Venison Sliders with Blueberry BBQ Sauce

Ground venison lends a savory, earthy quality to these sliders and plays well with the blueberry BBQ sauce.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Fresh Thyme blueberry preserves
• ¼ cup Fresh Thyme Smokin’ Sweet BBQ Sauce
• 10 slices Fresh Thyme smoked uncured bacon, divided
• 1 Fresh Thyme large egg, beaten
• 1 (1 lb.) pkg. frozen ground venison, thawed
• ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 2 tsp. chopped Fresh Thyme fresh rosemary
• 2 tsp. chopped Fresh Thyme fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. Fresh Thyme organic ground black pepper
• 3 oz. Fresh Thyme natural smoked Gouda cheese, cut into 12 slices
• 1 (12 ct.) pkg. Hawaiian sweet rolls, split
• 1½ cups baby arugula

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together blueberry preserves and BBQ sauce; set aside.
2. Finely chop 4 slices of bacon. In a large bowl, gently combine chopped bacon, egg, venison, onion,
rosemary, thyme, garlic, and black pepper. Be careful not to overmix. Form meat mixture into 12
patties. If desired, cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours.
3. Cut remaining 6 bacon slices in half. In a large skillet, cook bacon slices over medium heat until
desired crispness. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels.
4. Add 6 venison patties to skillet; cook for 7 to 10 minutes or until browned and cooked through
(160°F), turning once and topping each with a cheese slice during the last minute of cooking. Repeat
with remaining patties and cheese slices.
5. Serve venison patties in buns, topped with bacon, arugula, and blueberry-BBQ sauce.

Recipe from: Venison Sliders with Blueberry BBQ Sauce Recipe | Fresh Thyme