Do you have any personal recipe recommendations for hamburger?

December 3, 2008 8:20 PM

Can you help me come up with a recipe plan to use up this glut of hamburger that I have?

I went deer hunting this year, and had good luck. This is great and all, but now I have ~30 lbs of ground venison (in addition to the steaks/roasts).

I'm looking for personal, specific recipe ideas/recommendations that you have featuring ground beef/venison so I can use all this up throughout the year. I will undoubtedly be making some into good-old-fashioned burgers and chili, but I would like some ideas to break it up a little.

Yes, there are plenty of recipes on the web, but this is MetaFilter after all.

The meat is vacuum packed and stored in a deep freeze, so safe storage through the year isn't much of a concern. Also, we mixed in a small amount of pork with some of it, so that it wouldn't be TOO lean.

posted by ArgentCorvid to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

Shepherd's Pie!

LAYER ONE: Never Fail Pie Crust 2 minus the sugar

LAYER TWO: Minced beef, green pepper, onion, and crimini mushrooms, and enough flour to make a roux and enough homemade chicken stock to make a gravy (if you don't eat meat, just use lots of mushrooms and vegetable stock and it'd be just as tasty.)

LAYER THREE: fresh corn, zucchini, and summer squash, all locally grown

LAYER FOUR: fluffy garlicy mashed potato

LAYER FIVE: Tillamook Sharp Cheddar

To make layer two, I saute the beef and aromatics together until cooked, then add 2 tbs flour. It'll soak up the fat and make a roux to which I add about a cup of stock.

To make layer three, I steam the veggies in salt water.

To make layer four, I utilize the power of garlic powder and my kitchenaid mixer.
posted by Juliet Banana at 8:37 PM on December 3, 2008

There's a Laotian recipe I found this summer that was seriously easy -- stir fry equal parts hamburger/ground meat and chopped eggplant together with a little chopped garlic and a chopped chile pepper. Sprinkle some chopped fresh basil on top before serving. That's it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:49 PM on December 3, 2008 [1 favorite]

Whenever I have a surplus of ground meat, I always make a big meatloaf. Is deer meat good for meatloaf?
posted by amyms at 8:51 PM on December 3, 2008

Make pie dough with 1 stick salted butter worked by hand into a cup of pastry flour (1/3 cake flour mixed with 2/3 AP by weight), add enough ice water to make dough. Chill for half an hour, give the dough a puff pastry turn or two, roll out, and cut the dough into rounds. Fold them over a filling of ground venison and pork fat briefly sauteed with salt and pepper, rosemary and thyme, and perhaps some red wine, and bake in a 375 degree oven until pastry is done and meat is cooked to the desired level of doneness. Some chopped carrots, celery and onion, sweated in butter until tender, would also be a good addition. You can also use curry, or any other seasonings that strike your fancy, to flavor the sauteed meat. (I do this with ground beef.)

Also, you might try venison merguez. (The recipe is in Ruhlman's Chacuterie.) I wouldn't bother trying to stuff it into casings; just make into patties, saute until browned and cooked through, and serve with couscous.

Also, if you care to try an emulsified sausage, and want to try putting something in casings, you could try making venison hot dogs, which I imagine would be toe-curlingly delicious.

(I am SO jealous. I adore venison.)
posted by Lycaste at 9:03 PM on December 3, 2008

Would you care to send a pound of venison burger my way? God! I miss it! I don't have anything fancy to advise - but venison, sliced thin and fried with butter and onions is my all around best childhood memory. Eat some for me!
posted by The Light Fantastic at 9:14 PM on December 3, 2008

Tater Tot Casserole

Not that important to follow recipe exactly- always good

1-2 lbs ground meat ( beef, venison, elk)

1 Onion (diced)

Garlic (minced)

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup

1 bag frozen mixed veggies

Big Bag o' Tots

Cheddar cheese

Saute meat, onions, garlic, add veggies for 3 min. Mix in soup. Dump into Pyrex baking dish. Arrange tots atop. bake (350) 'til tots are brown (20-35 min) Top w/Cheese, bake 5 min.

Don't burn your mouth on the meaty goodness under the tots!

Also "Doe'y Joes" are always a hit with the kids
posted by ijustwantyourhalf at 11:01 PM on December 3, 2008

I also grew up with a fair chunk of (~12% pork) venison burger. One of my favourites was to make small meatballs to add to soup. Pretty much any kind of soup. Not a recipe per se just add meat to soup. The (relatively) dry meatballs never get overcooked or dry and the flavour is somewhat more complex than most beef.

Soup. Yum.
posted by mce at 12:07 AM on December 4, 2008

Meatballs. Mix meat with some finely minced onion, garlic, herbs (oregano, thyme), seasoning, and a beaten egg (optional). Roll into neat balls - golfball, not tennis ball, roll the balls in a little flour to coat them. Brown the meatballs in a pan with a little olive oil, then finish cooking in a good tomato sauce. The cooked meatballs in sauce also freeze pretty well.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 5:00 AM on December 4, 2008

I was going to say meatballs! They're easy, they freeze well and it's always nice to have some on hand when a craving for spaghetti and meatballs hits (as it often does in my house).

I would also make and freeze several meatloafs (meatloaves??). Such a good meal to have on hand - you can just pop it in the oven on a night when you don't feel like cooking.
posted by triggerfinger at 5:06 AM on December 4, 2008

I use ground venison for jerky...they have mixes, or you can spice it yourself and either roll it out and cut it into strips or use a jerky gun (I think I picked mine up at Walmart, but I know Cabelas has them). I have a dehydrator but you can find instructions on doing it in the oven if you'd rather forego the cost. Turns out far, FAR better than any strip jerky. And you'll burn through that meat in no time.
posted by kattyann at 6:04 AM on December 4, 2008

I don't eat a lot of ground beef, but this is--hands down--my favorite recipe.


BEEF BUNS

DOUGH
3/4 C warm water
1/2 C sweetened condensed milk
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 TB sugar
1 large egg
3 1/2 C flour
4 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt

FILLING
3 TB butter, divided
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped fine
1/2 small head of cabbage, chopped
10 slices of American cheese

DIRECTIONS
Lightly grease large bowl. Mix the water, milk, oil, egg, and sugar in a large measuring cup. Place the flour, yeast, salt in a mixing bowl. With mixer on low, add the liquid to the flour; mix until shiny and smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Shape into ball and place in greased bowl. Allow to rise until doubled, about one hour.

Melt 1 TB butter in frying pan and cook beef until just beginning to brown. Use slotted spoon to transfer to paper towel lined plate. Poor off all but 2 TB of fat and cook onions for 3 minutes.. Add cabbage and cook for 2 more minutes. Return beef to pan and season with salt and pepper.

Grease two baking sheets. Divide dough into 10ths. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into 7 inch circle. Drape one circle over a cereal bowl and top with slice of cheese. Spoon in 2/3 C of filling. Pinch edges closed to form bun. Transfer bun to sheet, seam side down. Repeat until each greased sheet holds 5 buns. Cover and let rise 20 minutes. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle, heat oven to 350. Bake 20 minutes, rotating sheets half way through baking. Brush buns with 2 TB melted butter.



Although the recipe seems long, it is really quite easy and fast-- a great recipe for children to help with. My husband loves the bread part so much that sometimes I make the buns all by themselves, without the filling, for sandwiches.

Last night I made enchiladas because we had some leftover roast chicken, but you can easily use ground beef. Simply cook up the beef-- perhaps adding chopped onions, bell peppers, green peppers, black beans, and/or corn. Stir in some grated cheese-- cheddar, Monterey jack, Colby, whatever you have-- and half a can of store bought enchilada sauce. Roll up the filling in tortillas--either corn or flour--and place tortillas seam side down in a baking dish (8 inch baking dish for 4 enchiladas using 1 can of sauce or 9 by 13 inch dish making eight enchiladas using 2 cans of sauce.) Sprinkle the top of the enchiladas with more grated cheese and some sliced olives. Top with the remainder of the enchilada sauce. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 7:38 AM on December 4, 2008 [5 favorites]

My wife has a recipe for summer sausage that starts with 5 pounds of ground beef. If you're interested I can post it later or e-mail it to you.
posted by leapfrog at 10:43 AM on December 4, 2008

Polish cabbage rolls, aka Gołąbki are a great winter dish. The recipes generally call for a mixture of ground beef and pork, and if your venison is really lean you might want to up the fat content a bit by using a fattier ground pork. Be just like a Schmenge brother!
posted by SteveInMaine at 1:00 PM on December 5, 2008 [1 favorite]