Burger mix

[hendrix's rifle]

Im after making some venison burgers at some point and wanted a push in the right direction. Usually I mince and use salt + pepper for seasoning but always found they crumble before they're anyway near a bap.

So what im after is recipes and tips for grinder settings/what to mix in with it! Pictures wouldn't hurt either

 

[3595wilk]

Coarse setting.

An egg if needed to bind it.

And this.....

Royal Venison and Game Burger Mix

A true favourite amongst the Weschenfelder customers, the venison and game burger mix offers you a mix of deep rich flavours that are blended to compliment all game meats in a burger. New & improved recipe!

www.weschenfelder.co.uk

 

[Olaf]

I think that adding these types of products to an otherwise high quality food stuff such as wild venison is unnecessary and a shame .
Why add chemicals such as

E451 Triphosphates - Additives - Food - Risks/Facts/Backgrounds

Triphosphates - Phosphoric acid and phosphates are among the most controversial industrial food additives. Physician

food-detektiv.de

to completely change the flavours and textures of a clean and healthy meat when it’s not necessary?
I use Weschenfelder for my Charcuterie endeavours ( nitrate curing salts ) as they are a very important part of insuring safe fermentation of cured meats; such as salami and other cured sausages. but they don’t completely change the flavours I’m working to enhance or season the meat with.
I steer well clear of products such as this that have a cocktail of ‘ingredients’ in them. It’s unnecessary and a real shame to lace some quality venison with a load of powder that takes it a million flavours away from what it is.
With products like this or other sausage ‘seasonings’ you can take some of the most intensively reared and low quality meat , slightly old and smelly out of the plastic wrapped packaging - like cheap supermarket pork and make sausage that when compared to completely wild boar meat tastes virtually identical.
The original poster to this thread can achieve great binding of his venison mince by just adding a little fat to his burger mince, I find 20% of really good quality beef back fat in venison is ample. Just work it well into the meat and it will glue everything together.
If the burger is to be very low in fat and lean then adding seasonings such as salt 1.5 % or 2% and pepper 0.5% and some fresh herbs of choice , and then mixing and kneading the mince will cause the naturally present protein strands in the meat to bind making a very sturdy and sticky burger/ meat ball/ kebab mix. If it’s to have a coarser texture then you can add some coarser ground mince to it towards the end of mixing. If you haven’t got it sticky enough then you can always add a little gluten to the mixture by working in Some breadcrumbs , but i rarely use them as i find they are not necessary if your mince is well prepared.
If you want to really intensify flavours by adding MSG then a little very finely grated Parmesan cheese is a far better alternative to reaching for the chemical powders .

Kindest regards, Olaf

 

[slider]

Weschinfelder as above with about 10% fatty pork.

 

[weblyish]

Putting it through the mincer twice and really mashing the seasonings in with your hand solves all the falling apart stuff for me

If you are having trouble keeping them together minced soaked dry fruit helps a bit if you like a venison and apricot or date type flavour - nice but not my choice

As to flavour, I avoid premade mix.
Salt pepper a hint of chilli, cumin coriander for some of them and mashed garlic and herbs for others or just plain salt and pepper

Olafs suggestion above of parmesan sounds like a very good idea. Tons of flavour and will brown up on the crust nicely as well will probably try that soon

 

[Jagged77]

Course setting for the mince, salt and pepper. If the mince is a little wet I find it helps to let it sit in a bowl for a bit in the fridge and then pat dry with a paper towel. I then knead a little and then form into balls and into hot olive oil before squashing down flat with a burger press.

Did some last night before putting on home made pizza - it was delicious!

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

...bap.

*Breadcake.

 

[Jagged77]

*Breadcake.

Tell someone you’re from Sheffield, without telling them you’re from Sheffield

 

[wytonpjs]

Weschenfelder GF 80 burger mix made with red wine, not water. I used to add 40% belly pork but now it’s just venison shoulder mince, GF burger mix and red wine, with only a single pass through the mincer prior to mixing. I cannot make enough of them - they simply fly off the shelves. Customers especially love the muntjac ones - pity the yield is small for the effort. I bought a Buffalo burger press at half price from Nisbetts a while back and it’s made their making much easier!

 

[VSS]

Weschenfelder GF 80 burger mix made with red wine, not water. I used to add 40% belly pork but now it’s just venison shoulder mince, GF burger mix and red wine, with only a single pass through the mincer prior to mixing. I cannot make enough of them - they simply fly off the shelves.

To get the right texture for a burger you really need to run it through the mincer again after mixing.
Try it. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Cheviot]

To get the right texture for a burger you really need to run it through the mincer again after mixing.
Try it. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

NO YOU DON'T

 

[VSS]

NO YOU DON'T

Yes you do.

 

[wytonpjs]

@VSS - I did try it and frankly I personally don’t like the texture. Too mushy for me. I like a burger that doesn’t fall apart but is not a homogeneous mass of mush - my customers seem to have the same opinions too

 

[Cheviot]

Yes you do.

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

Weschenfelder GF 80 burger mix made with red wine, not water. I used to add 40% belly pork but now it’s just venison shoulder mince, GF burger mix and red wine, with only a single pass through the mincer prior to mixing. I cannot make enough of them - they simply fly off the shelves. Customers especially love the muntjac ones - pity the yield is small for the effort. I bought a Buffalo burger press at half price from Nisbetts a while back and it’s made their making much easier!

View attachment 435919View attachment 435918View attachment 435917View attachment 435923

How would I get some of these to Sheffield, please?

 

[VSS]

@VSS - I did try it and frankly I personally don’t like the texture. Too mushy for me. I like a burger that doesn’t fall apart but is not a homogeneous mass of mush - my customers seem to have the same opinions too

That is strange, because it is in order to prevent it being a homogeneous mass of mush that it needs running through the mincer again. That's how you get the more "open" texture of a burger, compared to a sausage. I can only assume you didn't chill the mixture down enough before the second mincing, and that you handled it too heavily when forming the burgers.
When I first started making burgers to sell, and was disappointed with the texture, I phoned Scott Rea for advice and he talked me through it in detail. It was him that told me to run it through the mincer again. Absolutely crucial, he said, and it definitely achieved the desired result. I've subsequently been on butchery courses at the Food Tech centre in order to improve my skills. All are agreed on the correct method.

 

[VSS]

I haven't watched that video, but it was Scott that advised me on burger making. We discussed it at some length over the phone.

 

[wytonpjs]

How would I get some of these to Sheffield, please?

Sadly Stuart with great difficulty. As posted elsewhere, I process to use the carcasses I shoot as no AGHE nearby so supply is limited by what I can shoot so I don’t do mail order. Fallow bucks are not playing the game at present so I’ve currently got more orders than I can satisfy and new local customers wanting more Only a muntjac yesterday so lean pickings again

 

[wytonpjs]

That is strange, because it is in order to prevent it being a homogeneous mass of mush that it needs running through the mincer again. That's how you get the more "open" texture of a burger, compared to a sausage. I can only assume you didn't chill the mixture down enough before the second mincing, and that you handled it too heavily when forming the burgers.
When I first started making burgers to sell, and was disappointed with the texture, I phoned Scott Rea for advice and he talked me through it in detail. It was him that told me to run it through the mincer again. Absolutely crucial, he said, and it definitely achieved the desired result. I've subsequently been on butchery courses at the Food Tech centre in order to improve my skills. All are agreed on the correct method.

I think we’d better agree to disagree. I partially freeze my dice before mincing so the mincing and burger mixing is done very cold - the act of mincing and working the mix adds heat so this keeps it down to usual chiller temperature. Downside is it’s bloody hard on the hands though.

I too have done various courses including River Kitchen and Vale House, and I agree that Weschenfelder’s instructions say do a second pass, so that’s how I started. I quickly found I achieved a much better (for me) result by only doing a single pass and as the customers keep buying them, I think they’re happy with the product.

 

[3595wilk]

I think that adding these types of products to an otherwise high quality food stuff such as wild venison is unnecessary and a shame .
Why add chemicals such as

E451 Triphosphates - Additives - Food - Risks/Facts/Backgrounds

Triphosphates - Phosphoric acid and phosphates are among the most controversial industrial food additives. Physician

food-detektiv.de

to completely change the flavours and textures of a clean and healthy meat when it’s not necessary?
I use Weschenfelder for my Charcuterie endeavours ( nitrate curing salts ) as they are a very important part of insuring safe fermentation of cured meats; such as salami and other cured sausages. but they don’t completely change the flavours I’m working to enhance or season the meat with.
I steer well clear of products such as this that have a cocktail of ‘ingredients’ in them. It’s unnecessary and a real shame to lace some quality venison with a load of powder that takes it a million flavours away from what it is.
With products like this or other sausage ‘seasonings’ you can take some of the most intensively reared and low quality meat , slightly old and smelly out of the plastic wrapped packaging - like cheap supermarket pork and make sausage that when compared to completely wild boar meat tastes virtually identical.
The original poster to this thread can achieve great binding of his venison mince by just adding a little fat to his burger mince, I find 20% of really good quality beef back fat in venison is ample. Just work it well into the meat and it will glue everything together.
If the burger is to be very low in fat and lean then adding seasonings such as salt 1.5 % or 2% and pepper 0.5% and some fresh herbs of choice , and then mixing and kneading the mince will cause the naturally present protein strands in the meat to bind making a very sturdy and sticky burger/ meat ball/ kebab mix. If it’s to have a coarser texture then you can add some coarser ground mince to it towards the end of mixing. If you haven’t got it sticky enough then you can always add a little gluten to the mixture by working in Some breadcrumbs , but i rarely use them as i find they are not necessary if your mince is well prepared.
If you want to really intensify flavours by adding MSG then a little very finely grated Parmesan cheese is a far better alternative to reaching for the chemical powders .

Kindest regards, Olaf

It tastes good. That's why.