To every hunter who spent a cold morning in a stand, who packed out a quarter on their back, who filled a chest freezer instead of a shopping cart — this one's for you. That freezer full of venison isn't just food. It's proof of work put in, time earned in the woods, and a season you'll remember. This recipe is about turning that hard-earned harvest into something you throw on a griddle and share with the people you love.

Straight from the flat top of Cosmo Goss, this venison smashburger takes everything that makes a smashburger great — the crispy, lacy edges, the melty cheese, the toasted bun — and builds it around the best protein in the country: venison you put on the table yourself.

Whether you're working through last season's backstrap trim, ground shoulder meat, or a fresh batch from the processor, this recipe is a reminder that wild game doesn't have to be complicated to be incredible. Two thin, crispy patties, a double stack of American cheese, a scoop of caramelized onion jam, and a special sauce that ties it all together — that's it. That's the whole play.

This is the kind of meal that belongs on tailgates, at deer camp, and around the table with family after a long day. Fire up the griddle — America's hunters have earned this one.

Why Smashburgers Work So Well with Venison

Venison is lean — which is exactly why the smashburger technique is such a good match for it. Smashing the patties thin against a screaming hot griddle creates maximum surface area, which means maximum caramelization and crust. That crust does a lot of heavy lifting on lean meat, adding flavor and texture that a thicker, slower-cooked patty just can't deliver in the same way.

Add in the richness of melted American cheese and the sweetness of caramelized onion jam, and you've got a burger that more than makes up for venison's lower fat content — no beef fat needed.

Venison Smashburgers

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Burgers

  • 1 ¼ lb ground venison
  • 4 Martin's Big Marty seedless buns (or your favorite burger bun)
  • 8 slices American cheese (Land O'Lakes is the favorite here)
  • 1 cup special sauce (recipe below)
  • 1 jar Davina caramelized onion jam
  • Salt
  • Pepper

For the Special Sauce (makes about 2 cups)

  • 1 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup Dijon mustard
  • ⅓ cup dill pickle relish, strained
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

Special Sauce

  1. Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Set aside — this makes more than you'll need for four burgers, so save the rest for your next cookout.

Burgers

  1. Heat your flat top griddle to 450–500°F.
  2. Evenly portion the ground venison into 2.25 oz balls.
  3. Place the venison balls on the griddle, well spaced apart. Work in batches if your griddle isn't big enough to fit them all at once.
  4. Using a pan lid or a large, flat spatula, smash the patties as thin as you can — ideally a little thinner than ¼ inch.
  5. Season with salt and pepper. Once the meat loses all its pinkness and the first side develops a nice, crispy crust, flip the patties and top each with a slice of American cheese.
  6. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of onion jam onto four of the patties, then cover each with one of the remaining cheese-topped patties to create a double stack.
  7. While the cheese melts, toast your buns on the griddle. Remove and spread about 1 ½ tablespoons of special sauce on each side of the bun.
  8. Place the double-stacked burgers on the bottom buns.
  9. Top with the top bun and eat immediately.

Nomad's Take

A few things we'd add from our own time at the griddle:

  • Don't skip the smash. It feels aggressive, but that thin, well-seared crust is where the flavor lives — especially with lean venison.
  • Keep your griddle hot and your hands quick. These patties cook fast. Have your cheese, onion jam, and buns staged and ready before the venison hits the heat.
  • Make extra sauce. You'll want it on the next round of burgers, on a venison hot dog, or honestly just for dipping fries.
  • This works with any ground wild game. Elk, antelope, or a venison-pork blend will all take well to this same treatment if venison isn't what's in your freezer this week.

At the end of the day, this recipe is a celebration of everything a season in the field means to the hunters who put in the work — the early mornings, the miles walked, the meat earned instead of bought. So fire up the griddle, invite your hunting buddies and your family over, and put your harvest to good use. You earned this one. Eat like it.