A ton of folks will be taking vacation next week for the July 4 holidays, maybe even leaving this weekend for a super-long break of summer fun at the beach or mountains.
Whether you’re using venison or beef, a great grilled burger is a July 4 holiday tradition!
Summer means grilling, and grilling means burgers. They’re easy to make and fun to eat. Plus, if you still have some ground venison in the freezer from the last deer season, you can whip up something that will get you in the mood for bow season in a few months.
As much as we love tenderloins, backstraps, roasts and pulled venison sandwiches, knocking out some burgers is All-American at its best. Here’s a good one from OldWoodFireGrill.com that you might like.
Fire up the grill and give these a try.
Italian Sausage Burgers
Submitted by D&DH reader Lowell Nudd in our popular “We Kill It, We Grill It” cookbook
10 lbs venison Italian sausage
2 oz salt
1/2 oz black pepper
1/2 oz red pepper
1 1/2 oz fennel seed
Grind venison once through medium plate (on the grinder). Mix salt, black pepper, red pepper and fennel seed. Add to venison and mix all ingredients by hand. Make into softball-sized balls (about 1 pound each) and put into freezer bags. Each bag makes four patties. Cook on a grill until done, without overcooking. Serve as hamburgers or chopped steaks.
Here’s a super burger recipe we love from noted wild game chef Scott Leysath in his “Better Venison” cookbook:
Venison Bleu Cheese Burgers are great!
Venison Bleu Cheese Burger
1 1/2 pounds ground venison
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cups mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 tbsp bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
4 burger buns
4 lettuce leaves
4 slices tomato
Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Stir in mushrooms and sauté until soft. Transfer to a medium bowl and allow to cool.
Add ground venison, blue cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper and mix well with your hands to blend. Form into 4 large patties. Grill, pan-fry or broil patties until browned. Add to bun with lettuce, tomato and your choice of other condiments.
Check out these side dishes to go along with those burgers, too.
SeriousEats.com featured a cool recipe for spicy coleslaw from Rebecca Lang, author of “Around the Southern Table.” Sounds great, with enough of a spicy flavor without being too “mayonaisey.”
Remember, too, if you’re eating foods prepared with eggs or mayo, get ‘em back in the refrigerator instead of leaving them in the hot sun. They can spoil and no one wants to be sick on a holiday or vacation.
Bon Appetit says these brownies are the best you’ll ever have and are easy to make. Looks great. Nothing like a good brownie and ice cream, maybe with some apple pie later on, for a holiday treat.
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