right Fat Ratio for Burgers
FAQ
Can you add beef fat to ground venison?
Beef fat is the preferred source when making deer burgers. It enhances the flavor (especially if you add some trimmed ribeye fat), but it also helps the meat hold its shape and better binds the pieces of meat together.
How much beef fat for ground deer?
My rule of thumb is to add 10-20% fat when making venison burgers A 90-10 ratio will result in a lean patty, while an 80/20 ratio will produce a richer patty. On the other hand, an authentic sausage should be succulent. Fat is fundamental to creating a juicy product.
How do you grind venison with beef tallow?
These add a lot of flavor as well. To add fat, such as beef tallow, cut it into pieces that are roughly the same size as the venison chunks. Ensure that it is chilled in the freezer along with the venison. Then send it all through the grinder together.
What do you mix with deer meat when grinding?
After grinding, you can combine almost anything you like with deer meat because it is so versatile. We prefer a simple cheese and venison hamburger. But you can also include Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard, ketchup, bacon, pork belly, and even barbecue sauce.