In the comments to this post, Sue mentioned that she likes to mix a little bison meat with her ground beef when making burgers at home. Now, they’re pretty much impossible to get at fast food places, but burgers made from exotic meat (not beef) are actually some of my favorite types of burgers.
There’s a restaurant about 10 minutes from where I live that serves Bison Burgers, and they’re fantastic. I actually prefer bison to beef when I can get it, the flavor is actually different, plus the meat is leaner.
Other substitute burger meats that I’ve tried are emu, which is a lot like a super lean ground beef (and delicious) and elk. I really do enjoy an emu burger, but they’re almost impossible to find here in the midwest. I suppose I could start ranching emus and set up my own restaurant, but that seems like a lot of work to get an emu burger.
You could also check out Exotic Meats which can ship a lot of different varieties of meat to 32 different US states. Or, if you really want to make deer burgers, you could go hunting. One of these years…
I had ostrich earlier this year; best meat I ever had in my life….
I’m not as mad about burgers as you are, but I do like my sausage. I think the best sausage I’ve ever had was alligator.
Just down the road a bit…
http://kybisonco.com/meatforsale/index.cfm
Occasionally, living in the Peoples’ Republic of Louisville has it’s perks.
Shhh…. my family thinks they’re eating beef.
I mix it in because it’s flavorful and minimally processed but gosh if they find out I’ll be the next one on the platter.
But OMG if I came home with a 1/4 cow would my neighbors have a giggle.
Maybe I’ll go buy a big ass freezer. Sometimes living in Los Angeles is fun.
Your secret is safe in me.
If you ever feel like emu, there’s a ranch near where I grew up in the Antelope Valley.
Kangaroo meat sounds like something I want to try.
i’ve had moose steak. wouldn’t try it in a burger, it’s a bit too flavorful; less heavy than bear (so i’m told) but noticeably stouter than beef.
I HATE Emu. I absolutely HATE IT!. Then again my cousin the “Emu” Farmer who was broke, so that’s all we had to eat for over a month, so that might have something to do with it 🙂
To me emu tasted a lot like venison. We eat more venison or bison than we do beef at home.
‘Roo steaks are pretty good, as are kanga bangers 🙂 They taste like beef hotdogs.
Caribou was the best meat I ever tasted.
I was in Florida on a layover and my copilot and I went to this alligator preserve where they were trying to “save the alligator” with ponds for breeding and care for the injured. As we were leaving, after taking a airboat ride and leaving a donation we hear the announcement “come to the snack bar and try our tasty Gator Nuggets”. I guess they were “saving” the best parts of the gator.
Scully, I sure am glad to hear that story happened in Florida and not here in the good ol’ US of A.
Gosh we don’t have hypocrites here in the US and the animal saver people (PETA?) never contradict themselves. So, gosh, it’s so cool that you were in Florida.
FYI I got a public education. Ain’t it great?