How to Process Venison Into Hamburger

Venison is the meat of any of various deer species such as white-tailed deer and mule deer. When a deer is processed for its meat, its hide is removed and the meat is cut and processed similar to the processing of beef. However, a notable difference between venison and beef is the fat --- while beef fat adds flavor and is often left in the meat to marble the cut of beef, venison fat is usually removed during meat processing.

• 1

  Decide if you are making plain ground venison burger or ground venison burger with added beef fat. Venison has less fat than beef, and what fat is does have has a "gamey" taste. Some people add either beef or pork fat to their ground venison burger to prevent the venison burger from cooking too dry. Alternatively, ground venison can be mixed with hamburger.

• 2

  Purchase beef or pork fat from a butcher, if desired. Plan on one part fat to four parts venison, but you can adjust that depending on personal taste.

• 3

  Set up the grinder and insert the coarse grinding blades. Set a cookie sheet or tray below the grinder outlet.

• 4

  Clean and disinfect the work area. Sterilize the cutting surfaces and tools by wiping with a half-and-half solution of household chlorine bleach and water. Rinse and wipe down cutting surfaces and tools with water to remove the bleach.

• 5

  Choose the portions of venison you want ground. Use a knife to trim off any white membrane tissue or fat. Cut the meat and fat into small enough cubes to fit into the mouth of the grinder.

• 6

  Insert the cubes, one at a time, into the grinder. Operate the grinder and catch the ground meat and fat on the cookie sheet or tray. Continue until all venison and fat is ground.

• 7

  Remove the coarse grinding blades and insert the fine grinding blades, if desired. If you do not want a finer-ground burger, leave the coarse grinding blades in place.

• 8

  Insert the ground venison into the mouth of the grinder, a handful at a time. Operate the grinder, catching the ground meat on the cookie sheet or tray as it exits the outlet.

• 9

  Separate the ground venison burger into portions and place in freezer bags. Seal the freezer bags, mark the contents and date with a marker, and place the bags in the freezer.