My wife and I are always experimenting with new venison recipes, especially ones our toddlers and non-hunting friends and family will enjoy as well. Appetizers and small plates are a great way to introduce venison to those who may be unfamiliar. They’re also perfect for serving larger groups. With the Super Bowl right around the corner, here are a few of our favorite new recipes that have proven to score big, including Big Mac Burger Bombs, and Backstrap Chopped Philly Cheese Sliders. We’ll follow that with links to some other ideas that make great venison crowd pleasers.
Big Mac Burger Bombs
Ingredients (Yields 15)
- 1-lb ground venison
- Two packages of pre-made puff pastry dough
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped dill pickle
- ¼ cup shredded white onion
- 2 eggs (One for meat mixture, one for egg wash)
- Gourmet steak seasoning to taste
- Splash of dill pickle juice
- Sesame seeds for topping
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper
- Combine all ingredients except for puff pastry dough in a large bowl or mixer (we use a Kitchen-aid mixer). Mix until slightly sticky consistency
- Prepare puff pastry by rolling out flat
- Form venison mixture into meatballs roughly the size of a golf ball
- Distribute evenly over flattened puff pastry
- Use a pizza cutter to cut puff pastry into squares with a meatball at the center of each
- Pinch sides of puff pastry together to cover meatball, and roll in hands until smooth
- Place on baking sheet, brush egg wash over the bombs, add sesame seeds
- Bake for ~20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown
- Serve with Big Mac Sauce (below) for dipping and enjoy!
Big Mac Sauce
- 1 cup of mayonnaise
- ¼ cup grated white onion
- ¼ cup dill pickle finely chopped
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 2 tsp white sugar (we used equivalent Stevia)
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Big Mac Sauce Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving
Backstrap Chopped Philly Cheese Sliders
Ingredients (Yields 2 Dozen Sliders)
- Venison backstrap
- We used ½ a backstrap from a buck harvest
- Two packs of King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
- Sliced provolone cheese
- One large green pepper, sliced
- One small white onion, sliced
- Sliced baby bella mushrooms (optional)
- Melted butter for basting
- Mayonnaise
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder for seasoning
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Slice backstrap thin and liberally season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
- Slice pepper, onion, and mushrooms and set aside
- Heat skillet over medium-high heat
- Add seasoned backstrap to the skillet and cook until browned
- Add the vegetables and a little more seasoning to taste
- Cook until veggies are slightly tender
- Add two slices of provolone cheese to skillet
- Chop all ingredients together using a spatula or chopper
- Slice sweet rolls lengthwise and line bottom with a thin layer of mayonnaise and sliced provolone cheese
- Add meat mixture to rolls and distribute evenly
- Add top half of rolls and brush with melted butter
- Bake for ~10 minutes until cheese is melted and top bun is slightly toasted
- Slice and enjoy!
These recipes will yield approximately 15 burger bombs and two dozen sliders.
More Great Venison Party Recipes
Pair the two recipes above with some of our other recipes below for a Super Bowl Sunday blowout!
Venison Philly Cheese Wonton Bites
