Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Best way to make burger

I was fortunate enough to tag a bull in my first elk hunt this year. What’s everyone’s best burger recipe? I have tons of hamburger……looking at actually cheeseburgers, meatballs, meatloaf….

When we grind, we blend in 10% to 15% beef suet (fat) by weight! Makes great burger (not dry), and of course any other thing that burger is used for! memtb

The key for burger patties is make them the day before. Let them sit over night (refrigerated obviously) . They will hold together much better.

I have a bunch of pork fat- will that work just as well?

I suspect it should, though…..we’ve personally not used it. I had an uncle that used pork fat and sometimes pork sausage in his burger (deer, elk, antelope, and bear). However, I don’t know how long he keep it frozen prior to use. We’ve gone over a year in freezer…..if we had a lot of elk! memtb

I have a hunting buddy who grinds his own and he mixes some with the cheapest hamburger he can get.
I think his ratio is 30% hamburger up to half & half, depending on the quality of the venison
Uses it like you would hamburger as patties or in chili, tacos and so.

I’m another 15% beef suet fan that mix keeps the lean flavor but has the patties stay together. I’ve used pork fat, sausage & bacon in the grind & still prefer it plain or with the beef fat.

Sausage in the other hand seems better with a healthy mix of pork fat &other seasonings. My buddy from upstate New York made us his Italian grandmothers sausage a few years ago - best Italian sausage I’ve ever had. Thinking about it makes me want lasagna or a sausage peppers & cheese sandwich.

Putting other fat in ground elk or deer is like putting Coke-cola in good Jack Daniels.

No added fat makes good spaghetti, meat loaf, chili, anything you use ground meat in. It also negates the healthy food aspect of wild game.

About the only time I would add anything is if I am making breakfast sausage. Summer sausage I only add the spices

When grilling hamburgers using ground elk, only flip the only once and they will hold together

Have used pork, last batch I used some bacon with moose, have to say its been the best burger to date. I forget the ratio?

Using Jack Daniels may not be the best example at this time! As….they’ve now gone “woke” by supporting LGBTQIAXYZ, ect., ect! Jus’ Say’n! memtb

https://twitter.com/endwokeness/status/1643728597050327041?s=61&t=dBbdqd_YOX7K8phCZrsUOQ

Pork fat rules!!

Did not know that. Changed it

I figured that……things are changing so fast, it’s impossible to keep up! Sad times, indeed! 🤬 memtb

When I process any of my wild meat...elk, deer, moose, antelope, etc... I overtrim the meat, cutting off anything white, then coarse grind adding 10% beef fat and then re-grind it through the fine grinder.

Mix 1/1 with fresh ground pork or mix with equal amounts of Jimmy Deans hot pork sausage works well.

I’ll have to try some of these methods. Really wanna try bacon in the burgers

No elk this year, but we put 4 whitetails in the freezer. Nothing added to the grind and burgers hold together fine. I like blue cheese on/in my burgers so after thawing a package, I've been mixing seasoning and blue cheese crumbles in with it.

Fat is good for you, put it in some in your burger.

The bun on the other hand is killing you.

1st how old of bull elk did you shoot ? if its a old bull elk don`t waste your money on the meat i shot a big old bull that scored 376 B.C. and was huge , that bulls meat was nasty for burger.my wife would not fix it after a while kids did not like it either hotdishes was ok burgers were bad from my bull. good luck,Pete53