Game Day Hamburgers Recipes

WILD GAME BURGERS

Steps:

• Prepare your grill for direct heat.
• Form the ground meat into six patties 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Season each patty on the outside with salt and pepper on both sides. Drizzle lightly with oil.
• Set the patties on the grill and close the lid. Grill for 4 minutes on the first side; time it.
• Don't touch the burger once you set it on the grill, or it will fall apart. When you lift the lid, it will release easily. Flip the burger and cook on the second side about 3 minutes more for medium rare, 4-5 minutes for medium, or until it's done to your liking. You can also use a meat thermometer: 120° for rare, 130° for medium, and 140° for well done.
• Remove the patties from the grill and serve immediatelyIf making cheeseburgers, top the patties with cheese after you flip them. The cheese will melt while the bottom cooks.
• Serve the patties on toasted kaiser rolls with lettuce and tomato; add mustard and ketchup if you like. And start telling stories about that deer you killed and butchered all by yourself...

GAME DAY BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix ground beef chuck, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and dry onion soup mix.
• Spread even amounts of the ground beef onto the bottom half of each roll. Place top halves on, forming little sandwiches. If you purchased the rolls in aluminum foil pans, you may return them to the same pan for baking. Otherwise, place them on a baking sheet or baking pan. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until meat is cooked through.

GAME DAY BURGERS

Steps:

• For the onions: Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Drizzle the onion slices with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt. Place in the hot grill pan and cook, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to a bowl and toss with the balsamic and sugar. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and let steam at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
• For the avocado: Mash together the avocado, lemon juice, salt and pepper flakes in a medium bowl.
• For the burgers: Heat the grill pan over medium-high heat. Form the beef into 6 even patties (about 1/3 pound each). Sprinkle the patties evenly on both sides with salt and place in the grill pan. Grill until nicely browned, about 2 minutes on the first side. Flip the burgers and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Place a slice of cheese on top of each burger and cover with a bowl or lid to allow the cheese to melt. Cook to desired doneness, about 1 minute longer for medium.
• Place a small amount of arugula on the bottom half of each toasted bun. Top with the patties, tomatoes, if using, and the grilled balsamic onions. Spread some of the avocado on the top half of the buns and close the burgers.