perma
Well-known member
I did 10% for it all, wouldn’t mind jumping up to 15%.
Percentage of fat in ground meat
- Thread starter peterk1234
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44hunter45
Well-known member
Zero.
If you need it to hold together for patties mix in egg whites after you thaw.
If you need it to hold together for patties mix in egg whites after you thaw.
npaden
Well-known member
Here we can generally get very high quality beef fat for free. Stuff they trim off of steaks and brisket.
millerkiller77
Well-known member
For sausage in casing I'm a huge fan of pork belly at 20-30%. Hamburger specific grind I like 15% beef fat and my local butcher gives it to me for free so thats the ratio im sticking with. . For the general grind I use 10- 15% pork shoulder which I think makes for a 10% fat ratio overall
SD_Prairie_Goat
Well-known member
I run about 10%. Beef fat for brats, sticks, and burger patties.
Pork loin for ground burger, but there I'll do meat and fat from the loin like 20-30% by weight. But that's cause I can't get just pure pork fat like I can beef fat
Pork loin for ground burger, but there I'll do meat and fat from the loin like 20-30% by weight. But that's cause I can't get just pure pork fat like I can beef fat
Boarmaster
Well-known member
Generally and for my initial processing I’m in the zero camp. I always added 20-30% fatty pork trimmings to my ground whitetail. About 6 years ago I decided to go straight up venison. If I make a burger I add a bit of olive oil or avocado oil. I buy 4 -5 big rib roasts a couple times a year when my Publix store has them on sale. I cut them into ribeyes and beef ribs. Theres a lot of fat that I trim from those. I vac pak that fat and occasionally grind it with venison for some tacos or a cheeseburger. For that I mix at a 30% ratio.
Mark Nichols
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- Feb 8, 2013
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When I started hunting back in the 70s I took all of my game in to a local processor. The ground meat was okay but I wouldn't call it great. Venison burger would leave a chalking residue in the skillet, and you didn't want to ever bite into a cold deer burger ! Some years passed before I had a great conversation with a butcher. First he explained that the difference in grading beef between select, choice and prime was largely due to difference in fat content. Fat, he told me, is what contributes the most to the flavor and tenderness of the meat. Deer fat contains a lot of steric acid which creates that chalking, sticky residue and also imparts a lot of game flavor.. especially if the deer's diet has been a lot of pungent forbs like sage. So for the best flavor he explained, you need to make sure there is no deer fat or other tissue in the meat.
He owned a beef/pork processing shop but also did game during the hunting season. The problem he explained was that for the $175 they charged to process a deer they couldn't take a lot of time to separate all of the game fat. To get optimal yield from an animal they cut all of the meat off, such as the flank meat covering the ribs, etc and threw it all into the grinder. Fat included.
Although its a little off the topic of fat, he also warned me that much of the "gamey" taste people report in there meat was the result of improper handling, namely getting the meat skinned and cooled down as quickly as possible. He told me many stories of meat that had "soured" even when temps were very cold. I cant remember all of the detail snow but he explained the chemical response of the blood in the meat when it wasn't cooled quickly and how gasses build up throughout the animal's body, not just the stomach cavity, and contribute to a gamey flavor. I looked back on a few of my own animals, such as an elk bull I left gutted but laying in 10" of snow for several hours, that I called gamey but now realize were probably a result of not getting them skinned and cooled ASAP. Now no matter the situation, I now carry a tarp and game bags and skin and quarter every animal immediately on the spot. I learned the hard way too that putting a bunch of warm meat in a backpack and humping it for a couple of hours is also detrimental.. especially if it is a warm day.
So I process all of my own game meat now. I make sure only pure red meat goes into the mix. While I respect those that want minimal or no fat in there burger, I find that the flavor of venison is really enhanced by grinding it with beef and pork trim. For antelope and mule deer I also grind in pork shoulder. My standard mix is about 16% beef fat and 5-8% pork fat. For mule deer I will get about 50-55 lbs. of boned out meat from a decent size buck. To that I will add about 8 lbs beef fat and 3 lbs of pork fat and then also grind it with an 8-10 lb pork shoulder. People cant believe they are eating a rutting mulie! Super flavorful and juicy.
For elk I skip the pork shoulder and go with about 20% beef fat and 5% pork.
He owned a beef/pork processing shop but also did game during the hunting season. The problem he explained was that for the $175 they charged to process a deer they couldn't take a lot of time to separate all of the game fat. To get optimal yield from an animal they cut all of the meat off, such as the flank meat covering the ribs, etc and threw it all into the grinder. Fat included.
Although its a little off the topic of fat, he also warned me that much of the "gamey" taste people report in there meat was the result of improper handling, namely getting the meat skinned and cooled down as quickly as possible. He told me many stories of meat that had "soured" even when temps were very cold. I cant remember all of the detail snow but he explained the chemical response of the blood in the meat when it wasn't cooled quickly and how gasses build up throughout the animal's body, not just the stomach cavity, and contribute to a gamey flavor. I looked back on a few of my own animals, such as an elk bull I left gutted but laying in 10" of snow for several hours, that I called gamey but now realize were probably a result of not getting them skinned and cooled ASAP. Now no matter the situation, I now carry a tarp and game bags and skin and quarter every animal immediately on the spot. I learned the hard way too that putting a bunch of warm meat in a backpack and humping it for a couple of hours is also detrimental.. especially if it is a warm day.
So I process all of my own game meat now. I make sure only pure red meat goes into the mix. While I respect those that want minimal or no fat in there burger, I find that the flavor of venison is really enhanced by grinding it with beef and pork trim. For antelope and mule deer I also grind in pork shoulder. My standard mix is about 16% beef fat and 5-8% pork fat. For mule deer I will get about 50-55 lbs. of boned out meat from a decent size buck. To that I will add about 8 lbs beef fat and 3 lbs of pork fat and then also grind it with an 8-10 lb pork shoulder. People cant believe they are eating a rutting mulie! Super flavorful and juicy.
For elk I skip the pork shoulder and go with about 20% beef fat and 5% pork.
thusby
Well-known member
If you can make a burger medium rare you can get away with no fat added. The people that I know aren’t good enough cooks to keep a burger under 170 degrees. So I recommend they add 20% if they ever want to feed it to me.
Buffs35
Well-known member
10% or less, if I wanted greasy meat, i'd hunt cattle.
ShutdownDB
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- Oct 4, 2024
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If we're making sausage I'm typically 20% pork fat. This year we bumped it to 30% and the family preferred it, but I feel like it loses a little of the spirit of the wild game. Ultimately anything works if that's how you like it!
Khunter
Well-known member
zero percent. I like eating pure wild game.
No problem cooking it. Sometimes, not always, I may add an egg or olive oil and bread crumbs when making burgers. Sometimes I add bacon grease as making patties.
No problem cooking it. Sometimes, not always, I may add an egg or olive oil and bread crumbs when making burgers. Sometimes I add bacon grease as making patties.
Mallardsx2
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- Apr 4, 2015
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I ground up bacon (ends and pieces bought in bulk from the butcher) and put it in at a 20% ratio into my deer burger the other day.
I can honestly say that it was one of the best wild game burgers I have ever had.
I can honestly say that it was one of the best wild game burgers I have ever had.
Brittany Chukarman
Well-known member
I jumped around from 5-10% beef fat and finally settled on 7%.
Khunter
Well-known member
If course it was best ever except for a minor detail. You hardly experienced wild game after 20% bacon covered any semblance of wild game flavor. Delicious tho. Just not a wild game experience any more than most sausages, salamis etc are after bring amended to the point it could be all beef or pork for all one could tell.
Always crack up when people say things like “i love bear meat, we turn all of it into sausage and it is amazing”
To each his own of course!
Straight Arrow
Well-known member
Same here for fifty years. Unknown source, questionable quality fat added to my valued venison = ZERO.
Mallardsx2
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- Apr 4, 2015
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Hey if you want to eat stuff that tastes like $hit by itself so you can call yourself a carnivore, be my guest. lol
Also, ironically, we turned an entire bear into pepperjack snack sticks this year....
Like you said, you do you.
Khunter
Well-known member
testy. LOL
Nick87
Well-known member
Same.
HSi-ESi
Well-known member
I'm in the 0% fat camp. I have tried a bunch of percentages and mixes - but just prefer it plain.
I find it stores longer in the freezer with no fat added. I don't have issues making hamburgers - which is really the only time you need it to stick together. Most other recipes where it needs to "stick together" (meatloaf, meatballs, etc) - there is enough other ingredients to help keep a finished shape.
If I trim some beef or pork cuts (rib steaks, brisket, shoulders, etc) - I'll save the trim. Sometimes I'll grind it in with venison - usually recipe dependent. I do like a mix of other meats in a Bolognese, chili's, etc. If I'm making sausage, then I'll add some of my saved trim as well or if I am out of trim I'll pick something up at the butcher.
So I keep it at 0% for the initial grind and freeze - then mix stuff in later if I want.
I find it stores longer in the freezer with no fat added. I don't have issues making hamburgers - which is really the only time you need it to stick together. Most other recipes where it needs to "stick together" (meatloaf, meatballs, etc) - there is enough other ingredients to help keep a finished shape.
If I trim some beef or pork cuts (rib steaks, brisket, shoulders, etc) - I'll save the trim. Sometimes I'll grind it in with venison - usually recipe dependent. I do like a mix of other meats in a Bolognese, chili's, etc. If I'm making sausage, then I'll add some of my saved trim as well or if I am out of trim I'll pick something up at the butcher.
So I keep it at 0% for the initial grind and freeze - then mix stuff in later if I want.
