The Best Venison Cheeseburger Sliders
Venison Cheeseburger Sliders make a fun and easy 30-minute meal perfect for those busy school nights or game days! There’s nothing better than these simple-to-make Hawaiian roll sliders for feeding a hungry crowd. It's definitely one of my favorite Super Bowl Recipes!THE HUNTING STORYDay 1 of the HuntEthan and Dakotah picked me up at the airport and drove me to the ranch. After 1 ½ hours I looked up and saw Ethan punching in the code at the entrance gate. It was a black and cloudy night with the faint glow of San Antonio and its 1.4 million residents illuminating the eastern sky from over 40 miles away.We were immediately greeted by Edith who fed me Carne Asada tacos with beans before this weary traveler headed to his room to settle in for the night. But the intoxicating song of crickets crying out from the darkness called out to me. I wandered back outside and sat in a slightly uncomfortable chair on the covered porch and tried to take it all in. I had escaped the wet cold October of North Dakota and traded in these next few days for the hot and muggy air of this place. I clung to the darkness and the cricket song for just a moment before turning back to my room and the extremely comfortable looking bed.The morning and the excitement would come soon enough. Right now, I needed to sleep and dream of making a good shot on my first ever Whitetail deer hunt in Texas.Day 2 of the HuntI awoke before dawn to discover the temperature near Hondo, Texas was exactly the same as it was back at home in Fargo, North Dakota - 1,300 miles north of here. The coffee was strong and hot and perfect for helping warm me up in the air currently hovering at 47 degrees F. I stood at the edge of the outdoor kitchen area, my back to the lodge. The sun was gently rising to slowly reveal the three zebras standing just 30 yards away.Lots of people come to Texas to hunt exotic animals from around the world. From Addax to Axis Deer, Blackbuck to Fallow Deer, and Gemsbok to Zebra - you can hunt it year-round in the Lone Star State. I was there to give a wild game cooking demonstration to a group of ladies doing just that while attending the She Hunts Skills Camp. However, those hunts can run anywhere from $3,000 to $25,000. That just isn't in my budget. My hosts were kind enough to offer me the opportunity to fly in a day early and hunt whitetail doe for free. I jumped at the chance, and after my morning cup of coffee, my guide Ethan handed me a 7mm rifle and led me down the gravel road lined with mesquite and cactus.You can hunt deer from a box blind, but I need to be on the ground and moving. It makes me feel like I'm in the middle of the action. After just 30 minutes (the same amount of time it takes to make this Venison Cheeseburger Slider Recipe), I made a perfect lung shot on a nice big whitetail doe.Texas hunting is a subculture all its own, sculpted by a people with a long and glorious tradition of not giving a damn what others think of them. Many people from outside the state don't appreciate that. I didn't come here to hike the backcountry, sleep in a tent, and eat nothing but deer jerky and trail mix for 5 days straight. I'll save that type of experience for the Badlands of North Dakota!Back home in North Dakota we have about 4 million acres of public land. Texas is almost 4 times the size of North Dakota, but only has 1 million acres of public land. I honestly can't compare the two experiences. I mostly hunt public land in North Dakota, but now I've hunted private land in Texas. I love them both! And they both end with the same result - delicious venison on the table. WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPEBetween High School Football games on Friday nights, North Dakota State University Football on Saturdays, and NFL games ALL THE TIME, there are a lot of opportunities for game day parties in the fall. That's where these Venison Cheeseburger Sliders come in. They are the perfect bite-sized food to feed a crowd and introduce them to wild game. And I love that I can throw the ground venison into a pan in the morning, assemble the slider buns in the afternoon and then add the ground venison right before throwing it all in the oven when everyone arrives and it’s time to eat. It takes absolutely zero concentration which is exactly what I want. Whether I'm hosting or a guest at a football party, I LOVE making this slider recipe!SUBSTITUTIONS FOR THIS CHEESEBURGER SLIDERS RECIPESlider Buns - While I prefer Hawaiian roll sliders, a Brioche bun version is also a big favorite when making this for football parties. Dinner rolls would also work for this recipe.Ground Venison - My wife and I prefer lean 100% venison for our burgers, but you can use some that has more fat content you either processed yourself or had done at your local butcher. Cheese - I like using two kinds of cheese for this Cheeseburger Sliders recipe - one that's sliced and one that's shredded. The different textures help the cheese pull and gives you gooey cheesiness in every bite. I'm using cheddar because it melts perfectly but you could also use Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, or anything similar. If you only have sliced cheese or only shredded that's perfectly ok too.TIPS FOR MAKING CHEESEBURGER SLIDERSIf you don't have lean ground venison, and you are going to substitute ground beef, be sure and spoon out the excess fat and liquid released from the beef so you don’t end up with soggy buns. Lining the bottom buns with cheese and covering the ground venison with cheese seals in the juiciness of the venison without making the buns too moist.Bake uncovered so the rolls don’t sweat and get soggy.MORE GROUND VENISON RECIPESI hope this easy Hawaiian Roll sliders recipe becomes a new favorite for you. If you are looking for more dinner inspiration, you can find all of my ground venison recipes here. Or check out these family favorites for your next weeknight dinner:Easy Venison SpaghettiVenison Pot RoastSloppy Joe Mac and CheeseBest Ever Venison CheeseburgersJalapeno Popper Venison FlautasSloppy Doe (Venison Sloppy Joes)If you are headed our way for North Dakota deer season, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #wildgameandfishDid you enjoy this Venison Cheeseburger Sliders Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE - JUST ABOVE THE PRINT RECIPE BUTTON!
Servings: 24 sliders
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 pounds ground venison
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 24 Hawaiian rolls
- 8 slices cheddar cheese
- ¾ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using 1 tablespoon of butter, grease the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet.
- Place a large skillet over medium high heat with olive oil. Add ground venison and diced onion and break up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Season with salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Saute over medium high heat, breaking up the venison, and cook until the venison has lost its raw, red color, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the meat mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the mayonnaise.
- Cut buns in half. Place bottom half of Hawaiian rolls on the buttered baking sheet and line bread with sliced cheese. Spread cooked ground venison mixture evenly over the sliced cheese, using the back of a spatula to square off the edges. Cover the ground venison with the shredded cheese.
- Place the top of buns, cut-side down, over the burgers. Brush tops with remaining 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and tops are golden brown.
Scott says
No brainer. This just made the list for Super Bowl Sunday. Super easy and better than pigs in a blanket.
Suzie says
Our kids love these venison sliders! I can't wait to make them again