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Occasional Contributor
Posts: 11
Registered: ‎03-21-2010

Does anyone have a recipe for making ground turkey into a tasty moist burger? They usually come out tasteless any dry.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,512
Registered: ‎03-09-2010
I have yet to figure out the dryness issue. I have tried adding fresh chopped spinach and chopped sun dried tomatoes ( oil rinsed off).....not bad, but decidedly changes the flavor. Turkey meat is dry- and to me, it always has a slightly funny taste. I have found to get rid of that taste, a pinch of Greek seasoning is what's needed. My husband loves turkey burgers and just takes meat, patties it and cooks it. I think the next time I make it, I will use the Greek seasoning, but I am also going to use a little finely chopped Granny Smith apple. I put Granny Smith apples in my stuffing all of the time: you don't taste the Apple, but you get a lovely robustness. I don't see why it work with ground turkey. Are you open to using some kind of binder such as egg? Maybe a little panko? Poodlepet2
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,326
Registered: ‎10-21-2011

One secret is to find a source of ground DARK MEAT turkey. If you cannot, buy turkey thighs, and take the meat off the bone (not difficult, as turkey thighs are big. Pull off the skin, zip down the bone with a boning knife and done. You don't have to be tidy.)

Grind the turkey in a food processor.

I make sliders with DARK MEAT turkey and they are so good, I have trouble not to eat more than one or two. (The bread is the issue--I use small potato rolls and pull out some of the inner soft crumb to reduce the amount of bread.) I simply make them into thickish slider patties and saute them in a frying pan, turn once, cover and cook on low-med until done. Some salt, then ketchup and a pickle on the roll. Heaven.

I think commercial ground turkey is not good quality. I get ground turkey (either white or dark) at our poultry store and it's superior to the Jennie-O.

Another thing you can do with dark turkey is make breakfast sausage. Buy some Penzey's sausage seasoning (which can double as poultry seasoning) and mix it to taste with dark turkey. Fry as normal patty sausage. (By the way, you test the seasoning by frying a pea sized amount and tasting it for sufficient seasoning.)

Dark turkey without the skin is lower in fat than pork and has a lot of good Omega-3. You can even find boneless turkey thigh sometimes, but boning it is not that bad.

This makes ALL the difference, as white turkey meat doesn't work for this--too dry. I've tried.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,512
Registered: ‎03-09-2010
Campion, now that I have a new set of knives, I will try your idea of using turkey legs. I make ground chicken all the time and I agree: homemade is superior.. Turkey legs were always challenging for me because of the ligaments, but I shall fear no more!! I have a superb Victoronix boning knife- this will be a great chance for it to strut it's stuff!
Honored Contributor
Posts: 39,566
Registered: ‎08-23-2010

It's my experience that the best way to eat turkey burgers is with a nice dollop of guacamole on it .... the healthy fat of the avocado compliments the lean turkey meat and makes for a very balanced taste.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,295
Registered: ‎03-11-2010
I add an egg,about a tablespoon of minced onion and garlic powder plus ½ cup of crushed snack food ( cheezit crackers,doritos,etc). Sometimes I add red pepper flakes to a pound of turkey. I fry them with a lid to keep them moist. Family likes them.
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,326
Registered: ‎10-21-2011
On 1/4/2015 Poodlepet2 said: Campion, now that I have a new set of knives, I will try your idea of using turkey legs. I make ground chicken all the time and I agree: homemade is superior.. Turkey legs were always challenging for me because of the ligaments, but I shall fear no more!! I have a superb Victoronix boning knife- this will be a great chance for it to strut it's stuff!

I would be nervous about using all turkey LEGS vs thighs. Turkey legs have a lot of ligament and the older turkey legs have special bones called "sesamoid bones" which form in muscle as a sort of support. The meat of the legs is more gristly. However, you could mix leg meat and thigh meat.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,512
Registered: ‎03-09-2010
Campion, I will give it a try. Turkey legs are in abundance here in Florida: go to any theme park, and our will see people happily eating. They are easy to find in the grocery, but I don't remember ever seeing thighs. We do have an independent butcher in town- that might be my best bet.... Poodlepet2
Honored Contributor
Posts: 32,486
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

I have a recipe for the PERFECT turkey burger! They taste amazing and we love them! You take some great quality very lean ground beef, make patties of your preferred size and cook them done! They are WONDERFUL!

I just don't see the point in turkey burgers. They often taste like turkey and have a sort of odd taste that the above suggestions are trying to cover up. I like ground turkey a lot and use it alone or in combination with ground beef for meatloaf, meatballs, chili, etc.

But when it comes to a burger, I'm not a fan of turkey. I mean unless you are eating burgers 3 times a week, heck get some good ground beef

The key is getting really lean, good quality beef and NOT the pre-ground stuff in the store. Grind it yourself in a KitchenAid mixer attachment if you have to, but get really great beef to start off with! Ground beef should have great flavor, be fresh and lean, and if cooked in a skillet should have to have a little oil in the pan. Water and lots of grease should NOT run out in the pan.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 2,621
Registered: ‎04-14-2010

Sooner, I'm confused by the first sentence in your post. Do you mean "PERFECT burger"?