How about some Venison Salsa Burgers for a new burger recipe to try?
If you struggle with dry venison burgers, adding this little bit of salsa will boost your flavor and juiciness.
Part of the struggle with cooking venison salsa burgers is the many differences in lean-to-fat ratios. Everyone has their own preferences when processing ground venison. Back when briskets were relatively cheap, we used to grind in a brisket when we made our burger. This time around, briskets were a bit expensive. That’s out of my budget. So we ordered some beef fat trimmings from HEB for a much cheaper price.
We ended up with an 80:20 fat to lean ratio, and our venison salsa burgers recipe is pretty juicy this year. I know some people who don’t add any fat to their venison. I’d imagine that makes for a pretty lean burger. If your venison salsa burgers are on the lean side, you may need to add something to help them stick together. Breadcrumbs can help it stick together, and if your meat is really dry, you can even add an egg. I’ll share a few other hints throughout the post.
Here’s what you need for the Venison Salsa Burgers:
Ground venison | Buckey’s salsa | Bread crumbs | Fixin’s | Buns
I used Buckey’s salsa. I love that the kids in my family love to be in the kitchen with me, and if they want to make something on their own, I try to encourage them. Buckey had asked to make some salsa from scratch. I let him choose the main ingredients, and then I made a few other suggestions of things he might want to add. This is what we come up with. I’ll try to document it the next time we make his salsa. This will be our go-to homemade salsa recipe from now on. Here’s what you need if you want to make a batch for yourself:
Amazing Venison Salsa Burgers
Ingredients
To Make The Salsa:
- 1 can diced tomatoes 28-ounce
- ½ medium red bell pepper
- 1 medium serrano pepper
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper if you’re feeling froggy
- 1 medium onion slice
- ½ bunch cilantro
- ½ medium lime juiced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
To Make The Venison Burger:
- 1¼ pounds ground venison 80:20 fat to lean ratio
- ¼ cup salsa
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- 1 medium egg optional
- 1 pinch salt
Other Ingredients:
- 5 medium burger buns
- 2 tablespoons butter
Optional Fixin’s:
- 4 tablespoons mustard
- 4 tablespoons mayo
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 4 medium pickles sliced
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1 head lettuce or baby spinach
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 1 medium fresh slice of avocado
Instructions
To Make The Salsa:
- Place all the ingredients, if they’ll fit, in a food processor and chop it up. If it won’t all fit, start with the non-tomato ingredients first, then add tomatoes in small batches until all the tomatoes are mixed in.
To Make The Venison Burger:
- Press one pound of ground venison into a flat dish. Remember, mine is 1¼ pounds. Add ¼ cup salsa and ¼ cup bread crumbs to the meat.
- Mix it all together and press it back out. At this point, you can break out a little piece of burger and test it to see how well it sticks and handles. If it doesn’t hold together very well, you can try adding a beaten egg. Adding a little salt helps make the fat in the burger stickier, too, but use salt cautiously because it can also dry out the meat. If it seems like it’s holding together pretty well, but it’s still a little flimsy, proceed with the next step.
- Use your finger to separate the meat out into the number of patties you’ll need. If your patties seem a little bit fragile, stick them in the fridge for a little while. The patty will hold together very well since it has kept cold.
- Once your fire is nice and hot, bring out the cold patties and place them over the hot flames.
- If the flames get too big, you can close the lid. Resist the urge to flip the patties too early. Premature flippage will result in patties that are more likely to break apart. Give them about five minutes before flipping. When they’re nicely seared on the bottom, flip them over and cook for another five minutes. A fully cooked burger will have clear juices when they’re pressed, but don’t press on them too much while cooking, or you’ll squeeze out all that delicious juice. Wait until you think they’re done before you press on them.
- While the burgers are cooking, butter your buns.
- As soon as you’ve taken the burgers off the pit, toast the buns over the open flames. It’s totally worth the effort.
- Load up your Venison Salsa Burger with all the fixin’s: mustard, mayo, ketchup, pickles, onion, baby spinach or lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, and a fresh slice of avocado.
- Pair it with a cold beverage and some chips and salsa.