Elk Burgers

We had some of the BEST burgers I’ve ever had in my entire life, using several of my favorite game meats.

I kind of dropped the ball on sharing those burger recipes as quickly as I’d hoped to, but hey... If I can’t be cooknig them up right now, I might as well be writing about them!

Today, its all about my gourmet elk burger recipe.

Like a lot of wild game meat, making juicy elk burgers requires a bit of tinkering, as the meat is very lean. While many people will undercook their burgers to ensure the juiciest elk burgers, I just can’t bring myself to do that these days.

And by fat - in this case - we’re talking bacon fat. It just goes so well with the flavor of elk, I find it the best way to “juice up” lean meat.

I avoid using aggressive seasoning, letting the flavours of the meat and the smokiness of the bacon take center stage with the patties. Then, the toppings are all chosen to work well with those flavours.

I use a few strips of crispy bacon - obviously - some smoked cheddar, campfire sauteed mushrooms, and a bit of homemade Dijonnaise, to round it all out.

Unf. Seriously, the best elk burgers I’ve ever had in my life.

We photographed these while camping at MacGregor Point Provincial Park, btw. A gorgeous stay made even more lovely!

Anyway, let’s take a look atwhat you’ll need, to make your own!

Ingredients

This recipe uses simple ingredients, most of which should be easy to find in any larger grocery store. As always, I have a few ingredient notes for you:

Lean Ground Elk Meat

Like most of the best game meats, elk is a great tasting game meat - I definitely prefer it to ground beef.

I tend to find the best prices on ground elk meat at Wild Fork here in Canada. Bonus - they have a store local to me, AND they deliver!

When I was still living in the USA, I'd usually end up buying ground elk meat from the farmers market. If you can’t find ground elk, you can use ground venison.

Either way, it’s a really low fat ground meat. If you’re wanting the texture of a regular beef burger, you’re going to need a bit of added fat, or you’ll end up with an incredibly dry burger.

Which brings me to:

Fat

Some people use ground up pork fat or beef fat if they have access to it, while others will grate up some cold butter.

My secret ingredient? Rendered bacon fat.

I just find it works so much nicer with the flavor of the elk than some of the other options. Besides, bacon and red meat is such an amazing combination.

Also, you’ll already be cooking up some bacon for use in assembling these burgers, so it’s efficient! I’ll usually cook the bacon ahead of time, chill the bacon slices and bacon fat separately, then reheat the bacon when assembling the burgers.

The bacon fat isn’t just used in the elk burgers themselves, by the way. It’s also what the mushrooms are sauteed in - SO good!

Sliced Mushrooms

I tend to just use pre-sliced crimini mushrooms / baby bella mushrooms.

They’re easy to get in even small town grocery stores, and I find they’ve got a bit more flavour than white mushrooms / button mushrooms.

That said, feel free to use whatever type of mushroom you prefer.

Cheddar Cheese Slices

When we can find it, we use smoked cheddar cheese for these burgers. (Actual smoked, not “smoke flavour added”!).

The smokiness just works so well with the bacon, and the bacon-infused elk burger and mushrooms. Really ties the whole thing together.

When we can’t find the smoked cheddar slices we like, I’ll usually use old cheddar (“sharp cheddar”, in the USA).

One of these days, I”m going to try pepper jack cheese - I bet that would be nice, also!

Dijonnaise

Do they still make “Dijonnaise” as a product? I still remember a jingle based around “Duke of Earl”, but I don’t think I’ve actually seen the stuff on grocery shelves in years.

Anyway, I just make my own, and you can too.

Start with about ½ cup of Mayonnaise, whisk in about ¼ cup of your favourite Dijon mustard. (I love Kozlik's Canadian Mustard!)

Taste, and adjust your mayo/mustard ratio to your preference.

Add a bit of salt and pepper, to taste.

If you’re feeling fancy, peel and press a clove or two of garlic, or use garlic aioli in place of the mayonnaise.

Super simple... but it really elevates the flavour of the wild meat.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Hamburger Buns (We usually use a brioche bun or kaiser bun)
Red Onion Slices
Lettuce
Bacon
Ground Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt

... I just don’t really have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go. Pretty basic!

How to Make Elk Burgers with Sauteed Mushrooms

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is a pictorial walk through with some simple tips for success!

Elk Burgers

Place ground Elk in a large bowl, along with 2 tablespoon of the bacon fat and the pepper, garlic, onion and salt.

Gently use hands to get a really good mix going, making sure that everything is evenly distributed and well incorporated in the meat mixture. Don’t over handle it or squeeze!

Divide the elk mixture into 3 or 4 equal portions (⅓ lb vs ¼ pound patties). Gently flatten each ball into a patty that is roughly the size of your burger buns – maybe a little larger - with a slight indent in the center of each of the burger patties.

Cover and chill for 20 minutes - you want the patties cold when they go on the grill!

Sauteed Mushrooms

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet. Add mushrooms and cook over medium heat - stirring frequently - until soft and browned.

Season with a little salt and pepper, to taste.

Elk Burger Assembly

As the mushrooms are cooking, cook and prepare your elk burgers:

Place elk patties on the grill grates, grill over medium heat until the internal temperature reaches 160 F on a meat thermometer / instant-read thermometer, for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Note: 160 F is the temperature generally accepted as being the safest minimum internal temperature. If you prefer medium or medium-rare doneness - for an extra juicy burger - it’s usually more like 2-3 minutes on each side, and aiming for 130 -145 F.

Top each elk patty with a slice of cheese, allow to melt.

Top with a burger patty, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, and red onions, Serve immediately.

Leftovers

Leftover elk burgers can be cooled to room temperature and kept in an airtight container the fridge for up to 3 days. I’ll usually reheat the cold patties in the microwave for about 45 seconds, before assembling my burger.

Note: You can cook these on the stovetop, if you prefer. I like to use a large nonstick pan to cook the elk patties over medium heat, but a large cast-iron skillet / cast iron pan over medium-high heat is also a good option.

More Grilling Recipes for Camping

Looking for some great meals to cook on a campfire or grill? Here's a few of my favourites!

Bison Burgers with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
Fajita Chicken Kebabs
Greek Chicken Souvlaki
Grilled Chicken Fajitas
Easy Grilled Shrimp Tacos
Grilled Tuna Tacos
Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs

Be sure to check out our other Camping Recipes, including Camping Desserts, Camping Snacks, Make-Ahead Camping Mix Recipes, and a ton of delicious Camping Main Dish Recipes.

Also, we had SO much fun designing gourmet jerky recipes for our camping trips, we started a whole new blog for them! Check out Dried & Tasty for all kinds of fun recipes to make in your food dehydrator!