Elk sliders with pancetta bacon and smoked mozzarella

Do you feel like you need to go on a diet and cut back on your calorie intake for the day. It’s simple, make your favorite meal into half the size just like these mini elk sliders. Half the size must mean half the calories, right?

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground elk
• 2 tablespoons Whole Grain Mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• 1 tablespoon A1
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper
• Smoked mozzarella
• Pancetta bacon
• Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
• Cherry tomatoes
• Grilled onions (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1) In a large bowl, add mustard, bread crumbs, egg, garlic powder, salt and pepper to ground elk meat. Mix all ingredients by hand and then form into small patties. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to size how much meat to use when forming your patties.  Place meat on tinfoil and press gently with your thumb creating a small indent in the center. This will help keep patties from shrinking when cooking.

2) Pre-heat the barbecue to high temperature.

3) I recommend leaving the elk burgers on the tinfoil while cooking on the BBQ. The elk meat is very lean and can have the tendency to dry out if overcooked. Cooking on tinfoil reduces the risk of overcooking.

4) Cook 7 minutes or until brown and then flip patties. Continue cooking on other side until brown – 7 minutes. Add smoked mozzarella cheese to the top of burgers during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Close lid and melt cheese.

5) While cooking your burgers, place pancetta bacon slices on tinfoil and place on the barbeque for the last few minutes of cooking. Toast buns on grill.

6) Place elk sliders on Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, top with a slice of pancetta bacon and a few cherry tomatoes and you are set! Enjoy!