This heart-healthy recipe starts out with a pound of deer burger, which will usually make anywhere between four and six patties, depending on how thick you make them. This recipe also should work with elk, bison or other ground-up wild game. Put the thawed meet in a large, metal mixing bowl, and season with pepper, garlic and a light coating of McCormick Grill Mates Montreal steak seasoning. Add four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Blend the meat until all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed, then grab a hunk of meat and shape it into the right size of patty that you want. Keep in mind that the burgers will shrink a little during the cooking process.
I also like to cover them in barbecue sauce before putting them on the grill or frying them, but if you would prefer to put ketchup and mustard on it, I wouldn’t follow this step. Cook until the inside of the burger is done, then for an added touch you can put a slice of mozzarella on each of the patties and close the lid of the grill for a couple minutes. This will melt an extra layer of cheesy goodness on top of the burger.
You can top the burger with more barbecue sauce, chopped mushrooms sauteed in olive oil and even bacon (turkey bacon is a heart-healthy alternative).
This burger is juicy and full of flavor, but also satiating. The mushrooms give the burgers a fullness that you don’t normally have with regular hamburgers. They are also high in vitamin D, the element that you soak in from sunlight that makes you feel happy.
After one or two of these tasty burgers, you should have a pretty big smile on your face.