Turkey Burgers?

[LB]

Does anyone have any really good turkey burger recipes? I try to keep our dinners at home healthier, so I'm trying to convince DH that burgers don't always have to be ground beef. The problem is that the turkey burgers I've made in the past have all been pretty bland. So...he's not convinced. 

I'm looking for a really good (or a few really good) turkey burger recipes to impress him with.

Not much is off limits, and we love spicy.

[Outdoor Girl]

Mine aren't spicy but they are savoury.

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup bread crumbs or oatmeal
1 egg
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 cup chopped craisins
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh sage and savoury, chopped (you can use dried; I have an herb garden so I use fresh when I can)

Mix together well and grill on an indoor grill.  I was afraid to use the BBQ in case they didn't hold together.

Serve on whole wheat flat bread buns with a little light mayo, spinach and sweet pickles.

(This is something I just threw together one day and experimented on a guest.  She asked for a second one so they couldn't have been too bad.)

[Zilla]

Turkey lends itself really well to strong flavors and in fact I sub for turkey simply because it imparts the flavors much more than ground beef.


Only difference with turkey is that it's delicate and often needs a tiny bit of binder and a little more moisture.


For moisture, I grate a tbsp of onion into a pound of turkey.  For binding, I add 1/4 cup of either breadcrumbs OR an egg OR oatmeal.  Oatmeal has the least impact on overall flavor.


One of my favorite is onion, breadcrumb as stated above, a tsp of chipotle powder, salt/pepper and grill on both sides.  Then top with pepper jack. 


Another option that I really like is bison.  I despise gamey tasting stuff (lamb/duck/vension blech!)  but this truly doesn't taste gamey at all.  I have been using it more now in place of ground beef in various recipes with great success.  And it's actually better than turkey in terms of healthy reasons.  Check it out as an option.

[NyaChan]

I am Indian and tasteless burgers are my parents' most common complaint so I feel you on this one -

You'll probably need some binding agents as others have suggested, but for flavor I add in things like garlic, salt, pepper, onion to start off.  Then I switch it up based on my mood:

1) feta, spinach, dill, & I try to use red onion for this one
2) minced hot pepper of choice, cumin, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and some cilantro
3) soy sauce, ginger, scallions, some of the chili garlic sauce with green lid

[greencat]

I do this with ground poultry:

Cover the meat evenly with one or more of the following spices:  sage, rosemary, or thyme.  If it's sage or rosemary, sprinkle a little salt on - thyme is salty tasting already and doesn't need the extra.  I don't measure spices so I'm not really sure how much I use.

Add 1/3 cup of mayonnaise per pound of meat.  Mix it all together and make patties.

Heat up a nonstick skillet to medium-high and then cook the patties on it - no more oil needed, as the mayo provides what you need.

[LB]

Thank you for the tips and the recipes!

Outdoor Girl, that recipe sounds wonderful, and I will probably try it this weekend. Yum!

Turkey lends itself really well to strong flavors and in fact I sub for turkey simply because it imparts the flavors much more than ground beef.

I agree. I sub in ground turkey for beef whenever I can because it's lower in fat and DH and I are both trying to lose weight. I think I just haven't been bold enough with burgers.

Only difference with turkey is that it's delicate and often needs a tiny bit of binder and a little more moisture.

Probably because of the lower fat. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

For moisture, I grate a tbsp of onion into a pound of turkey.  For binding, I add 1/4 cup of either breadcrumbs OR an egg OR oatmeal.  Oatmeal has the least impact on overall flavor.

One of my favorite is onion, breadcrumb as stated above, a tsp of chipotle powder, salt/pepper and grill on both sides.  Then top with pepper jack. 

Sounds good! Interesting about the oatmeal. I didn't know that! I wouldn't have thought to use it as a binder if I hadn't seen it here.

Another option that I really like is bison.  I despise gamey tasting stuff (lamb/duck/vension blech!)  but this truly doesn't taste gamey at all.  I have been using it more now in place of ground beef in various recipes with great success.  And it's actually better than turkey in terms of healthy reasons.  Check it out as an option.

Ooh, now this is intriguing. I've had a bison burger once in my life, but I've never noticed it available in the grocery stores. Do you order it from somewhere? I'll have to do some looking. What makes it healthier than turkey?

NyaChan, thank you for the options, those all sound great too!

[Zilla]

I saw it actually in my regular grocery store and asked about it online and was brave enough to try it. I was really surprised.


I have seen it now in the grocery stores and the butcher.

[blarg314]

I made some great kabobs recently that would adapt well to turkey burgers.  I used a very lean cut of pork and it turned out very tender, so it should adapt well to either very lean beef or turkey/chicken.

500 g meat
2 Tbsp chick pea flour (besan) - you could substitute bread crumbs.
1/2 a medium onion
1 small bunch cilantro
1 T lime juice
1 small egg
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cm ginger, chopped.

Roast 1 2 cm stick of cinnamon, 5 cloves, 1 t cumin seed, 1 t coriander seed, 1/2 t cardamon seed, 1 t black peppercorns in a dry pan until toasted. Cool and grind in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder. 

Very finely chop the cilantro, onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor. Add the meat and blend well - you want the meat very finely ground.  Mix by hand with the besan, ground spices, plus 1 t salt and 1 t (or more to taste) cayenne pepper, egg and lime juice until well blended. Form into patties and bake or pan fry (or put on skewers and make kebabs).

The result is intensely flavourful, very tender, even with low fat meat, and nicely spicy, and can be eaten straight. As a burger, I would probably top it with lettuce, thinly sliced onion, tomato, and maybe a bit of ketchup.

[cicero]

we keep ours simple but i like the spicy too. I find that chicken and/or turkey burgers need an egg and some kind of flour to keep them together. Lately i've been dipping the patties in an additional egg and then bread crumb topping before baking - they come out nice and crunchy on the outside.

Here's how i make them:
for 2 lb ground chicken breast/ turkey i add:
1 egg
1 grated onion
1/2 cup seltzer or 1/2 cup water and 2 pinches of baking soda
few tablespoons of oil
cumin, garlic, tumeric, pepper - pinch or two each (I don't add salt to anything but YMMV).
can add chopped fresh herbs - parsley, a few mint leaves, coriander.

mix all together very well. add about 1/3 cup of bread crumbs/ground oats etc and let the mixture sit for about 1/2 an hour.

assembly:
line baking pans with parchment paper
beat one egg in one bowl
pour about 1 cup of bread crumbs in another. add spicy paprika, cumin, salt, etc
with wet hands form patties/balls. dip in egg then in bread crumbs and place on baking pans.
bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, flip over, then about another 10 minutes till golden (depnds on their size).
freeze well.

you can forgo the bread crumb topping and just make patties and bake or grill.

[MacadamiaNut]

OP, I agree with you.  Whenever I use minced turkey or chicken in place of beef it never has the same kick.  I have no advice - I am just glomming onto this thread so I too can get ideas... and I see there are some great ones here!

[Hmmmmm]

This is a variation on one that I got from epicurious

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1/2 cup finely crushed tortilla chips (crushed in resealable plastic bag with mallet) (to reduce fat, I crisp up corn toritillias in the oven and use them)
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup cooked corn kernels
red pepper flakes if you like a little more heat

Mix together and form into patties.  We grill them but they work well in a pan. 

I top with chunky salsa, monterrey jack cheese, and sliced avocado if they are on hand. 

[Namárië]

http://www.cookingcute.com/gallery/gallery_061406.htm

The above recipe is my absolute favorite turkey burger. It's also great with added cayenne. They are just gloriously juicy and flavorful!

[WillyNilly]

My favorite moist seasoning is canned chipotles in adobo sauce.  You can usually find them by the Goya products in the grocery store.  Spicy and super yummy and not only will they add flavor but an appealing reddish color to the turkey.

[LB]

I just recently found a recipe for turkey burgers with chipotle! I plan on trying them this week. I'm probably going to make turkey burgers once every other week or so this summer so I appreciate all the recipes everyone is contributing. 

[Chip2]

Ooh, now this is intriguing. I've had a bison burger once in my life, but I've never noticed it available in the grocery stores. Do you order it from somewhere? I'll have to do some looking. What makes it healthier than turkey?

NyaChan, thank you for the options, those all sound great too!

There are quite a few places online where you can buy bison (and elk, venison, etc.); just Google for it. However, be prepared to be surprised at the price for good cuts. My local grocery stores carry ground bison in 1 pound packages at $8-10, and the Army commissary I shop at has small prepackaged bison steaks for similar prices. I don't eat cow, so when I get a craving for red meat I go with this.

You can sub bison straight up for beef in recipes; the flavor is very close. The only thing to watch out for is bison's leanness. There's not a lot of fat so it's easy to overcook.