Eden’s Ultimate Venison Burger

Living in a region renowned for producing fantastic game meat, why not switch up traditional beef patties for homemade venison burgers.

Venison burger with bacon & onion jam, blue cheese, smoked paprika mayo

Recipe – serves 4 people:

Burger

300g minced venison

100g minced pork

1 tsp garlic puree

1 tsp Worcester sauce

2 shallots, finely chopped

Pinch of salt & pepper

Mix in a bowl until well combined and shape into 4 patties, ½ inch thick. Grill on a hot BBQ or fry in a non stick pan for 3 minutes each side. Remove from direct heat and leave in the warm pan or on a board to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Paprika Mayo

4 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp smoked paprika

Mix until combined

Toppings

4 slices blue cheese (or cheese of choice)

4 brioche buns

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 baby gem lettuce

Bacon & Onion Jam

4 rashers smoked streaky bacon (chopped)

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

100g brown sugar

80ml white wine vinegar

1 chilli, finely chopped (optional)

In a saucepan, cook the bacon until crispy, then remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Using the same pan, add the onions and garlic and cook on a low heat until caramelised, add the sugar and vinegar and cook until thickened then add back in the bacon and add the chopped chilli.

Once cooled, jam can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Serve your burger on a lightly toasted brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion, the paprika mayo, melted blue cheese (or cheese of choice – I use Blue Murder) and the bacon & onion jam.

Top tips: Preheat your grill or frying pan or get your BBQ nice and hot before putting your burgers on. Ask your butcher to mince the meat for you to save time and use a jam jar lid to help you shape the burgers to the right size. Once shaped, put your burger patties back in the fridge to chill before cooking – this keeps the fat firm and they will taste better. Make a light indent in the top of your burger patties with your finger so that the juices pool in the middle and absorb back into the burger during cooking.

I use brioche buns for my burgers in the restaurant, but there’s no need to serve your burgers on a bun – a grilled Portobello mushroom is a great low carb alternative, or simply serving with a salad or a jacket potato is good too. Try some different burger flavours by mixing 2/3 venison with 1/3 black pudding or haggis or finely chopped bacon or mushrooms. Adding a few chopped cranberries to the venison mix and serving the burger with melted brie and caramelised onion chutney is also really good!