Today, I’m sharing with you what I think is the best bison burger recipe, friends. It’s a copycat Big Mac, but obviously made with bison.
Bison meat is notoriously lean, so I’ll show you ways to keep it moist and some tricks I’ve learned about how to boost flavors so the whole burger will be one you will want to make again and again.
If you’re a die-hard burger fan, you can find the rest of my epic burger recipes here.
What Makes for a Juicy Bison Burger?
Bison is a lean meat, and if you overcook it, it can be dry. I guard against that by adding some juicy goodies into the meat mix.
Here’s what you need:
- a juicy ingredient (in this case, minced onion)
- a fatty ingredient (in this case, minced bacon)
The combination of the onion and bacon work well together to keep these burgers juicy, even if you cook them to well done. Promise!
Pastry Chef Online Participates in Affiliate Programs. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission. For more information click to read my disclosure policy
The Components of This Bison Burger (to make it kind of like a Big Mac)
You all know the song (or am I dating myself?)
Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bunnnnnn.
McDonald’s marketing for the Big Mac back in The Day.
And as much as I love me a good Big Mac once a year or so, it really isn’t the best burger ever. It’s not super juicy–okay, it’s dry. The sauce is a bit too sweet and the Iceberg lettuce really does not bring its A game.
So, for my copycat Big Mac bison burger recipe (a literal and figurative mouthful), here’s what I used:
- 1 bison/onion/bacon patty (but you could use 2, of course)
- special sauce (a mixture of ketchup, a touch of fish sauce, and our favorite hot sauce, Gator Hammock)
- butter lettuce (bye, iceberg)
- cheddar (you can use American if you want, but cheddar brings a bit more flavor)
- pickle relish (because you can spread it all over the bun)
- sliced onions (more texture than minced onions)
- sliced heirloom tomatoes (because tomatoes are awesome on burgers. Come on, McDonald’s)
- Kaiser rolls (or go for sesame buns or even potato rolls)
See? Here it is open-faced so you can see all the goodies (except the cheese and relish which are hiding under the lettuce):
Why Would You Put Fish Sauce in a Burger?
It had never occurred to me before until I read the umami burger post from White on Rice couple. Her mom always added some fish sauce to her burgers, so I decided to try it.
And let me tell you, they don’t taste fishy at all. The fish sauce just adds a bit more depth of flavor and extra umami goodness to the burger.
You can mix a few shakes right into your meat mix, or you can add it to your sauce. Or both. But do give it a try.
I understand if you’re skeptical, but trust me. Buy a good brand of fish sauce from an Asian market or online (what I used here was not really high quality, and even so, the burgers were awesome), so please go for it!
How to Keep a Burger from Turning Into a Puck on the Grill
There is nothing more awkward than trying to add toppings to a burger that is shaped like a charcoal briquette.
The proteins in meat naturally draw up when cooked, and, since the edges of a patty tend to be thinner, everything ends up drawing to the center, and you end up with a burger with a fat middle.
The worst part is that there’s no real flat surface on which to pile on your toppings. It’s like trying to balance playing cards on top of a baseball. Everything just wants to slide off.
The remedy is to form your burgers so the edges are thicker than the center. That way, when it cooks, the whole patty ends up uniform and flat, perfect for adding toppings. See?
What to Serve with Your Bison Burgers
Side dishes are the best, and here are some of my favorites to serve alongside a great burger.
- Mom-Style Macaroni Salad
- Sweet Tea Roasted Corn
- Spicy Succotash
- Cowboy Beans (Charro Beans)
- Southern Baked Beans (with Bacon)
Don’t Burn Yourself on the Grill!
The Beloved enjoys grilling, but he doesn’t do it very often. When he does, he always wears a big old welding glove to protect himself from the heat of the flames.
They aren’t expensive and they’ll keep your arms from getting singed.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.
Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.
If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.
Please Take a Moment to Rate and Review
It will help me and other readers so much if you take a moment to rate and leave a review for this recipe.
You can use the stars to rate 1-5 (5 is best), and leave a review in the comments. It helps me make adjustments if any are needed, and comments help others decide whether the recipe is worth making.
Other ways to share include pinning, and/or sharing on your favorite social media platform.
Thank you so much for taking the time!
The Best Bison Burger Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Burgers
- 1 pound ground bison
- ⅓ cup raw bacon , very finely minced
- ⅓ cup white onion , very finely minced
- as many grinds of black pepper as you like
- about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Special Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 Tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce (we love Gator Hammock)
Other Fixin’s
- toasted Kaiser rolls or your favorite burger bun
- 8 Tablespoons relish
- 2-3 leaves lettuce your favorite kind
- 2-3 slices ripe tomato skip the tomato if they aren’t in season
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- thinly sliced white onion
Instructions
For the Burgers
- If you are at all concerned that the bacon won’t be completely cooked on the grill, go ahead and cook it for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. I didn’t bother, and we both lived to Tell the Tale.
- Gently but thoroughly mix all the burger ingredients together except for the salt.
- Form into 4 patties of equal size, making sure the edges are thicker than the centers since burgers tend to draw up into weird pucks on the grill. We don’t want Pucked Up Burgers, no we don’t.
- Place on the grill and then salt each burger fairly liberally.
- Grill to medium to medium-well, about 4-5 minutes a side over medium hot coals.
For the Special Sauce
- Mix everything together. You’ll have enough to liberally sauce all four burgers, but please make this to taste, and make as much or as little as you need for the number of burgers you’re cooking.
To Build Your Burgers
- On your toasted buns, spread on 2 Tablespoons relish.
- Top with cheddar cheese, lettuce, and sliced onion.
- Add the burger and spread with some of your special sauce.
- Top with sliced tomatoes and finish with the top bun. Enjoy!
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
And there you have it friends. A fabulous (if I do say so myself) up-leveled copycat Big Mac and one heck of a bison burger recipe!
Thanks for spending some time with me today. Take care, and have a lovely day.
Hi, y’all! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and hopefully also learned a thing or two.
If you like my style, I invite you to sign up for my occasional newsletter, The Inbox Pastry Chef.
Expect updates on new and tasty recipes as well as a bit of behind-the-scenes action. I hope to see you there!
Join in Today!
Yum! Everything is better with fish sauce – well, almost everything. Can’t wait to try this tasty tip in all of our burgers.
Now I need to find some bison meat! Holy bison, batman, this burger is calling my name!
My son has been begging me to buy bison so he can grill it. I am sending him your link so he can learn how to grill it the right way!
Oh, wow, cool! Please let me know how they turn out!
I know it’s hard to believe but I can buy Bush’s beans here on the odd occasion and I doctor them up Tennessee style. I’ve never cooked bison before and I know it’s not available here but my son loves it.
It pretty much just tastes like lean ground beef to me, but still, kinda cool for a change! And they don’t get fed corn, and that’s a good thing too. What’s Tennessee style, @OrgasmicChef:disqus ? 🙂