Smokey Turkey Burgers

Thursday 14 March 2019


Every now and again, I like to enjoy a good burger.  I have to confess however, I am not totally fond of Beef Burgers. In truth I would rather have a Turkey Burger. 



Its a texture thing really  . . .  as soon as I get a bit of gristle or something even closely resembling it in between my teeth, my gag reflex kicks in.  It is a problem I have mostly with beef or pork.  I haven't experienced it with turkey yet.



Its awfully hard to enjoy eating something once the gag reflex kicks in.  My mother used to try feeding me hamburger (s) when I was a child and it was a no go. I used to hide it under my plate, (only got away with that one once), under the carpet (that worked until my mother hoovered), and in the cold air vents. (Worked until Spring Cleaning kicked in.)


I would be told that I had to sit there until I ate it, and I would sit there all afternoon if need be, and on into the evening, patiently awaiting my opportunity to ditch it. (We had no dog.  If we had, it would have been a lot easier!)  My mom finally gave up.


I still don't really ground meat of any kind mixed into anything.  I think I was the only child on the planet who could pick out all of the hamburger from a hamburger casserole, eating the pasta and sauce, but leaving the hamburger behind. (Yes I was that annoying!)  Again, it was a texture thing. 


I can eat and do enjoy meatballs now, and occasionally a Hamburger, but for the most part I leave them alone.  I do enjoy ground turkey however, so more often that not, this is what we will have.


This is a recipe I found on the Hellman's site.   The original called for the use of Chorizo sausage.  I couldn't bring myself to use that, so instead I used their suggestions for an alternative, which was basically a spice mix.


You may think I am picky, and perhaps I am, but I think Chorizo tastes like dirty socks. (Not that I have eaten or tasted dirty socks because I haven't. To me it just tastes like what I imagine dirty socks to taste like.)


The end result was a very delicious Turkey burger, with lovely smoky flavours and a moist texture, as you can see from the photographs.  I cooked them on our electric grill. Todd enjoyed his with a nice bun. I enjoyed it all on its own, both with sweet potato wedges on the side.

Yield: 4

Smokey Turkey Burgers

prep time: cook time: total time:
Delicious and moist with spicy smoky flavours. I served them on buns with slice tomato and lettuce, some cranberry chutney and a squirt of mayo, but they are equally delicious on their own without the bun.

ingredients:

  • 600g lean turkey mince (1  1/4 pound)
  • 100g fresh bread crumbs ( about 2 1/2 slices)
  • 1 small  onion, peeled
  • 2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
  • 3 TBS mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp English mustard
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 TBS smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp oregano flakes
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin

instructions:

  1. Tip the turkey and bread crumbs into a bowl.   Put the remaining ingredients into a small food processor and blitz until smooth. Add to the turkey and bread crumbs and mix well together with your hands.  Shape into 4 large patties. Place onto a plate and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
  2. When you are ready to cook them, remove from the refrigerator and cook on a lightly oiled grill or in an oiled skillet for 8 to 10 minutes, until cooked all the way through and the juices run clear.
  3. Serve with your favourite accompaniments.  We like toasted buns and sweet potato wedges.

Created using The Recipes Generator



I added some mayo, some of my Christmas Cranberry Chutney, sliced tomato and shredded lettuce.  (If you have gotten this far after reading about the taste of dirty socks and gristle, I applaud your tenacity!)  Seriously though, they really are quite good. 'Nuff said.



8 comments

  1. Oh Marie, I thought I was the only person in the world who hates ground beef! The very thought of it makes me gag, just like you. I am still unable to eat a Bolognese sauce. When I was growing up I never saw any of it raw, though my Mother would mince what was left of the roast beef sometimes, but that wasn't too bad.

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    Replies
    1. I can handle minced leftover cooked beef, it is regular ground beef I have a problem managing. I don't like the way it smells when it is cooking and I don't like the rubbery texture of it when its cooked. It is hit and miss with me. I am getting better with it, but I always grind my own out of steak, so there is no gristle or yukky stuff in it. I am much better with that! Glad I am not alone also! xo

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  2. Replies
    1. Yep! I know turkey burgers are not your favourite thing, but you are so gracious! One of the things I love about you! xoxo

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  3. I've pencilled this in to try next week as it sounds delicious and they are finally stocking turkey mince here - yay!

    I'm not fond of trying to eat hamburgers in a bun as it's always so messy and how on earth can people open their mouth wide enough to get a decent mix of the different parts. I also don't understand how people eat those hard tacos without wearing half of the filling (but maybe I'm just a messy eater).

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    Replies
    1. I'm with you Marie. I don't do hard tacos either. Why, when a soft tortilla, toasted is so yummy would you risk your teeth trying to crunch through one of those and wear half of it in the process! Happy you can now get Turkey mince! xoxo

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  4. Hi Marie, I made these and they weren’t quite as moist as I had hoped. I’m wondering if there’s a difference between UK minced turkey and US ground turkey. I used 93% lean. That said, I also am gluten-free so I used oat bran instead of the bread. I substituted by weight, but that might have been too much. I’m going to try again as I love turkey burgers and wanted something different. The flavor was great!

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    Replies
    1. I think there must be. Also I think oat bran might have absorbed too much of the turkey juices. I wonder if you left the starch out all together? xoxo

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