Bacon Cheddar Venison Burgers with Caramelized Onions & BBQ Mayo

There are 5 things I need you to know right now.

Ready, set, go.

1.) I’ve been trying to post this for the last 4 days.

Obviously, that did not happen. My life has been a wreck.
Midterms, papers, deadlines, blahblahblah, stuff. It’s fine.

Accordingly, the content of this post has changed. Originally, we were gonna be talking about womanliness in conjunction with this beast of a manburger. Because yesterday was International Women’s Day.
If you wanted to know.

2.) This burger is rugged. You will feel manly eating it. I guarantee That.

If you’re a lady, you’ll feel like doing cool somethings with power tools.

If you’re a man, you’ll feel even manlier. Like Superman. Superman is super manly… in his tights.

Oven-baked sweet potato fries balance things out though. After all, real manly men have to have all their potatoes deep fried. Duh.

 

3.) Bacon and caramelized onion make just about anything better.

That’s all.

4.) In roughly 12 hours, I’ll be hopping on a plane heading for Nicaragua.

Meaning, I  need to pack. or something. Soon.

Anyway, I’ll be going with a team of amazing individuals from my church to the city of Granada as part of a GlobalX mission trip.

Can you say coolest spring break ever?

I’m really super jazzed about it. Like you have no idea. Maybe you do. I don’t know.

However, I do know that I totally can’t wait to tell you all about this absolutely awesome adventure when I come back next week.

5.) Until that point, when we can speak again, I want you to do me a favor.

First off, make these burgers. You won’t regret it.

Then put on your comfiest oversized dude sweatpants and plop on the couch in a highly uncouth manner. Once there, watch a completely mindless (but fantastic) garbage movie and eat your burger.

Sounds like such a great plan, right?

I also ask that you keep me, my team, and the people of Granada in your prayers/positive thinkings throughout this upcoming week.

That’d be awesome. Next week, I’ll try to be awesome like you and not be a total tired wreck so that I can share stuff immediately. We’ll see. No promises. Go get on that burger now.

Please & thank you.

Bacon Cheddar Venison Burgers with Caramelized Onions & BBQ Mayo

• 1 lb ground venison
• 2 Tbsp Panko bread crumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 & 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper
•  1 medium onion
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 pinch sugar
• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, fried to you desired crispness
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• 1/3 Miracle Whip sandwich spread (or regular mayo)
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce (use your favorite)
• a dash of hot sauce (optional)
• lettuce and sliced tomato
• 4 hearty buns

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the ground venison, bread crumbs, egg, seasonings, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste. With moistened hands, form the mixture into four even patties. Cover and set aside in fridge until ready to cook.

To caramelize the onions

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Peel onion and cut in half. Cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices. Coat the bottom of a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan  with olive oil. Heat the pan on medium high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally. Depending on how strong your stovetop burner is you may need to reduce the heat to medium or medium low to prevent the onions from burning or drying out. After 10 minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions,then add a small pinch of sugar to help with the caramelization process. Add a little bit of water to the pan if the onions begin to dry out. Let cook for 30 minutes to an hour more, stirring every few minutes. As soon as the onions start sticking to the pan, let them stick a little and brown, but then stir them before they burn.  After the first 20 to 30 minutes you may want to lower the stove temperature a little, and add a little more oil, if you find the onions are verging on burning. A metal spatula will help you scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the caramelization proceeds. As the onions cook down, you may find you need to scrape the pan every minute, instead of every few minutes. Continue to cook and scrape, cook and scrape, until the onions are a rich, browned color. Remove from heat and set onions aside

You may wish to begin heating your grill or a cast iron griddle in the last 30 minutes of cooking the onions. Cook burgers on the preheated grill as desired ; 4-6 minutes per side for medium. Place a slice of cheese on each burger in the last 3 minutes of cooking on the second side, allowing it to melt.

To assemble the burgers

Whisk together the Miracle Whip and the BBQ sauce, and a dash of hot sauce if you desire. spread desired amount on the inside of the buns. Then, add your burgers, top with 1 & 1/2 slices of the cooked and cooled bacon, 1/4 of the caramelized onions and lettuce/tomato. Man up. Chow down.