I didn't get a chance to hunt in 2011 but a good friend of mine did and he stopped off recently with some treats.   He brought me a couple of packages of venison bacon that had been made by a processor in or around Blackwell, Oklahoma.

The bacon is apparently a mix of ground meat and a bit of pork and it is processed, apparently, through a jerky shooter.   I fried the bacon like I would any other and I was surprised with one of the tastiest things I've ever tried.  Little or no shrinkage and a flavor you would not believe.

Have any of you guys ever heard of this or tried it?

Yes, we have a shop in the area that makes it like you described.  It is one of my favorite ways to have venison.  We always save some bacon to wrap around our backstraps and grill at the cabin, it's our favorit meal.
-Jay

I make buckboard bacon with pork butt roast and also pork tenderloin.  It is so much better than the stuff you get at the store, and is also much better (less fat) too.

Sweet

Mike, Please tell us more on how to make the buckboard bacon. Just the name sounds good!

A quick search pulled this up on the web. Sounds good.

Day 1:
- use 50 ? (approx. 12.5 lbs) venison to 50 ? (approx. 12.5 lbs.) 80/20 pork/fat.
- I grind these through the grinder once using a coarse grinder plate, and then do a thorough mix of the meats and then grind one more time through the grinder using a fine grinder plate.
- Then in a tub I add the seasoning to the mix, cure, an ounce of flavor booster and 4 cups of water. This stuff is sticky, reminds me of the perfect meat glue?? The seasoning and flavor booster is a premix that I order from Curley?s Sausage Kitchen online. Then I pack the seasoned meats into tin foil loaf pans (about 2 inches thick, about the width of a slice of bacon) for the meat to set up over night in the refrigerator and firm up. When setting in the fridge, make sure meat is well covered. I use wax paper and set pans on top of each other and will pack 4 or 5 high.

Day 2:
- Place meat pan upside down onto your smoking racks and gently remove the meat mixture onto your smoking racks. (This is the point why I like to use tinfoil pans. The consistency of the mixture is very sticky and bending the pans to get the meat loaf mixture out in one piece is easier with a tinfoil pan.)
- I put it in the smoker at 130 degree?s for an hour with no smoke and damper wide open for drying purposes.
- Then add smoke and move up to 160 degree?s for 2 hours with the damper half open.
- Then I remove the smoke and move up to 180 degree for about 4 more hours. I remove it from the smoker when the internal temperature reaches 155 degree?s. I have moved up to 200 degree?s with no problems if getting the internal temp of 155 is taking too long.
- Take out and let meat cool, then I bag the meat loafs separately and again, refrigerate over night.

Day 3:
- Slice meat to your personal bacon thickness preference, package and freeze. Or if you are anxious and hungry, just start cooking it like you would normal bacon !!!

Sounds pretty good! I'll have to try it out.

My coworker brought in bacon dipped in chocolate.  That was unique, but I like what you describe better

yes landman Dewayne knows meat. His address is actually Newkirk.
Try his bbq sauce too.

he also makes a venison bacon burger that is outstanding . I had one tonight. Wow.

We had him process our elk last year. Just dropped them off on the way home. My hunting buddy has a farm in Blackwell.

Absolutely, good stuff.

Ringneck that sounds like a perfect recipe!  One thing you might try is mixing the flavourings etc. after your first coarse grind. That way when you do the second fine grind it helps to do the mixing for you.  Mixing the flavourings in by hand after the final fine grind can mess up the emulsion.

Buckboard Bacon and Canadian Bacon

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2002/10/buckboard-bacon.html

There is a locker here in Iowa that makes it too.  I think it is delicious!  Reminds me of turkey bacon as far as appearance and texture.