Old Timber Outdoors
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Ground elk

Grilled Elk Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Cheddar

Thick elk patties with grated cold butter worked in for juiciness, grilled to 160°F and topped with sharp cheddar and slow-cooked onions.

Serves
4
Hands-on
35 min
Total
50 min
Skill
Easy

Cooks on: Grill · Lunch, Dinner

Ingredients

  • 1½ lbGround elk
  • 3 tbspButter, 2 tbsp very cold, 1 tbsp for the onions
  • 2Onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 4 slicesSharp cheddar
  • 4Burger buns
  • 1¼ tspSalt, divided
  • ½ tspBlack pepper, ground
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil, for the grill grate

You'll need

  • Grill
  • Large skillet, ideally cast iron
  • Instant-read thermometer

Contains

Dairy, Gluten. Buns can contain egg, dairy, soy or sesame. Check the label.

Method

  1. Heat the grill to medium-high, about 425°F, with one side hotter than the other. Set the skillet on the cooler side, add 1 tbsp of the butter and the onions with ¼ tsp of the salt, and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and deep golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, grate the 2 tbsp cold butter into the ground elk and add the pepper and garlic powder. Mix gently with your fingertips just until combined; do not add the salt yet, because salt worked into ground meat turns it dense and sausage-like.
  3. Shape 4 patties about ¾ inch thick and a little wider than the buns, and press a shallow dimple into the center of each so they stay flat. Chill them on a plate 15 minutes so the butter stays in solid flecks.
  4. Season the outside of the patties with the remaining 1 tsp salt just before they go on. Oil the grate and grill over the hotter side, lid open, 3 to 4 minutes, until they release cleanly with grill marks. Turn once and do not press them; pressing squeezes out the butter.
  5. Grill the second side 2 to 3 minutes, then lay a slice of cheddar on each patty and close the lid about 1 minute to melt it. Check through the side with an instant-read thermometer and take the patties off at 160°F in the center. Toast the buns cut side down on the cooler side while the cheese melts.
  6. Serve the burgers on the buns piled with the caramelized onions.

When it's done: 160°F

Ground meat and venison are both 160°F on the federal chart. Check the center of the mixture.

If it goes wrong

Patties falling apart
The mix was too warm or overworked. Keep everything cold and give the shaped patties the full 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
Dry and crumbly
Elk has little fat, so a few degrees past 160°F shows. Start checking early on the second side and take them off right at 160°F; do not press them on the grill.
Flare-ups from the butter
Move the patties to the cooler side for a minute until the flames die down.
Onions burning before they soften
The skillet is too close to the heat. Slide it further onto the cool side and add a splash of water.

Leftovers. Serve right away. Refrigerate leftover patties within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F.