"Garden" Burger

"Garden" Burger, because the lettuce comes from the garden, the tomatoes and jalapenos did too, and the deer likes to spend time in it...  :-)
Our biggest complaint about wild game burgers is that they can be dry. Without the fat, wild game tends to lose a lot of that rich, juicy flavor that we know and love so much about regular beef burgers. It can also pose a challenge when assembling. You can always add pork fat when grinding up your wild game, but we didn't do that the last time with our deer. To give our burgers its structure and flavor, we decided to incorporate lots of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese into our ground venison. Not only did this give our burgers great flavor, but the cheese also helped to keep our venison burgers deliciously moist. 

Servings: 4 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. ground venison

- 1 tsp. garlic powder

- 2 tbs. canned diced jalapeno, or to taste

- 1 bunch of scallion (about 6-8 stems), white and light green parts thinly sliced

- 1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

- kosher/sea salt, to taste (about 1/2 tsp.)

- freshly ground black pepper, to taste

- 4 soft hamburger buns

- Spring Mix salad

- sliced tomato

- and all your other favorite fixings

1. First, chop and slice white/light green parts of scallion . Discard dark green parts.  

We also chopped 2 tbs. of the diced jalapenos even further. The pieces were a little too big for our liking, but that's up to you.

You won't need the whole can. Unless if you like the feeling of your mouth catching fire.

2. In a large bowl, combine 1 lb. ground venison, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tbs. diced jalapeno, sliced green onion, salt and pepper to taste. 

Then add 1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese. 

With your hands, combine all ingredients. 

3. Shape venison mixture into 4 patties. Make sure to shape them well so that the patties stay together.

Prepare the grill. While you wait, drink some booze.

We made margaritas and drank them from granny glasses... Because we're too poor to afford real margarita glasses. Still good!

 

4. When the grill is ready, cook burgers about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until burgers are just cooked through and juices run clear. Do not overcook, because venison dries out quickly. Melt additional cheese on top of burgers, optional. 

And for the love of all that is holy, don't press down your burgers. This will not make them cook any faster and what's worse, will dry out your burgers. Notice all the steam coming out? That's moisture you're losing. Like a steak, leave the burgers alone until you're ready to flip.

Prepare your favorite fixings. We like using arugula or a spring mix salad because it's more peppery and flavorful compared to lettuce.

Garlic fries...mmmmm... 

(It's store bought. SSSHHHHH!!!)

5. Lightly warm and toast buns on grill.

Then assemble burgers, and enjoy!

We hope you'll like them. Thanks for visiting!