Teriyaki Sauce-Swabbed Venison Burgers on Seeded Sourdough Buns

This is the part of our 2024 project: The Alphabet Challenge. Hosted by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, I thought this would be a fun culinary adventure. We will be posting every two weeks. I hope you follow along...or join in as you can. This has been fun. I can't believe that we only have a few more letters to go.

V is for...

• Homemade Vanilla Latte by Blogghetti

• No Churn Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

• Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken by Food Lust People Love

• Teriyaki Sauce-Swabbed Venison Burgers on Seeded Sourdough Buns by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Tropical Vols Au Vents by A Messy Kitchen

• Val Dal Veggie Paratha by Magical Ingredients

• Vanilla Mug Cake by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

• Veggies Mixed Dal Khichdi by Sneha’s Recipe

• Vegetable Culets by Mayuri’s Jikoni

• Vietnamese Chicken Stirfry by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Teriyaki Sauce-Swabbed Venison Burgers on Seeded Sourdough Buns

You can make these with any kind of ground meat, really. I just happened to have venison in my freezer and knew that they would make a tasty burger! And it fit the theme for the week: V.

The Buns

Ingredients

makes 8 buns

• 1 cup sourdough starter

• 1 cup whole milk

• 3-1/2 cup all-purpose flour + more for dusting the workspace and the baking sheet

• 1 Tablespoon organic granulated sugar

• 1-1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1-1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (I am going to try to omit this next time or use more starter with less milk - stay tuned!)

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• oil for greasing the bowl

• heavy cream for brushing

• seeds for sprinkling (I used black sesame seeds mixed with a pinch of salt)

Procedure

Place the sourdough starter and milk in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt, then sprinkle the dry active yeast over the top. Let stand for a few minutes before adding in the egg. Fold in the flour with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Then knead until smooth, approximately 5 minutes.

Form into a ball and drizzle with oil. Turn to coat before covering the bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Let rise for 90 minutes.

After about 90 minutes the dough should be nearly doubled its original size. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold over itself four times with a 90-degree between each fold. Divide the dough ball into eight equal pieces.

Okay, I need to work on the "equal" pieces part. Most were the same size; but I did have one that was significantly larger and one that was significantly smaller than all the others. Whoops!

Form the buns into a ball, then fold the dough under while pinching the bottom together. You will get a smooth tight surface. Place the buns on a lightly floured baking sheet. Cover them lightly with a towel and let them rise for another 60 to 90 minutes. They should be nicely puffed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit during this last rise. Brush the tops of the buns with a little bit of cream and sprinkle with seeds.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the buns are firm to the touch and a beautiful golden brown. Let cool completely before storing.

The Burgers

Ingredients

• 12 ounces ground venison

• 12 ounces ground beef

• 2 Tablespoons minced shallots

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, approximately 1 Tablespoon

• 1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• 1 Tablespoon teriyaki sauce (recipe below)

Teriyaki Sauce

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1 Tablespoon organic light brown sugar

• 1 Tablespoon molasses or more to taste

• 1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, approximately 1 Tablespoon

Procedure

Teriyaki Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth. Simmer until desired thickness. Set aside.

Burgers

Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix until well-combined. Form the meat into 4 equal size patties, these were about 6 ounces each. Place on a parchment-lined plate and set aside until ready to cook. Just before cooking, swab one side with teriyaki sauce and place that side don on the grill. Before flipping, swab the burger again so that the newly swabbed side is face down.

Cook, as desired, on a grill or on the stove with grill pan.

The Toppings

You can top these with whatever you want. I ended up melting a mild cheddar on the burgers, then topping with grilled pineapple slices and sesame onions.

Sesame Onions

• 1 onion, peeled and thickly sliced (I used a red onion)

• 1 Tablespoon butter

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil

Melt butter in olive oil over low heat. Stir in onions. Cook over low heat until the onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent. Stir in the sesame oil and cook for 8 to 10 minutes longer. Set aside until ready to serve.

The Alphabet Challenge So Far...

My posts are below with links to everyone else's recipes. I skipped letter 'F' apparently. Enjoy!

• A Reclaimed Æbleskiver Pan + Æbleskiver Bread Pudding

• Börek with a California Twist

• Crab-Stuffed Ravioli

• Dark Chocolate-Juniper Panna Cotta

• Elderflower & Roasted Strawberry Layer Cake

• Aïgo Bouido (Provençal Garlic Soup)

• Halva with Fiori di Sicilia

• I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Saffron-Cardamom Ice Cream

• Bulgogi-Inspired Oven Beef Jerky

• Purple Napa Kimchi

• Lingcod Over Legumes

• Mushrooms in My Cookies? Yep. Candy Cap Cookies.

• Nocino, Italian Green Walnut Liqueur

• How to Shuck Oysters and a Few Serving Ideas

• A Parade of Pickles, Including Pickled Chard Stems

• Quesabirria Tacos

• Rose Petal-Strawberry Granita

• Buttermilk Shortcakes with Macerated Berries

• Toasted Croutons

• Curry Udon with Prawns

Three more letters to go. What are we going to do at the end of the year?!?! Maybe I'll have to go through the weeks and try some of the other bloggers' creations.