Here's the ground venison pizza recipe that you've been waiting for.
When we think of pizza we like to think in terms of "How long will it take to get here?" or "Which pizza shop delivers?"
Since most hunters and outdoorsmen are already the adventurous types, it stands to reason that putting together their own pizza from scratch shouldn't be a daunting task. Having said that, there's more than one way to skin that cat and still end up with a tasty treat when it's all over.
Even the toughest to please crowds can always find something they like anytime it ends in "Za" so when we add our favorite wild game meat, it should only bring out the smiles.
Since everyone has their own taste in pizza, especially the toppings, we'll add a list of things that go well with venison to try and spice things up a bit.
Let's get down to basics, because when you type " homemade pizza dough" into the search bar, there's only about a billion hits you'll be faced with. We won't get too deep into that, and only suggest one basic dough recipe. There are several ways to make the all important crust without a lot of fuss, or you can use a trusted brand of frozen dough.
Either way, adding some ground venison into the equation should be just the thing to top it off.
For the adventurous folks who don't mid a little extra work, start by following this quick and easy dough recipe. This is an across-the-board method that really is fairly common.
Need wild game meat processing or kitchen supplies? Check out Cabelas.com.
Pizza Dough
- 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 2-½ cups bread flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
This dough can simply be laid to rest just like most that need time to rise.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Use a medium bowl to dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. Let it stand until slightly creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt and olive oil, then whisk until smooth. Llet it rest for about five to ten minutes.
Lay out the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead well before patting and rolling it into a ball. Transfer the crust to a lightly greased pizza pan. Spread your favorite toppings and bake it all in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let a baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.
For those that just want to get some ready made pizza crust or dough, there are many ready made brands in the frozen section to get you there. In fact, my mother and grandmother both would use this shortcut when time was short, even though they were both extraordinary bakers, and makers of the best homemade bread and rolls ever!
Now, onto a basic ground venison procedure that produces great pizza topping:
Ground Venison Burger Topping
- 4 slices of bacon (or honestly, as much as you want up to a package)
- 1 pound ground venison
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (again, see bacon instructions)
In a skillet, cook the bacon slices and set aside.
The next step depends on the chef: either fry your ground venison directly in the bacon grease, or fry the burger separately, drain what little fat there is, and then add it to the bacon grease.
As the burger is cooking, add the onion, garlic, oregano, and chopped bacon. Give the mixture a bit of time to fry.
The key now is to stay with it using a wooden spoon and continue to chopand break up the crumbles as you stir, getting the venison burger as small as possible, short of using a chopper or food processor.
Once it's fully coked, drain any leftover grease before you place it on the crust or dough. Ideally your burger is now at least a little crispy.
Putting It All Together
Prepare the dough with your method of choice, and cover with sauce and cheese before spreading out the fried venison burger.
A good "sauce" alternative for this venison pizza pie is a mixture of one cup of sour cream with enough of your favorite salsa to spread over the crust before you add the cooked ground venison.
Once the burger is in place, you can opt for more of the best toppings:
- Red onion
- Pepperoni
- Cooked Italian Sausage/Venison Sausage
- BBQ sauce
- More bacon (because, bacon)
The End Result
This is a pizza that can be made with a normal pizza sauce, but also works well with a white sauce. Other popular topping choices include black olives, mushrooms, red or green peppers, pickles, jalapenos, and caramelized onions.
One of the best things to finish it off with once it's out of the oven is some crumbled tortilla chips of your choice.
Feel free to tweak this recipe in any you want. Heck, add some cumin and chili powder to your version of this pizza and you could have taco pizza. Or stay true to the burger theme and add fresh chopped tomatoes and a ketchup and mustard mix.
The possibilities are endless. Hopefully we've at least inspired one of your next wild game meals!
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NEXT: EGG-FREE CHICKEN FRIED VENISON RECIPE
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