Oh, Deer! Teriyaki Sauce-Swabbed Venison Burgers with Grilled Pineapple and Sesame Onions #BurgerMonth #GirlCarnivore

This epic burger is part of a fan-frickin-tastic month long event 

hosted by Girl Carnivore, but opinions are always my own!

May is Burger Month. So says our fearless leader, Kita at Girl Carnivore. For the past several years, I've taken part in this burger-palooza that she calls #BurgerMonth. Every year she invites food bloggers to get wild and crazy with the burger creations. Done!

Did I mention the giveaway? Kita wrangled some great companies to bring you a serious grilling package! Go her event page to enter...or scroll all the way to the bottom of this post.

In 2014, I shared a Bulgogi-Spiced Burger with Homemade Kimchi. In 2015, I found inspiration in the sea and made a hand-chopped salmon burger with cuttlefish buns. 2016 had me going for an Indian-inspired burger: Kheema Aloo Burger with Fresh Mango Chutney. And in 2017 I served up a Chile Relleno-Topped Chorizo Burger. I posted a double-header in 2018, sharing both California Kurobuta Pork Burgers and Sticky Hoisin Duck Burgers.

But, I apparently skipped 2019's event. So, I'm making up for that by posting two burgers this year. Earlier in May I shared Ahi Burgers Topped with Artichoke Pesto + a Sparkling Rosé.

And today I'm sharing the burgers that I made for my own Mothers' Day dinner: Oh, Deer! Teriyaki Sauce-Swabbed Venison Burgers with Grilled Pineapple and Sesame Onions. Did I mention that I made homemade sourdough buns to go with that?! Oh, my goodness...so tasty! I served the burgers with oven-roasted sweet potato fries (similar to these oven-roasted wedges)...and we delivered the same to my mom since we couldn't have her over for socially-undistanced Mothers' Day.

The Buns

If you follow my blog regularly, you'll k now that this shelter-in-place ordeal has finally gotten me over my fear of baking sourdough. So, I used some of the starter to make homemade seeded sourdough buns for this burger creation.

Ingredients makes 8 buns

• 1 C sourdough starter
• 1 C whole milk
• 3-1/2 C all-purpose flour + more for dusting the workspace and the baking sheet
• 1 T organic granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 t salt
• 1-1/2 t active dry yeast (I am going to try to omit this next time or use more starter with less milk - stay tuned!)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• oil for greasing the bowl
• heavy cream for brushing
• seeds for sprinkling (I used black sesame seeds mixed with a pinch of salt)

Procedure

Place the sourdough starter and milk in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt, then sprinkle the dry active yeast over the top. Let stand for a few minutes before adding in the egg. Fold in the flour with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Then knead until smooth, approximately 5 minutes.

Form into a ball and drizzle with oil. Turn to coat before covering the bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Let rise for 90 minutes.

After about 90 minutes the dough should be nearly doubled its original size. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold over itself four times with a 90-degree between each fold. Divide the dough ball into eight equal pieces.

Okay, I need to work on the "equal" pieces part. Most were the same size; but I did have one that was significantly larger and one that was significantly smaller than all the others. Whoops!

Form the buns into a ball, then fold the dough under while pinching the bottom together. You will get a smooth tight surface. Place the buns on a lightly floured baking sheet. Cover them lightly with a towel and let them rise for another 60 to 90 minutes. They should be nicely puffed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F during this last rise. Brush the tops of the buns with a little bit of cream and sprinkle with seeds.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the buns are firm to the touch and a beautiful golden brown. Let cool completely before storing.

The Burgers

You can make these with any kind of ground meat, really. I just happened to have venison in my freezer and knew that they would make a tasty burger!

Burgers

• 12 ounces ground venison
• 12 ounces ground beef
• 2 T minced shallots
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, approximately 1 T
• 1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 T teriyaki sauce (recipe below)

Teriyaki Sauce

• 1/2 C water
• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 1 T organic light brown sugar
• 1 T molasses or more to taste
• 1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, approximately 1 T

Teriyaki Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth. Simmer until desired thickness. Set aside.

Burger

Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix until well-combined. Form the meat into 4 equal size patties, these were about 6 ounces each. Place on a parchment-lined plate and set aside until ready to cook. Just before cooking, swab one side with teriyaki sauce and place that side don on the grill. Before flipping, swab the burger again so that the newly swabbed side is face down.

Cook, as desired, on a grill or on the stove with  grill pan.

The Toppings

You can top these with whatever you want. I ended up melting a mild cheddar on the burgers, then topping with grilled pineapple slices and sesame onions.

Sesame Onions
1 onion, peeled and thickly sliced (I used a red onion)
1 T butter
1 t olive oil
1 T sesame oil

Melt butter in olive oil over low heat. Stir in onions. Cook over low heat until the onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent. Stir in the sesame oil and cook for 8 to 10 minutes longer. Set aside until ready to serve.

And that's a wrap on my 2020 burger offerings for #BurgerMonth with Girl Carnivore. Enjoy...and be sure to check out all the other bloggers' burgers for grilling inspiration all season long!

All the Bloggers

Please visit their blogs and search for #BurgerMonth

🍔 Girl Carnivore 🍔 A Kitchen Hoor's Adventure’s 🍔A Day in the Life on the Farm 🍔 A Merry Recipe 🍔 An Affair from the Heart 🍔Art of Natural Living 🍔 Caroline's Cooking 🍔Chef Justin Grimm 🍔Chiles and Smoke 🍔 City Living Boston 🍔Comfortably Domestic 🍔Culinary Adventures with Camilla 🍔Daily Dish Recipes 🍔 Everyday Eileen 🍔 For the Love of Food 🍔Grillax: Fire. Food. Fun. 🍔 Grilling Montana 🍔 Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks 🍔 Jolene's Recipe Journal 🍔 Karen's Kitchen Stories 🍔 Kate's Recipe Box 🍔Kudos Kitchen by Renee 🍔Life Currents 🍔 Life of a Ginger 🍔Making Miracles 🍔Man Meat BBQ 🍔 Miss in the Kitchen 🍔Off the Eaten Path 🍔Our Good Life 🍔 Palatable Pastime 🍔 Pastry Chef Online 🍔 Real Life With Dad 🍔Renee Nicole's Kitchen - Everyday Gourmet 🍔 Sarah's Cucina Bella 🍔Savoring Midlife 🍔 Simple and Savory 🍔 Spoonabilities 🍔 Sumptuous Spoonfuls 🍔 Swirls of Flavor 🍔 The Redhead Baker 🍔 The Spiffy Cookie 🍔This is How I Cook 🍔 Thyme for Cocktails 🍔What's Cooking Italian Style Cuisine 🍔 Wildflour's Cottage Kitchen 🍔Wile E. BBQ 🍔 Wok & Skillet 🍔

The Giveaway

Disclaimer: Thank you to #BurgerMonth Sponsors: Cabot, Anvil & Hammer, New York Beef Council, Red Duck Foods, and Spoonabilities for providing prizes for this epic event. All opinions are my own. The #BurgerMonth giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All winning entries are verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness.

The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. One winner for each weekly giveaway will be selected. The prize packages are sent directly from the sponsors. Winners have 48 hours to respond or they forfeit the prize and another winner(s) will be chosen.

The #BurgerMonth Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #BurgerMonth posts or entry.

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