SaveVenison smash burgers
Thin, crispy-edged venison smash burgers with onions pressed right into the patties, melted American cheese and a tangy burger sauce on toasted potato buns. Ground venison is lean, so a very hot skillet and a hard smash give it the deep brown crust it needs, and four burgers are ready in about 20 minutes.
- Prep
- 7 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Serves
- 4
- Per serve
- 630 kcal
Method
The amounts listed under each step are for your servings. Numbers written in the step text are for the original 4.
Stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, dill pickle relish and smoked paprika for the burger sauce. Divide the cold ground venison into 8 loose balls of about 2 oz each without packing them, and keep them in the fridge while you slice the onion paper-thin. Cut a square of parchment paper for smashing.
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp dill pickle relish
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 lb ground venison
- ½ yellow onion
Spread the butter on the cut sides of the potato buns. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat for 2 minutes, then toast the buns cut side down until golden, about 1 minute. Set them on plates and spread the bottoms with sauce.
- 4 potato buns
- 1 tbsp butter
Turn the heat to high, add 1 teaspoon of the oil and let the skillet get very hot, until the oil shimmers and just starts to smoke.
- 2 tsp neutral oil
Add 4 venison balls, well spaced, and top each with a small pile of onion. Lay the parchment over one, smash it hard and thin (about ¼ inch) with a sturdy metal spatula, then repeat with the rest. Season with half the salt and pepper and cook without moving until the edges are deep brown and lacy, about 2 minutes.
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Scrape under each patty to keep the crust and flip so the onions sit against the pan. Top each with a slice of American cheese and cook about 1 minute, until the cheese melts and the patties reach 160°F with no pink left. Stack 2 patties on each of 2 bun bottoms.
- 8 slices American cheese
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and repeat with the last 4 venison balls, onion, salt and pepper for the other 2 burgers.
Top each burger with 3 dill pickle chips and the bun tops and serve right away.
- 12 slices dill pickle chips
Tips
- Most hunters' ground venison is very lean. If yours has no added fat, mix in 2 to 4 ounces of 80/20 ground beef or ground pork per pound, or ask your processor for a 10 to 20% fat blend. Lean venison still works here; it just gets a little less lacy at the edges.
- Cook ground venison to 160°F, the USDA safe temperature for ground meat. Smashed patties are so thin they get there in about 3 minutes, so don't walk away from the pan.
- Smash in the first 15 seconds while the meat is still cold. Once it starts to cook it won't spread. Press down on the spatula with your other hand (or a second spatula) to get the patties really thin.
- Make the sauce up to 4 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Leftover patties keep 3 days in the fridge; reheat them in a hot skillet for about a minute per side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 630
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 31 g
- Fat
- 39 g
- Saturated fat
- 15 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 1,680 mg
Estimated from USDA data for 1 of 4 servings. Doesn't include salt to taste or anything listed “to serve”.
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Gear that helps
- Burger smasher Presses patties thin for crispy smash-burger edges.
- Instant-read thermometer Takes the guesswork out of doneness.
- Nonstick griddle Cooks a whole batch of pancakes at once.
- Cast-iron skillet Holds heat for a hard sear and a crisp crust.
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