How to Make a Flavorful Juicy Turkey Burger
Turkey burgers are the egg white omelets in the hamburger world. Known for being dry, bland and decidedly non-sexual, I saw little point in talking about them at Burger Week, this most sacred week.
Welcome to Burger Week! Grilling season is in full swing and we’re like hamburgers. Whether it’s picking the perfect patty, filling those patties with melted cheese, or making a vegetable proposition that doesn’t suck, we’ve got the tips, recipes and advice you need to create your best burger.
But there are many reasons why someone would eat a turkey burger – maybe they don’t like beef, or maybe they just really hate turkey and want to cut it down. Seeing how A.A. Newton used a whole bunch of boiled vegetables to make super delicious veggie burgers , I was inspired. By adding finely chopped and toasted mushrooms and onions to the meat (plus some raw onions for good measure), I was able to raise the moisture and umami of the once sad patty. When I forced one of them on Offclair, when he came home from work still dressed as an artist, his reaction was positive. “This is good,” he said. “It’s a turkey!” I shouted too loudly, “Did you add beef to it?” he asked.
I didn’t add beef to it, just vegetables and – I like to think – a little love for the often-backbone poultry meat. To make a few (four) yourself, you will need:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons Schmalz, duck fat, or vegetable oil
- 1/2 grated onion + 2 tablespoons grated onion, divided
- 5 cloves of garlic
- Several splashes of beer
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Peel the mushrooms and chop them in a food processor until they are finely diced. Combine them with 1/2 of the grated onion, season the mixture with salt and pepper, then cook with two tablespoons of schmalts over medium or low heat until the vegetables are dry and lightly browned.
Add the garlic, cook until flavorful and golden, and then remove the icing from all of the lovely browned nuggets with a few splashes of beer, scraping from the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and let cool until no excess liquid builds up. Remove mixture from skillet, let cool, and combine with mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of raw chopped onions.
Using your hands, gently stir the mushroom mixture with the turkey meat and form four patties. (They will feel too loose; don’t worry.) Season both sides of each pie with salt, place them on a baking sheet and let them cool in the refrigerator while you heat the oven to 250 ℉, then cook them for about half an hour until the internal temperature reaches 150 ℉. Heat a skillet over high heat with a little schmalse or vegetable oil and top off by frying every minute or two on each side until you have a nice crust. Serve on soft buns with mustard, a little mayonnaise and your favorite onion.