Mushroom Swiss Jalapeno Deer Burgers

• Quarter Pound Finely Ground Deer Meat (Note: finer ground helps lean meats hold together better without a fat binder - we did not use pork or beef fat for this cook – more on that in another recipe).
• 1 Yellow Onion from our gardens.
• 1 Fresh Jalapeno Pepper.
• 4-6 Whole Mushrooms sliced thin.
• 2 Slices Baby Swiss Cheese
• 1 Potato Bun
• Cattleman’s Grill Tuscan Steak Seasoning (Phenomenal for venison grilling/smoking).
• 2 tablespoons of salted butter
• EVOO Spray for grill grate
• Vintage Cast Iron Skillet
• Hickory Wood splits from our woods.

• Built a Wood Fire in the fire box of our Yoder Smokers Durango (we did not use any type of charcoal here. It was 100% Wood Fired). Let burn down to a good wood coal bed.
• Hand Made a ¼ Pound 100% Deer Burger Patty & added Cattleman’s Tuscan Steak Seasoning to both sides. Let sit on counter for 10 mins while cutting up veggies.
• Sliced Jalapenos and Onions into approx. one quarter inch slices. Sliced Mushrooms into approx. one eighth inch slices. Set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons of salted butter into and pre-heated vintage cast iron skillet on low/med heat and added peppers and onions first. After about 5 mins, add the mushrooms to same skillet.  Cook approx. 3-4 mins more (mushrooms cooked quickly), remove from skillet, drain, and onto a paper towel lined plate – set aside.
• Place Deer Burger on Seasoned/Pre-EVOO Sprayed Grill Grates (Note: make sure your grill grates are well seasoned and sprayed with an EVOO type spray first, as lean burgers like deer, elk, turkey, bison, etc will stick to the grates and break apart, if you aren’t careful – and you will be mad and HANGRY lol)
• Cooked about 3-4 minutes on each side (about 125-130ºF or so internal temp is the goal for lean wild game burgers and it got there quickly)
• Sprayed EVOO on all sides of bun and placed for a minute or so on same grill grates beside the burger to get it nice and toasted.
• Pulled burger and bun off at same time, and built the burger as follows from bottom to top: bottom bun slice, one slice baby swiss, some sauteed onions, jalapenos, deer burger patty, more onions, peppers, mushrooms, second slice baby swiss to top and hold it all together, then last – top bun slice. Put built burger on blue camp style metal plate, back on grill grate, and close Durango firebox lid to let it all get melty and amazing for about 3-4 minutes, keeping a good eye on this part, so it doesn’t get out of control! CAME OUT GORGEOUS!!
• Pull plate out with a towel or oven mitt, as it will be hot! Transfer whole built burger to another plate, add your fav chips, sides, etc and DIVE THE HECK IN!!!!!!!!!!!

Final Thoughts from Guy: “THIS WAS NUTS!  If you are going to do ANY lean wild (or domestic) meat burgers, the key is the right spices, toppings, and wood smoke to compensate for the lack of fat – and it CAN be done Perfectly!  I have been cooking wild game over life fire for decades, and THIS is the way I highly recommend to do it – live WOOD fire!  The wood fire smoky, cheesy, ‘shroomy, peppery, tuscany spice blendy, oniony flavors combined PERFECTLY with the oh so yummy flavor of that fresh deer meat!!  ‘Twas AWESOME!!!!!

Excited to do this again and again!  Thanks Yoder for making the most amazing equipment and spices, and for being amazing people behind the product!  Happy Holidays & Happy Cooking to All! – Your Friend, Guy”