Gorgonzola Stuffed Venison Sliders

I’d assume if you can make a hamburger, you can make sliders. There’s just a slight change-up in the overall design and purpose of sliders. They’ve become rather popular in sports bars and at parties.

To wit, I was invited to a Daytona 500 get-together this last weekend. My plan called for venison burgers, but I couldn’t be certain how many people would show, and I couldn’t sacrifice 6 pounds of ground venison - it’s gotta last a few more months. So sliders were the answer - everyone gets a taste.

The trouble with venison burgers is they dry out quickly and fall apart. I have the butcher add beef fat to guard against the patties desiccating, but they still tend to crumble. Some folks prefer to add crumbled soda crackers or stale bread to their meat to combat this; I use Vigo Italian Breadcrumbs. They add more flavor, in my opinion.

1 lb. ground venison with beef fat added
½ cup Italian Bread Crumbs
3 tbs. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbs. Garlic Salt
1 tsp. Dark Brown Sugar
Charbroil Seasoning
Potato Rolls
Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese
Land O’ Lakes Colby Jack slices

I work in the order listed. Start with half the bread crumbs and knead into the meat. Add the other half and repeat. Do the same with the Lea & Perrins. Then add the garlic salt and brown sugar. (Don’t overdo the brown sugar – it can really ruin the recipe.)

After it’s all well-blended, roll into 6-8 meatballs. They should be slightly bigger than a golfball. Take your thumb and push a hole into the meatball and stuff with a pinch of gorgonzola. Wrap the meat back around the cheese and flatten into a micro-patty and dust with charbroil seasoning.

However you grill them – charcoal or gas – don’t leave on too long. Overcooked venison is still overcooked venison no matter how you doctor it up. I prefer to cook hot and fast on gas – 3 minutes a side, at most.

Place the patties in small potato rolls and top with a slice of cheese. I like A-1 as a dipping sauce, but I guess you can ketchup and mustard it, if you prefer.

People like them – they didn’t last nearly as long as that race!

Enjoy!