An insanely delicious Bison Burger recipe with whiskey onions, smokey sauce and crumbled gorgonzola cheese!
Ingredients
Whiskey Onions:
1large sweet yellow onionhalved and sliced
1tablespoonextra virgin olive oilsub avocado oil
2-3tablespoonsof your favorite whiskeydivided
1/4teaspoonkosher salt
1/8teaspoonground black pepper
Bison Burgers:
1poundground bison
1teaspoonkosher salt
1/2teaspoonground black pepper
cheese sliceswe recommend swiss cheese, pepperjack, or white American
lettuce of your choice
hamburger bun of your choiceregular or gluten-free
gorgonzola cheesecrumbled
Smokey Sauce:
2tablespoonsmayonnaise
1teaspoonbalsamic vinegar
1/4teaspoonliquid smoke
Instructions
Caramelize Onions: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add olive oil; swirl to coat the pan. Add in 1 tablespoon whiskey and the onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Move onions around the pan slowly as they begin to cook. Cook low and slow for up to 30 minutes, moving around every so often - the longer you cook them, the more caramelized they will get - alternatively you can simply saute on high heat for a more charred result. Add in remaining whiskey right before you remove from heat and serve.
Make Burgers: While the onions cook down, put ground bison, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix to combine. Divide bison into equal portions and form into balls. Gently flatten and form into a patty. Place on a plate and sprinkle the tops a bit more with additional salt and pepper. At this point you can store in the refrigerator for later, if you are prepping them ahead of time.
Grill: Ensure grill grates are clean and turn grill to medium-high heat. Spray grates with olive oil (or other non-stick cooking spray). Place bison patties over direct heat and let cook 3-4 minutes per side or until they have reached your desired doneness/internal temperature. Use an internal meat thermometer. 135-145 degrees F. is a medium-rare burger. If adding cheese to the burgers, add when there are about 2-3 minutes left in your cook time. Remove burgers from grill and place on a plate; let rest 5-8 minutes.
Make Sauce: Combine ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. Feel free to double the recipe, if needed.
Build Burgers + Serve: Place lettuce on top of the bottom bun followed by some Smokey Sauce. Place a burger patty on top. Top burger with Whiskey Onions and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Place other half of bun on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Bison Mixture: I don't normally add an egg to my burgers, but if you prefer it that way, go for it! Also, you can add in additional seasonings, if you prefer - here is what I would recommend in addition to the kosher salt and ground black pepper: 1/2 teaspoon onion powder + 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic.
USDA: please note the USDA recommends that all meat be cooked fully.
Gluten-Free: simply ensure you are using a gluten-free bun.