Adding fat or pork when grinding your own deer?

[Rhettley]

I've been using a processor and never thought to ask him if he adds beef fat or pork fat to my ground venison. I don't think he does but he isn't around to answer the phone so I can't ask him. I did a little research and people add anything from ground hamburger to beef fat to pork roasts to bacon when grinding. I really want to keep the venison as pure as possible so I'm probably going to do my first batch with just deer and add an egg at the time of pattying the meat for the grill for burgers if it doesn't want to hold together.
Any thoughts on additions or lack there of to ground bambi? BTW, I'm just talking plain ground for burgers, soups, chili, etc., not sausage. I've got the sausage percent down on adding pork.

[Bad Habbit]

We have processed our own deer for many years and add 10% beef fat to the deer meat. We run it through the grinder twice. We make some meat into patties for burgers, freeze them then vacume seal the frozen patties 2 or 4 to the bag.

Hope this helps. ps: the beef fat is usually hard to come by here in Crawfordville.

[Tom Keels]

It's almost always beef fat.

[Warrior]

Always add 15% beef fat to mine.

[SHOWBOAT]

we don't add any beef or pork. My processer gives us the option for beef or pork but we decline. I make hamburgers and Katie makes meatloaf all the time.

If you're coming to KB we should have some pure venison patties there.

[Allnighter]

The best thing it bacon it has a high fat count and you dont have to use alot. Plus the bacon is already in the burger it is amazing. I use think cut hickory in my opinion the beef fat throws off the taste.

[DeanMac]

The best thing it bacon it has a high fat count and you dont have to use alot. Plus the bacon is already in the burger it is amazing. I use think cut hickory in my opinion the beef fat throws off the taste.

I agree, I sometimes use the scrap bacon you can buy in the three pound boxes. IMO deer needs a little fat in the ground.

[Rhettley]

Used about half a pack of bacon. I ran it through on medium then fine grind after removing ALL the tendon and silver skin. It came out great. Thanks for the input.

[GAJOEY]

dont make Hamburger out of deer but here is how I make sausage . After leting the deer bleed out cut up in a cooler ice for 4 or 5 days.I add 1 boston butt to each deer or 30 percent of 50/50 pork fat .I use 1 cup of buttermilk per deer, the buttermilk makes a huge difference . I put it in the smokehouse for about 7 hrs at 180/200 deg..I have worked hard for the last 4 years to get it right..it is pretty good, My family and friends will eat this over anything bought in a store or made by a processor..I did 6 deer in sausage this year and it will be gone by the end of march.