Venison is such a versatile meat for cooking, there’s no end to the recipes a creative cook can come up with, and ground venison adds even more options to the list of delicious meals that can be sourced from our favorite hunting pastime.
Just remember, cooking ground venison is different than cooking ground beef.
Burgers on the grill: Pack your patties tightly.
Burgers in a pan: Again, pack patties tightly and turn them gently and infrequently.
And instead of adding fat to your burgers, fry them in a few tablespoons of oil.
Olive oil has an especially nice flavor; just be careful to not let it get too hot.
If you’d rather not worry about olive oil’s low smoking point, use regular cooking oil.
Taco meat or sloppy joes (also known as “sloppy does”): First, oil the pan very lightly so your ground venison won’t stick when you’re browning it.
Meatloaf: Use your usual recipe but shorten your cooking time slightly.
Cook It.
Venison is such a versatile meat for cooking, there’s no end to the recipes a creative cook can come up with, and ground venison adds even more options to the list of delicious meals that can be sourced from our favorite hunting pastime. Just remember, cooking ground venison is different than cooking ground beef.
Fat doesn’t just make meat juicy; it also makes ground beef or pork stick together nicely in a patty or meatloaf. Not to worry. Here’s how to adapt your cooking techniques to the lower fat content of ground venison.
Burgers on the grill: Pack your patties tightly. Grill them on a hot flame to sear in the juices. Turn them gently and infrequently—ideally, only once. Be careful to not overcook them.
Burgers in a pan: Again, pack patties tightly and turn them gently and infrequently. And instead of adding fat to your burgers, fry them in a few tablespoons of oil. Olive oil has an especially nice flavor; just be careful to not let it get too hot. If you’d rather not worry about olive oil’s low smoking point, use regular cooking oil.