BUSH TO BANQUET Paul Gray
Back in January, I put together a big batch of venison burger patties for an event using venison supplied by great ADA bloke Danny Edebohls. The goal was simple: make an easy, reliable burger mix that cooked well on the BBQ, stayed juicy, and converted a few more people to the wild venison cause along the way.
There’s something pretty satisfying about handing someone a venison burger and watching them realise wild game can be every bit as good, if not better, than anything you’d grab from the local burger joint.
Like most things in the world of smallgoods and processing, good ingredients and a bit of preparation make all the difference.
Gear That Works
You don’t need a commercial butcher shop setup to make quality burger patties at home, but decent gear makes life easier, especially when you’re processing larger batches.
For these burgers, I ran everything through the grinder twice using a medium plate. Double grinding gives a better texture and helps evenly distribute the fat throughout the mix.
As always, keeping your meat and grinder components cold is critical. I keep plates, blades and grinder parts in the freezer before use to maintain a cleaner grind and stop the fat from smearing.
To keep everything uniform, I used a small electronic scale while forming the patties. After the first few, they were coming out pretty damn accurate and made cooking times much more consistent across the whole batch.
Ingredients (Approxmately 20kg Batch)
The Carnivore Collective Aussie Burger Seasoning mix recommends: 45g seasoning per 1kg of mince
For this batch, I stuck close to the classic 25% pork fat ratio, which gives the burgers enough fat to stay juicy without becoming greasy.
It’s worth noting that not all pork fat is created equal. Good quality pork back fat works best because it’s firm and clean, but pork belly can absolutely be used as a substitute.
If using belly, I’d recommend adjusting your ratios slightly, as the additional meat content changes the overall fat percentage.
For binding, I generally use:
The breadcrumbs are still very much a “by feel” addition depending on the texture and fat content of the mix. I aim for a consistency that holds together well without becoming dense or overly compact.
Method
1. Prep the Meat
Trim the venison and pork fat into chunks small enough to comfortably feed through your grinder.
I like to alternate the meat as I feed it through, roughly three pieces of venison to one piece of pork fat, which helps achieve an even mix before the second grind.
2. Double Grind
Run the meat and fat mixture through the grinder twice using a medium plate.
The second grind gives a much more consistent burger texture and improves fat distribution throughout the batch.
3. Season and Bind
Hand mix the Carnivore Collective Aussie Burger Seasoning thoroughly through the mince to ensure even distribution.
Add approximately one egg per kilogram of mince along with breadcrumbs gradually while continuing to mix by hand. Depending on the texture you’re chasing, around 50–100g of breadcrumbs per kilogram is a solid starting point.
The goal is a mix that holds together nicely without becoming too stiff or overworked.
Like most burger mixes, consistency is something you learn by feel.
4. Rest the Mix
Once properly combined, refrigerate the mixture for a while before forming patties.
Allowing the mix to rest helps the seasoning distribute evenly and improves binding throughout the mince.
5. Form the Patties
Shape patties to your preferred size and thickness. For this batch, I settled on 150g patties after trialling slightly larger 180g versions. The smaller size cooked more evenly and worked better for serving at an event. Using a small electronic scale helped keep the patties uniform, which made cooking times far more predictable across the BBQ.
For storage, individually wrap each patty in sandwich bags before freezing. It keeps them separated, easy to stack, and incredibly convenient when you only need a few at a time.
6. Cook and Serve
Whether you’re cooking over charcoal, a flat plate, or the backyard BBQ, venison burgers are best cooked hot and fast. Serve them simply or load them up — either way, they rarely last long once people get a taste.
Venison on a Bun
One of the best things about venison burgers is how approachable they are. Not everyone is ready to jump straight into backstraps, osso bucco or cured smallgoods, but a quality burger? That’s familiar territory for just about everyone.
Burgers are one of the easiest ways to introduce people to wild venison in a format they already know and enjoy. It breaks down misconceptions pretty quickly when someone bites into a juicy venison burger and immediately asks for another one.
For hunters, sharing meals like this is one of the best ways to showcase the value of responsible harvesting and responsible use of wild game.
Sometimes all it takes is a burger to start the conversation.
