Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Mix fat into elk burger?

I use about 15% pork trim, which is not 100% fat.
At $5.99 per pound, I can't fathom using bacon in the mix.

Absolutely not. The whole point of elk meat is it is lean. If I wanted fatty burger I'd just buy beef and save the elk meat for some other user .. steaks, jerky, etc. Seems a horrible, egregious waste of an animal I have great respect for.

Tom

LOL, so anyone who mixes fat into THEIR elk is wasting it? Guess I should empty out my freezer.

If you are grilling your elk burgers,only flip them once and they will stay together without added fat.

I am fighting high cholesterol and can't take statins. That is the big reason I don't add fat. Plus, I like the taste of elk. I figure adding fat to good elk meat is like adding ice or water to good bourbon

Adding beef or pork trimmings does not give you that waxy feeling in your moth when eating the burger, like adding straight beef or pork suet does

Yep! Beef fat! memtb

I use buffalo tallow. yum yum

nope I mix 1 lb of 80 % beef burger to 1 1/2 lbs. of elk burger ,I mix it as I use it other wise I just freeze elk burger in a 1 1/2 lb. burger packages.the only fat I would consider to mix with my elk is the prime rib fat of beef and never a bull ! and cow elk meat is much better than bull elk meat too !

I grind elk 100% unaltered and have no trouble with it for grilling and other recipes.

I don't add anything, just pure meat...

That's what she said.....

Can't think of any reason to add fat unless ones goal is to alter flavor.


Fats have little if any binding qualities. Fats are, however, the source of flavor. Chemically remove fat from meat and no one can identify its source.

Proteins bind things together. Do some surgery sometime on a fat critter and see how much success one has when attempting to suture layers of fat.

Have never had issues with burger (venison, elk, caribou, moose, pronghorn, or bear) falling apart. We grill everything turning only once.

I add to some burger primarily for burgers. I've never done surgery on a burger but I've cooked many that are straight elk as well as mixed. The straight elk is crumbly and can be a bit dry. With some fat it holds together better and is juicier. Much of the fat cooks out. Without any fat you will have better luck if you add some binding material like an egg and/or bread crumbs. I've taken to adding bacon ends or just bacon in a pinch as it does give a great flavor. This is only my family's opinion and I only make about 100-120 lbs of elk burger per year--the rest we use for roasts and a few steaks.

LOL, me either, but I've taken some apart with surgical precision.

We have always added 10% beef fat to venison. It make it stay together better for hamburgers and it is not so dry then.

You can do that but I put my 100% elk patties in tin foil and lay them on the grill. I turn them once and after about 3 minutes a side, I open the foil and slide out the burger. It will stay together now while you put the final "browning" on it.

We go 1lb of beef fat to 5lbs of elk.... it makes great burgers.

Adding fat to grind for binding purposes is a well established practice, and not only works for elk.
I believe that beef fat will change the flavor less than pork but many people feel pork fat improves the flavor.
I have inquired about grinding the elks own fat back into it and was advised against it. I was not really given a clear reason why not.
Personally I've eaten so much elk for so long that it has begun to taste ordinary. Beef or other game species taste exotic to me now and I've become more interested in various grind changes.

No way!!!!!

+1 Dogshooter

this man knows what is RIGHT!!!!

5% is ok also.

We dice up onion, then add 1 table spoon of Liquid Smoke to 3 lbs of hamburger, salt and pepper, Hamburgers are to die for!!!

That works very well with venison.

DF