Fat Ratios When Grinding Game Meats
I read a recent article by David Draper on "The Perfect Game Meat to Fat Ratio is None at All - Stop adding fat to your healthy ground game meat, you don't need it." Draper writes: I've been processing my own (and others) deer and elk for about a dozen years and view adding some type of fat to ground venison as a necessary evil. I prefer ground pork, adding anywhere from 10 to 20 percent. Due to a calculating error on my part... the grind ended up at about 25 percent pork, a bit more than preferred. You don't need to add fat to your ground game meat to make it taste good. This math problem set me to wondering why hunters take a healthy source of protein and fatten it up? That's like someone on a diet taking a carrot stick and dipping it in ranch dressing. Quick research shows no clear consensus on what or how much fat to add. Some hunters swear by 50/50, others just 10 percent. Some like pork, others beef tallow. Some add bacon ends and pieces. Certainly, there's a rationale to adding fat, including enhancing flavor because, hey, we all know fat tastes good. Fat also keeps meat from drying out when you fry it and helps patties from falling apart. But is there a better, healthier alternative? Yes, depending on how you're planning to cook it. Burgers on the grill are probably how much of the ground venison in America makes it to the table. I'll be the first to admit, making a good burger without fat sounds impossible. The fat not only makes a burger juicy, it also helps it stay in patty form. Next
