El Ciervo Diablo Spicy Venison Burger
By: Adam Berkelmans
Watch out! This hot and spicy venison burger is liable to set your head on fire!
Every once in a while, I like to masochistically challenge myself by eating something stupidly spicy. I’ve never truly understood why I (and many others) get these cravings which provide nothing but hurt… Must be something broken in our brains!
I got that desire recently, which happened to coincide with a strong hankering for a burger. Smashing my two desires together into a spicy-as-all-get-out burger would allow me to get two birds stoned at once, so to speak.
I scoured my fridge and pantry for anything spicy and came up with this concoction that worked so well, I had to remake it again and write it all down.
The crispy jalapeños are my favorite part, as I’m one of those people who like adding potato chips to sandwiches. They add salt, they add the perfect crunch, and in this case, they also add some extra heat.
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1.5lbs ground venison
- 1 tablespoon lard or oil
- Kosher salt
- 4 slices chili pepper Havarti cheese (or other spicy cheese)
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Black pepper
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons sriracha sauce
- 2 cups crispy jalapeños (store bought)
- 4-8 habanero, ghost, or Scotch bonnet chilis, chopped (seeded to reduce heat if desired)
- 4 brioche buns, toasted
Preparation:
Form the ground venison into 8 thin patties, roughly the same diameter as the buns. Season the patties generously with salt.
Heat the lard or oil in a skillet over high heat. Working in batches, add 2-4 patties to the skillet at a time and sear, gently pressing down with a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes, lowering the heat to medium-high, then flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Drape a slice of cheese over each of the 4 patties and let it melt a bit in the pan.
Meanwhile, add the butter to a separate pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and a very generous amount of black pepper – like, loads of it.
Mix together the mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl.
Toast the buns, then slather the spicy mayo on both sides. Split the onions between the buns, laying them down on the bottoms, then put two patties (one with cheese) on each bun. Top with the chopped chilis and crispy jalapenos, then close the buns. Serve immediately… maybe with a tall glass of cold milk! Enjoy!
Get Cooking:
As always, Good luck this spring and remember to send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected] and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article or any of our articles have helped you become a better hunter or conservation steward, consider becoming a member of the Mule Deer Foundation or the Blacktail Deer Foundation or both. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/ or https://www.blacktaildeer.org/
Adam Berkelmans, also known as The Intrepid Eater, is a passionate ambassador for real and wild food and a proponent of nose to tail eating. He spends his time between Ottawa and a cozy lake house north of Kingston, Ontario. When not cooking, he can be found hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening, reading, traveling, and discovering new ways to find and eat food.
