I had a best friend when I was younger whose dad was an avid hunter. I remember all of the mounts of animals he had harvested in the basement – there were so many! It could have been the set of a horror movie, but it never really bothered me. I thought they were super interesting. Then again, I do really enjoy a good scary movie so it’s possible that I’m just strange.
Flash forward about twenty years and my boyfriend is a hunter. When I was young I didn’t really understand what it was – I grew up mostly thinking that hunting was just another sport. I know that it is for a lot of people, but over the past year I have come to realize that hunting for your own food is one of the most rewarding things there is. After his first deer of the season this past fall, filling our freezer with the meat was so comforting. From that deer we were able to create ground venison, venison steaks, venison stew meat, and venison sausages. I now use ground venison almost exclusively in place of ground beef. The satisfaction of being able to plan the majority of our meals without having to purchase meat from the grocery store is enough for me to get my own hunting license.
One of my favorite ways to use ground venison is for burgers. Who doesn’t love a great burger?! You can, of course, use any type of ground meat in place of venison with this recipe. What makes these patties so mouth watering is what’s on the INSIDE. We are stuffing these burgers with BACON and CHEESE. *Mic Drop*
This recipe begins almost exactly like meatloaf or meatballs would. You’ll need the ground meat, egg (to act as a binder), minced garlic, diced onion and worcestershire sauce. Where this recipe differs is it includes bacon bits in lieu of bread crumbs and a block of cheese cut into cubes to fold into the center of each burger. Delicious, melty, gooey cheese. I use pepper jack, because why not. I HIGHLY recommend making your own bacon bits for this. I promise you will taste the difference. You can find the easiest way to make them here.
Toss everything but the cheese into a mixing bowl. You know what to do next. That’s right, get your hands dirty! Well, make sure you get them clean first. Then get them dirty.
I used a pound of ground venison, so I decided to make ¼ lb. burgers. I love having my handy-dandy scale for burgers and meatballs to make sure everything is at least somewhat equal. I know that people can do this by eyeballing it, but my eyeballs are rapidly deteriorating so I don’t trust them.
From here, I flatten them out so that I can stick a cube of cheese in the middle and wrap the meat around it. Then I will just form a patty shape, making sure not to handle it too much so that the cheese stays somewhat in the center.
Since we had about a foot of snow on top of the grill we cooked these up right on the stove. Don’t hate on your stove – I’ve also had fantastic steaks cooked on the stove. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and lay the patties down when the pan is nice and hot. Usually after about 6 minutes on each side they’re ready. If you want a cheeseburger, slap a slice of cheese on each burger about a minute before they are done and cover the pan.
I won’t tell you how to dress your burger; it’s a personal journey. I will tell you that I use ketchup and mustard, a nice leaf of romaine lettuce, some bacon strips just because we can all use a little more bacon in our lives, and banana peppers (because I have been obsessed with them lately).
And I know you have forgotten about that little cheese pocket by now. It will be a pleasant surprise when you take a bite.
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
- 1 lb. ground Venison (or meat of your choice)
- 1 Egg
- 1 cup Bacon Bits
- ¼ cup Onion, diced
- 1 tbsp. Garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- 4 1" cubes of your favorite cheese
- 4 slices of Cheese if you would like cheeseburgers
- 4 hamburger buns
- Toppings and condiments of your choice
- Combine the ground meat, egg, bacon, onion, garlic and Worcestershire sauce in a mixing bowl
- Add salt and pepper to taste and mix all ingredients together using your hands, until thoroughly mixed
- Measure out four ¼ lb. pieces
- Place a cube of cheese in the middle of each burger and form them into patties
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat
- Cook the burgers for about 6 minutes on each side. For cheeseburgers, place a slice of cheese on top for the last minute of cooking and cover the pan
- Serve on hamburger buns with an array of toppings and condiments
