Bombs away for venison

Venison bacon bombs will thrill your taste buds

We’ve made it back to fall again and into October, one of my favorite times of the year. The days have cooled enough to hunt without drowning in your own sweat, but they are still warm enough that short-sleeve shirts are fine by  late morning. However, there is a chill in the air most mornings that calls for a sweatshirt, windbreaker or light-layer thermal shirt for hunting or fishing.

Both hunting or fishing are big deals, too, as the choices are many, and while there are multiple fishing opportunities this month, October is when hunting seasons begins in earnest, and a great majority of the hunters in the Carolinas are chasing deer. I promised a game recipe and have one that is fun, tasty and simple. Rather than working with marinade and such to cook a roast or something, this is the time to be quick and easy, and that translates to venison burger.

There is no debate ground venison is low in fat and very healthy. Some people might want to argue, but I believe deer that haven’t been running or otherwise exerting and are properly cleaned, iced and processed can have flavor even a little milder than beef. It’s also very versatile and can be used in just about any recipe that calls for beef. The only thing to consider is whether or not there is enough fat to keep the meat moist while cooking. This is a fun recipe, and I believe everyone in the family will like it. Hey, it has bacon; they have to like it.

Hunting deer is almost a religion in the Carolinas, and the same cooling temperatures that get sportsmen fired up also gets the deer fired up. They know this is just the beginning, and the weather will get a lot colder before it warms again. Even with their short memories, they recall last winter’s cold weather. Critters instinctively know they need to begin eating heavily to bulk up for the winter, and the need to feed exposes them to hunters.

Love is in the air for deer, too. When this happens, the deer get amorous and are out looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right. The rut makes even the wisest old buck do some foolish things that turn them into dinner and trophies.

Welcome to the fall. Temperatures are cooling and deer are more active. It’s time to pit your skills against the wild and put some roasts, backstraps and burger in the freezer. Meanwhile, here’s a simple and fun recipe to enjoy some of the first of this year’s venison or the last pack of venison burger from last year. This mixture is milder than most people imagine, but can be easily be kicked up a notch or two by adding another jalapeno and/or a little more Cha! sauce.

This is an excellent easy meal for busy days or when watching your favorite college football team play an away game and you can’t tailgate. College football is in full swing and in the Carolinas, the season has been rabid since the Gamecocks and Tar Heels squared off in the opener.

Venison bacon bombs

I don’t remember exactly how this recipe came to be, but I sometimes laugh and call it a fun alternative to meatloaf. Seriously, meatloaf just sounds dull, but when you wrap it with bacon and give it a fancy name, it gets people’s attention, and they’ll try it. This has the extra attraction of being cooked in personal serving sizes and wrapped in bacon. This is the bomb — the venison bacon bomb, to be exact — and if you try it, I’m pretty sure you’ll make it again.

This recipe is a conglomerate. It has parts and pieces from several recipes, plus other things like jalapeno and parmesan cheese that just sounded like they would be good. And then there’s bacon. After years of being put down as unhealthy, bacon is in demand, and when you add bacon to any recipe, it captures people’s attention. However, the bacon has a double purpose here. I mix my ground venison pretty lean, and in addition to its flavor, the bacon adds some grease to keep the venison from cooking out too dry.

Venison bacon bombs are made in individual servings. They can be eaten like a piece of meatloaf or a hamburger steak. A sauce or dipping sauce is suggested, and many people like one of the traditional sweeter, red barbecue sauces like KC Masterpiece. For those who prefer a little tangy edge but no heat, one of the mustard-based sauces like Trader Joe’s Carolina Gold might be the thing.

Everyone knows I prefer a little more bite to my food, and this is one main dish where it’s easy to do, even while letting others enjoy milder flavors. I like my venison bacon bombs smashed down in the middle and pretty liberally dosed with Texas Pete Cha! sauce. Texas Pete is from T.W. Garner Co. in Winston-Salem, N.C. (www.texaspete.com) and they smacked the bull’s eye with their sriracha sauce. It’s tangy, with a light sweetness and just the right amount of heat to be the perfect complement to a lot of foods, especially venison bacon bombs. There is a little in the mix and more can be added to taste.

You can quickly check your seasoning mixture by making a slider-size burger and cooking it. I consider this a necessary taste test and grill a burger or two for lunch or a quick snack any time I mix ground venison for a recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground venison burger

1 egg

1 package bacon

2 yellow onions (large)

1 fresh jalapeno pepper

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup diced onions

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp coarse ground black pepper

2 tbsp Texas Pete Cha! sauce

Salt to taste. I have some jalapeno salt that was a gift and it is excellent here.

Pam non-stick cooking spray

PREPARATION:

Cut the top and bottom off the onions. Slice the onions to the middle from one side and push several of the inner rings out. Separate several of the larger outer onion rings. Dice 1/4 cup of onion using the smaller inner rings.

Remove, the seeds and dice the jalapeno. Beat the egg. Mix the burger, egg, jalapeno, diced onion, cheese, bread crumbs, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, Cha! sauce, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with Pam. Lay bacon on aluminum foil and cook 3 to 6 minutes — sizzle, but don’t brown.

Fill the onion rings with the burger mixture. Wrap each filled onion ring with three pieces of bacon using toothpicks to hold the bacon and place on the pan on the aluminum foil. Cook the venison bacon bombs approximately 45 minutes or until the temperature in the middle is 160 to 170 degrees. Remove the venison bacon bombs from the oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Venison bacon bombs should be served with your favorite barbecue or dipping sauce. Some people prefer salsa or ketchup, and there are numerous other options. Personal taste is the only limit. My favorite is Texas Pete Cha! Sauce. Baked sweet potato fries and a fresh garden salad or lettuce wedge are excellent side dishes with this meal.