Juicy Elk Burgers with Bacon and Cheddar
Our guides’ elk burger recipe with bacon and cheddar is the ultimate post-hunt meal. At Granite Peak Outfitters, we’ve been perfecting wild game recipes from our Idaho backcountry hunts for over two decades. These juicy elk burgers are a camp favorite.
WILD GAME RECIPES
How to make elk burgers that are actually juicy — not dry hockey pucks
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 10 min
Serves: 6
The biggest mistake people make with elk burgers? Treating them like beef burgers. Elk is incredibly lean — around 2% fat compared to beef’s 15-20%. That means without added fat, you end up with dry, crumbly pucks. This recipe solves that by mixing in bacon and a little pork fat. After years of feeding hungry hunters in elk camp, this is the recipe our crew requests by name.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground elk
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 6 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 burger buns, toasted
- Lettuce, tomato, red onion for toppings
Directions
- Cook the diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until just starting to crisp — about 3-4 minutes. Remove and let cool. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease.
- In a large bowl, combine ground elk, cooked bacon, reserved bacon grease, Worcestershire, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Mix gently — don’t overwork the meat.
- Form into 6 patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Press a thumb indent in the center of each patty.
- Heat a grill or cast iron skillet to high heat. Cook patties for 4-5 minutes per side for medium (145°F internal). Don’t press down on the patties.
- Add a slice of cheddar to each patty in the last minute of cooking. Cover to melt.
- Rest the patties for 2-3 minutes before serving on toasted buns with your preferred toppings.
Pro Tips from Our Guides
- The bacon fat is essential — it replaces the moisture that elk meat naturally lacks.
- Make patties slightly larger than your buns — they shrink about 15% during cooking.
- For an even juicier burger, mix in 2 tablespoons of cold butter, grated on a box grater.
- Ground elk freezes well. Portion into 1-lb packages and freeze flat for easy thawing.
Our guides make these on the last night of elk camp using fresh ground elk from the harvest.
Fill Your Freezer.
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Why This Elk Burger Recipe Stands Out
This elk burger recipe stands out because we mix just the right amount of bacon fat into the lean elk meat, keeping the burgers incredibly juicy without masking the wild game flavor. Our Granite Peak Outfitters guides have perfected this elk burger recipe over years of camp cooking in Idaho.
The secret is to handle the meat gently and avoid over-mixing. Form the patties slightly larger than your buns since they shrink during cooking. Grill over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side for a perfect medium-rare elk burger.
Serve this elk burger recipe at your next gathering and watch it disappear. The sharp cheddar and smoky bacon complement the lean elk perfectly, creating a healthier alternative to beef burgers that tastes even better.
More Wild Game Recipes & Resources
All Wild Game Recipes · Elk Backstrap · Elk Chili · Grilled Elk Tenderloin · How to Hunt Elk · Best Game Processing Knives · Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness · Idaho Fish & Game
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