Friday, January 22, 2010

Turkey Burgers



A lot of times my turkey burgers come out dry and bleh. I am so excited because my turkey burgers have turned the corner. These were tastey, moist and delicious. Okay so I am tooting my horn here but how else am I going to tell you that this recipe is worth trying.

After Thanksgiving, for the past three years, I have made some serious turkey fixings. The first thing I do the week after Thanksgiving is go shopping for turkey. You know the week when everyone is sick of turkey and the stores have it marked down because they have an abundance. I buy two turkeys. I butcher them, reserving turkey legs for one or two dinners. The remainder of the meat I place in the meat grinder. The bones, skin, giblets and heart are baked in the oven until they reach crispy perfection. The browner the better. I take the bones et al and place it in a large stock pot with some onion, celery, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns (crushed) and whatever other veggies I have around. I bring it to a boil and simmer it for three hours. Whew. I am tired just thinking about it. It's a lot of work I admit but well worth it. You end up with a lot of broth, ground turkey and turkey legs enough for many meals to come at a fraction of the cost. Oh, and after the carcasses have boiled I do salvage the meat and mix it with mayo for turkey salad.

After boiling the broth, I strain it and chill the clear broth. I scrape the fat off and freeze it in small containers for future soups.
Italian Turkey Burgers

1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of rosemary seasoning
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade
2 teaspoons of olive oil
s and p
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 egg or 2 egg yolks (I used the yolks since I always have some left over from my egg white breakfast)

Combine all the ingredients together. The oil is added in because the ground turkey is fat free. If your turkey has fat in it you don't need to add the oil.

Spray frying pan with cooking spray or very lightly grease. Fry until both sides are browned on a medium high flame. Add about a 1/2 cup up to a cup of water to the pan cover and steam until the turkey is cooked through.

* Bench Notes: I discovered this by accident as the outside of my turkey burgers were cooking faster than the inside and I thought what am I going to do here? I added the water and quite by accident discovered it worked real well. Adding the water to finish cooking the turkey burgers gave them a really nice texture and moistness. I will always do my turkey burgers like this from now on.

11 comments:

Shelby said...

These look awesome Lori!

Robin said...

Ah ha! I do love a good turkey burger but can never make them super flavorful and they are dry. I will have to try your version and I see the worcestershire sauce in there must really give it a great flavor!

kat said...

those sound really tasty. I like turkey burgers & know they have to be done just right to stay juicy

ann low said...

Sounds good! Can I have one please?

Mary Bergfeld said...

Lori, no one can ever accuse you of being lazy :-). Your burgers sound delicious and I love how you've seasoned them.

grace said...

your water trick has been duly noted--i love turkey burgers but HATE when they get so dried out and crumbly. this is terrific. :)

Donna-FFW said...

You certainly deserve to toot your own horn when the look as good as these. I will keep your tip in mind.

Sophia Lee said...

Oh, nice! I just bought 3 lbs of ground turkey on sale! I'll have to give this a try! :-)

Jen said...

These burgers look great. I tried to go get a couple turkeys after TG last year and my grocery store didn't have ANY! I was shocked.

Katy ~ said...

Why shouldn't you toot your own horn, grins, when you've made a delicious discovery and want to share.

I gave up on turkey burgers long ago but you have inspired me to try them again.

And boy, are you ever good about saving money and making excellent use of your foods! WOWEEEEE

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I'm not gonna lie...I've picked up a package of ground turkey several times and then chicken (ha-ha) out.
~ingrid