Ground Elk fat %

[HERD CHALLENGER]

Just melt a little real butter and pour over meat before you make the burgers. Works great for me.

 

[Hill Difficulty]

My (subjective) preference for ground burger is 20% or 25% beef fat to any elk, deer, antelope.

 

[HighUintas]

I added some of the elks own fat in when grinding mine last fall. When cooking it as ground on the stove it has a smell that reminds me of cow hide. The flavor is still good so long as it's not made into straight grilled burgers with no seasoning added. I think I might prefer it to doing a heavy trim to get lean ground elk

 

[Clearwaterarcher]

80/20 seems to be the ticket for me. Specifically talking burgers, I find 100% elk meat isn’t as tender. When mixed with beef fat I get the soft tender taste.

 

[HuntHarder]

80/20 here as well. I have tried 90/10, 100%, and 70/30. I think 80/20 is my favorite balance. I usually go to the butcher a few days before I need it and tell him to save me the pork fat or beef fat from his trimming. Usually really cheap and adds some much needed moisture and helps the burger stay together when grilling.
If I find some bacon ends cheap, I will mix those in as well.

 

[MTbowhunter36]

10% beef fat. One year I didn't add any fat to the grind as I was going to make jerky with some of it. Wife and kids MUCH prefer burger with fat as do I.

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[zion zig zag]

I package it as 100% elk. I may add fat in the cooking process depending on what I‘m making.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I had a guy tell me he would go to the butcher and get ground pork. I think if I were to go that rout I would just get a pork shoulder , they are alway on sale, and grind it myself, they are very fatty, then add it to the elk in which ever % I settled on.

 

[Scorpion]

100% elk, once in a while I will cut with bacon or mix 50/50 with bison but that’s it. Ground elk has an amazing flavor on its own.

 

[zion zig zag]

I had a guy tell me he would go to the butcher and get ground pork. I think if I were to go that rout I would just get a pork shoulder , they are alway on sale, and grind it myself, they are very fatty, then add it to the elk in which ever % I settled on.

So funny story time; I add pork fat to my elk sausage. The local Mexican market is the best source for pure pork fat. The butcher there goes through a lot of pigs and they save everything.

I speak a Little Spanish, like very little, but I try. I go to the butcher counter and ask for puerco gordo. I just get a blank look while they hold up various items and I say no, peurco gordo. I try puerco de gordo, gordo de puerco. They just stare at me. Finally, they go to the back and bring out this big, fat woman, who happens to speak a little english. She gets me what I need and I’m on my way.

I go home and recount this story to my wife, who is Chicana and speaks great Spanish. She proceeds to tell me that gordo isn’t just an all purpose word for fat, it specifically means fat person. They literally thought I was asking for a fat person, and they delivered!

 

[Zappaman]

For elk or deer... 20% beef fat for burger plus some powdered milk and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to keep the meat together and hold red color-- this WILL keep it preserved over YEARS in a DEEP freezer.

For roasts and steaks... take beef fat (chunks/strips) and freeze it WITH with the red meat (tenderloin) also...in solid water. Then when thawed... put that fat in the pan first, render it out, then drop the red steaks in the skillet and finish (like a ribeye- flavor wise... AND no gristle!!!).

 

[ceejay]

I think 100% wild game is just too dry for most of my ground burger usage. I also echo what others have said about preferring beef fat over pork fat. My preferred ratio is 15-20% fat in the end product.

 

[cnelk]

I use 25% pork butt when I make elk summer sausage

 

[ToolMann]

Like a few others, 10% beef suet for me. Get it from a local butcher. We've eaten over 60 pounds of deer burger since last fall. Burgers, chili, spaghetti, tacos, and more tacos.

 

[Rob5589]

I do about 15% pork, have used beef fat as well but like the pork better. You do have to be a bit more careful with pork of course. It still tastes 100% like venison, the fat mostly adds moisture and texture.

 

[Azone]

Ribeye fat trimmings at somewhere between 10 to 15 percent. Burger without fat usually turns into a dry crumbly mess in my experience.
To each their own.

 

[Zappaman]

On (clean) Kansas white tail deer, mixed with 20% beef fat... I have served HUNDREDS of burgers grilled for "townies" who never knew the difference (and I just don't tell them it's "deer meat" any more). New Mexico mule deer (off my old ranch for 20 years) also tasted perfect with this same mix.

Trick is to not mix too much of the deer suet in with the beef suet... or my wife (who can smell a humingbird fart a 1/4 mile away) won't eat it >

 

[Cowbell]

10-15% beef fat for burger. 15-20% pork fat for sausage. You guys not adding fat are the reason so many people don't like wild game - I thank you - woods are full enough.

 

[sahunter06]

100% elk for my burgers. I will mix in lean bison for meatloaf or add a little EVOL depending on the dish.

 

[damxam]

For burgers you can’t beat 80-20 beef fat with a medium grind. And 25% pork for sausages.Been doing it for years and definitely a crowd pleaser