Best Venison Burger

Get ready to make the best venison burgers ever with this easy recipe. These flavorful burgers are dripping with flavor and perfect for celebrating a successful harvest!

Whether you are an avid hunter who already has a freezer full of venison meat, or you are anxiously awaiting the return of deer season so you can get that freezer restocked, you are going to want to set aside some ground venison to give this darn near perfect venison burger recipe a try.

What are they?

These juicy venison burgers are made with ground deer meat patties and topped with smoked gouda cheese, sauteed onions, and a savory sauce made from a mixture of Dijon mustard, Steak sauce, and mayonnaise.

For the best tips and tricks for making delicious venison burgers from scratch, I recommend reviewing how to make venison burgers.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Ground venison - Ideally, since venison is very lean meat, the best burger will have 20% pork fat or beef fat blended in when the meat is ground. However, if you do not grind your own deer meat, then it is fine to use whatever your local butcher gives you. Just be aware that the burger will be drier if it has very little fat. You can substitute most any other wild game meat, or even ground beef, in this recipe.
• Red onion - Sweet onion or yellow onion slices can also be substituted.
• Red wine vinegar - Balsamic vinegar is an equally good choice.
• Smoked gouda cheese - You can substitute a smoked cheddar cheese or regular gouda.
• Butter - Olive oil can be substituted, but butter is the best choice.
• Lettuce - Iceberg lettuce, romaine, or green leaf lettuce are all great. I used iceberg lettuce in my photos because my grocery store was out of green leaf lettuce, which would have been the best choice.
• Pretzel buns - These can typically be found in the bakery department at local grocery stores. Brioche buns are a great substitution.
• A.1. Steak Sauce - If you don't have steak sauce, add a dash of Worcestershire sauce to deepen the flavor.
• Dijon Mustard
• Mayo

How to make it

The first step to making the best venison burger recipe is to properly form the burger patty. To do so, separate the ground venison into ⅓ pound chunks and then press them flat with a plate (or burger press). It is important to press them until they are slightly wider than the bun.

Next, we are going to carmelize the onions by slowly cooking them in a skillet with butter over medium heat until they are nicely brown and sticky. Stir them as needed to prevent burning, but take your time cooking them to extract maximum flavor. I aim for sauteing them for at least 30 minutes. When they have finished caramelizing, stir in the red wine vinegar.

Now we are ready to cook the burgers. Season the venison burger patties with salt and pepper and set your cast iron pan over medium high heat on the stovetop. Add a tablespoon of butter (olive oil or bacon grease are also great options) to the skillet and place the raw venison burger patties in the hot skillet. Cook until they form a brown crust underneath, then flip, top with a slice of cheese, and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees when tested with an instant-read thermometer.

Tip: The best burgers will never be pressed while it is cooking! This will expel the juices and result in a very dry burger.

As the burger finishes cooking, mix together the mayo, steak sauce, and Dijon, and lightly toast the interior of your pretzel buns in a separate cast iron skillet. You can butter the cut side of the bun as well if you wish.

Assemble your gourmet venison burger by placing lettuce on the bottom bun, followed by the venison patty, cheese, sauteed onions, and your custom burger sauce. Serve immediately with steak fries.