Three Ways to Make a Juicier Turkey Burger
If you want to give up red meat and don’t quite feel the appeal of Impossible burgers, you can usually try turkey burgers. This step is often followed by a return to beef burgers because turkey can be so damn dusty. But don’t give up: it’s still a delicious protein, and with a little help it can be downright juicy. Here are three things you can do to make a juicier turkey burger.
Add Mayo
Turkey is low in fat and does not retain moisture well, resulting in burgers that are dry, tough, and tasteless. Adding a small amount of mayonnaise to the raw meat mixture improves juiciness and flavor. The finished burger doesn’t look “mayonnaisey” either, just well-seasoned and moist. My boyfriend even asked if I added sausage. But I didn’t; I just added a little mayonnaise and a pinch of salt.
Add about two teaspoons of mayonnaise per four-ounce cutlet, which equates to two tablespoons plus two teaspoons per pound of turkey. Add any seasonings you typically like and mix gently with your hands to avoid overmixing. It won’t look tempting at this stage. Mayonnaise makes the meat a little doughy if you like, but stick with it. Form cutlets and bake them in a pan as usual. If you are grilling, be careful when transferring the patties onto the grill. Once they start cooking, the burgers will firm up and you can flip them.
Add grated cold butter
This is another way to add fat and increase juiciness. Rub the cold butter directly into the bowl with the raw turkey meat and other seasonings. I used a box grater to get medium strips of butter. The microplane holes are too small and will likely become clogged with grease unless you use frozen butter.
Rub about half a tablespoon of butter per four-ounce cutlet, or two tablespoons per pound of turkey. Grill or bake the burgers as usual. Butter will melt, that’s true. The turkey burger will leak a lot of oil the same way fat leaks out of a cow burger, but most of it will remain in the patty. I used a skillet so my turkey burgers got a little drippy brown and I was rewarded with beautiful browning and incredible moistness.
Add fruits or vegetables
I can’t ignore the fact that turkey is often preferred because it is leaner than beef. Luckily, fat isn’t the only way to save a turkey from a dry, rubbery fate. Instead, try adding finely chopped fruits and vegetables to the raw mixture. Cut foods release a lot of moisture during cooking, so recipes usually ask for them to be pre-cooked before adding them to mixtures. In the case of a hamburger, we want moisture inside.
Finely chop any plants that contain water, such as apples, mushrooms, onions, celery, or all of the above. (Small cuts are important so that the pieces in the center will soften as they cook.) You don’t need much: about one tablespoon of cut per four-ounce cutlet, or four tablespoons per pound of turkey. If you add too much, the chopped veggies can prevent enough protein fiber from holding together, causing your burger to fall apart. ( Pre-roasted vegetables also make a great turkey burger.) Add vegetables and season raw turkey mixture as desired. Form into patties and fry or grill as usual. Oh, and be prepared for dinner conversation revolving around questions like, “Is this turkey?” or “How did you make them so juicy?”