From River Buck to the Smoker: Cooking Deer Burgers for the First Time

Recipes

Jan 18

Smoked deer burgers made from River Buck venison

Remember River Buck?

Yeah… this is him.

I didn’t go to the grocery store. I went to the woods. This is about as primal as it gets when it comes to harvesting your own meat. And honestly, this was my first time ever cooking deer burger, so I didn’t really know what to expect.

I’d heard all the usual stuff. Venison is dry. It’s gamey.

So I wasn’t about to rush this. That meat came from a hunt that actually meant something, and I didn’t want to ruin it.

I decided to smoke them.

If you haven’t read the full River Buck hunt and recovery story, you can read it here.

Side note: One thing I didn’t expect though was what happened at the processor. I was supposed to get the tenderloins back, but when I picked up my meat, they were missing.

I reached out to ask what happened. Ghosted, without any explanation.

So now, whenever someone asks me where they should take their deer, I don’t tell them where to go. I tell them where not to go.

Going Into It With No Real Experience

I’m not going to pretend like I had this dialed in.

This was literally my first time cooking deer burgers, so I started by figuring out what not to do. The biggest thing I kept hearing was that venison is super lean, which is perfect because summer is coming up and we need all the help we can to shred all that winter fat.

Keeping the Seasoning Simple

Since this was my first try, I didn’t want to throw a bunch of stuff at it and hope it worked.

I kept it basic:

Himalayan sea salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder

That’s it.

I mixed it just enough to combine everything and left it alone. No overworking it.

Making the Patties

I didn’t smash these like beef burgers. I made them thick, so that it would be hard to overcook them. I wanted that thick & juicy look. A medium burger is the perfect burger.

Smoking Deer Burgers for the First Time

This was the part I was most curious about.

I set the smoker to 225–250°F, threw in some hickory, and put the burgers on the grate.

Then I waited.

They stayed on for about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on how thick they were. I pulled them around 140–145°F internal and let them rest.

Right away I could tell this wasn’t going to be dry. They looked good. They smelled even better.

Simple Toppings

After smoking, I gave the ciabatta buns a quick toast on the smoker.

For toppings, I didn’t overthink it:

Pepper Jack Cheese
BBQ Sauce

I am pretty simple when it comes to toppings. Just give me cheese and some bbq sauce. Simple.

What I Learned From My First Time Cooking Deer Burgers

A few things stood out pretty fast.

Venison doesn’t need to be complicated.

I learned:

Low and slow cooking helps a lot
Deer burger gets a bad rap for no reason

Honestly, I’d cook these again in a heartbeat.

Final Thoughts

From the hunt to the smoker to the plate. My first time cooking deer burgers turned out way better than I expected, and smoking them was 100% the move.

If you’ve got venison sitting in the freezer and you’re nervous about cooking it, don’t overthink it. Keep it simple and take your time.

That worked for me.

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