The perfect burger is out there … in Canada's North
This barbecued elk bacon burger is perfect in every way
Have you ever seen a burger this beautiful?
Just look at the juices dripping on the meat. Look at all that melty cheese goodness with the mushrooms on top. The bacon is magnificent and the tomato underneath is glowing with freshness. And just look at that bun, soaking up the juices.
By the way, that's not a half pound of grade A beef nestled in that bun. You are looking at mostly elk meat with a touch of beef.
This burger wasn't made in a fancy restaurant and this picture wasn't by a professional photographer for a magazine.
All of it is the creation of Iain Leishman, an avid hunter who lives in Kakisa, Northwest Territories.
"It turned out really, really good," Leishman said from his hunting blind near his community.
CBC's Wanda McLeod interviewed him while he was out getting geese with his son Cameron.
"I got three quarters elk and I put a quarter ground beef in there … and mixed it up," he said.
Leishman also mixed in an egg, salt and pepper and Back Eddy's seasoning.
Leishman didn't hunt the elk. It was a gift from a friend who suggested that he mix it with a bit of beef to help keep it juicy.
"I fried it up on the barbecue with some bacon. That's the first time cooking bacon on the barbecue, which was kind of painful," he said with a laugh.
Leishman shared a picture of his perfect burger on CBC North's Facebook recipe page.
Everyone agreed; it was a work of art.
Leishman says the elk burger was so good it tasted like moose and caribou, together.
And then he summed it up with one word.
"Amazing."