I have been trying for years to perfect a turkey burger. Finally I’ve done it!
Quite frankly I hate Turkey burgers. They are too dry and lack flavor. Most times they are smothered in barbeque sauce that is loaded with brown sugar or molasses completely ruining the “healthy” reason for eating it in the first place.
What I love is a juicy rare beef burger dripping grease down my hand full of flavor. So why is there such a difference? FAT
A beef burger has 33 grams of fat per serving compared to 8 grams for turkey. Huge difference.
This fat is why a beef burger is flavorful and juicy, but it’s also the fat that will clog your arteries.
Another reason why a turkey burger is dry though is because it has to be cooked to 165 degrees for food safety reasons. A rare beef burger is cooked to 130 degrees and well done is 160 degrees.
I had almost given up thinking I could make a moist turkey burger. I had worked out a mixture of spices to get a good flavor but it was still dry.
Last week the grocery store had ground turkey on sale for $1.99 a pound and I couldn’t resist experimenting. Finally I got a moist tasty turkey burger you don’t have to dump a ton of condiments on to make palatable.
Not to mention my toughest critic, Chef Alexander
actually ate a whole one and for the first time asked to have a “turkey burger”.
Enjoy!
Avec Amour, Victoria and Alexander
Tasty Turkey Burgers
Yield – 4 Burgers
1 pound Ground Turkey Meat
1/3 Cup Onion, finely diced (optional I’ve done it with and without onions both were good)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper, fresh ground
3/4 teaspoon Paprika
3/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Tablespoon Worchester Sauce
1. Mix together salt, pepper, paprika and cumin.
Mix into turkey meat.
2. Make a well in center of meat and add Worchestershire sauce.
Mix together.
3. Add onions and mix.
Shape burgers
and cook over high heat, in a frying pan or grill pan,
to sear the meat, about 5 minutes on each side. Check with a thermometer to make sure internal temperature of burger is 165 degrees.
We served them on toasted whole wheat buns with lettuce, onion, tomatoes, melted sharp cheddar cheese
and ketchup.
Being city dewellars, I don’t have a pot bellied charcoal grill nor dare I dream a Weber gas grill, so I can’t tell you how they would come out on the grill. I can imagine only better though.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Turkey
- 1/3 Cup Onion, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper, fresh ground
- 3/4 teaspoon Paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Tablespoon Worchestershire Sauce
Instructions
- Mix together salt, pepper, paprika and cumin. Mix in turkey meat.
- Make a well in the center of meat and pour in Worchestershire sauce. Mix together.
- Add onions and mix. Shape burgers and cook over high heat, in a frying pan or grill pan, to sear the meat about 5 minutes on each side. Check with a thermometer to make sure internal temperature of burger reaches 165 degrees.
Looks wonderful! Probably tastes good too, but that seems like a lot of cumin.
If you come next week you could try them on the Grill Master grill. Might be as good as on a Weber. Mom