Venison Smashburgers | Wildgame Kitchen

BUCK FEVER OUTDOORS WILDGAME KITCHEN

 VENISON SMASHBURGERS

By Pat Kolbe, BUCK FEVER OUTDOORS

It didn’t take but the first time ever making these Venison Smashburgers for this recipe and method to become my absolute favorite way to make a venison hamburger. Using a cast iron flat-top griddle, along with a good burger press - Smashburgers are just so darn good because of that magical browned crust that forms on the outside of the burger! There’s some cool science and reaction behind what’s happening in that process — but all I care about is it's like having my venison burgers delivered to me from Culver’s!  

Here’s a couple quick tips you need to know and consider when making Venison Smashburgers:

1. Make sure to prep everything and have all ingredients ready to go and close-by because the process goes fast and you don’t have time to peel off wrappers or run back in the house to get something!

2. Only cook 2-3 burgers at a time! Again because the process happens so fast, if you try to cook a motherload of a dozen smashburgers at once, you are going to be left disappointed with burnt, overcooked burgers.

3. Don’t be afraid to stack two burgers onto the same bun for a double Smashburger — in fact, it’s highly recommended!

   
   

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ⅔  pounds of Ground Venison Burger

• McCormick Grill Masters SMASH Seasoning

• Oil

• 1 Large Onion Chopped

• 5 American Cheese Kraft Singles

• Gourmet Sesame Hamburger Buns

• Butter Flavored Cooking Spray

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

• Pre-heat your cast-iron griddle or pan on medium-high heat.

• Drizzle an area of the griddle with olive oil and add chopped onions. Sprinkle another light layer of olive oil over the onions and sprinkle with the SMASH seasoning.

• Cook the onions until they are carmelized to your liking, stirring and flipping occasionally. 

• While onions are cooking, it is important to prep everything else for cooking:

• Apply a light coat of butter to the inside of each burger bun

• Remove the plastic film from each slice of cheese you plan to use

• Form ground venison into five equal sized balls (roughly ⅓ lb each)

• Place buns on the grill, butter side down and cook to a quick crips (30-60 secs)

• Remove buns and place on a serving plate or tray

• Place burger balls on the griddle, making sure to place them on the hottest zones of the griddle (I usually do half the burgers first, then the second round after the first ones are done)

• Use a flat burger press to evenly smash the burger balls into a thin patty, holding the press for approximately 10 secs to get that browned, crusty edge on the burger

• After each burger is pressed, sprinkle each with SMASH seasoning

• When the burger is cooked about half-way through (won’t take long!), flip them over and add another sprinkle of SMASH seasoning and a slice of cheese to each burger

• Just about the time the cheese gets a good melt, the burgers are done. Scoop them off and lay them directly on the burger bun. Top with some caramelized onions!

VARIATIONS/NOTES:

• Only cook 2-4 Smashburgers at a time. The process is so quick that if you were to try and cook 6-8+ burgers at once you would end up with burnt or overcooked burgers!