# Venison bacon and sticking together question.



## archeryrob (Dec 8, 2021)

I made venison bacon and I love it. It is all posted on my blog here, if anyone want to read, or copy it. I found the recipe from a guy on Facebook and forgot who he is to credit him. I made 14 pounds and mixed it in the 25# mixer. Then pressed it into pans to set over night and smoked it the next day. Pressing it into the pans if I guess where the only problem I had started.

See the long piece on the bottom and the dips where clumps did not stick completely. Do I need to press it better, find the correct amount for the pan and kneed into one clump and press that? Pressing multiple handfuls seemed to leave these cracks in pieces and they bacon easily breaks there being handled. So I am looking for input on how to do this better next time since we are filling up with ground deer now. 

I've never worked with ground meat except snack stick and bologna and that is squirt pressed into the casings.


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## smokerjim (Dec 8, 2021)

looks good, may have to give that a try


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## chopsaw (Dec 8, 2021)

Here's a thread I did using all pork . I use NFDM in mine as a binder , and put plastic wrap in the pan so I could remove the bacon for smoking . 





						Owen's BBQ Ground Formed Bacon
					

Finally got around to doing this . 12 lbs all pork . I don't fry test much anymore , but this was a new one for me , so I put a patty in the pan . Taste was good . Not like bacon but good . So I'm thinking , needs to be cured and smoked to be bacon . Should be good . Used 3 - 11 x 8 pans . About...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


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## archeryrob (Dec 8, 2021)

Mine had NFDM in it also. It was only on the top part that is on the bottom in the smoker. I just wonder if I need to press and twist the seems together when pressing in the pan. I did the same with plastic wrap.


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## crazymoon (Dec 8, 2021)

*AR, Check out my post on VB using saran wrap in both directions:
Venison Bacon

Maybe the venison was too lean ??*


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## daveomak (Dec 8, 2021)

You  might try thoroughly mixing the meat until the proteins "wake up" and become sticky like this ....


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## tallbm (Dec 9, 2021)

archeryrob said:


> I made venison bacon and I love it. It is all posted on my blog here, if anyone want to read, or copy it. I found the recipe from a guy on Facebook and forgot who he is to credit him. I made 14 pounds and mixed it in the 25# mixer. Then pressed it into pans to set over night and smoked it the next day. Pressing it into the pans if I guess where the only problem I had started.
> 
> See the long piece on the bottom and the dips where clumps did not stick completely. Do I need to press it better, find the correct amount for the pan and kneed into one clump and press that? Pressing multiple handfuls seemed to leave these cracks in pieces and they bacon easily breaks there being handled. So I am looking for input on how to do this better next time since we are filling up with ground deer now.
> 
> ...



Line your pan with saran/plastic wrap.
Then put all the meet into it and push it down like crazy.
Fold the plastic wrap over and you can pull it out and push it around is a big plastic blob to get it formed tighter and then put back in pan still wrapped and push to form the "loaf".

All of this working and pushing should get it formed and even as much as possible plus its easy to pull out of the pan this way :)

This works for doing smoked meatloafs as well :)


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## archeryrob (Dec 9, 2021)

daveomak said:


> You  might try thoroughly mixing the meat until the proteins "wake up" and become sticky like this ....



It was mixed a lot. Maybe more water?


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## daveomak (Dec 9, 2021)

Salt also helps to extract soluble proteins....

Maybe some "meat glue"....    Activa Transglutaminase Meat Glue – Craft Butchers' Pantry (butcherspantry.com)

My ground bacon attempt....






Formed in a pan, smoked, then sliced ...  No meat glue added..


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## earlytime (Dec 13, 2021)

When I did mine, after I smoked the bacon, I let it cool. Then I wrapped it and placed it in the refrigerator overnight, then sliced it packaged it put freezer


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