Juicy BBQ Turkey Burgers Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep turkey burgers from drying out? ›

More not-dry turkey burgers

Mashing avocado into the turkey mixture helps prevent the meat from shrinking and drying out during cooking, which is why these stay awesomely juicy, even when they're cooked all the way through.

Try adding some dry breadcrumbs to the turkey mixture before you shape the patties. The crumbs will absorb the moisture and, together with the egg, will act like glue and help your burgers maintain their shape on the grill.

Grill the turkey burgers for 10-12 minutes over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, turning once halfway through cooking. 4. Add a slice of your favorite cheese during the last minute of cooking while the burger is still on the grill. 5.

While raw egg can be used to bind the burgers, mayonnaise does the trick while also adding an irreplacable dimension of creaminess, moisture, and flavor. When the patties cook, the mayo melts into the pockets of the meat to create a wonderfully juicy patty. Goodbye, dry turkey burgers.

Mushrooms add moisture, mouthfeel, and umami (beefy) flavor to the otherwise dry ground turkey. When mushrooms are chopped up into little bits, they easily and evenly mix with ground turkey making the protein so tender and flavorful while also giving the dish a veggie boost. And we all love that!

Making a juicy, flavorful hamburger starts with using the ideal beef-to-fat ratio. In this case, we recommend an 80/20 ratio—that's 80% beef to 20% fat; just enough fat to make it juicy. You can use a 90/10 ratio if you like, but remember that the leaner the beef, the less flavor and juice you'll get to enjoy later on.

Similar to meatloaf, the meat binder, in this case, is an egg and breadcrumbs that will promote the turkey burger to keep its shape and structure.

The biggest problem with turkey meat as burgers on the grill is they don't have a lot of internal stickiness. That means they are more likely to fall apart than ground beef burgers. You can smush turkey burgers tightly together to make them stay in one piece, but it makes for a tougher burger.

Use a thermometer to ensure you don't overcook and dry out the turkey burgers. They'll continue cooking for a few minutes after being taken off the heat, so cook them to an internal temperature of 160°F. Allow them to rest a few minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

Can turkey burgers be a little pink? ›

Ground Turkey: Ground turkey can sometimes appear slightly pink even when fully cooked. This is because turkey meat can retain a pinkish hue, especially when cooked to the recommended temperature of 165°F (74°C) [1].

A few tablespoons of panko bread crumbs break up the finely ground turkey; gently tossing all the ingredients together and using a light touch to shape the patties helps keep the texture loose. Baking soda and gelatin keep the meat moist; help with browning, richness, and savory flavor; and provide a juicy mouthfeel.

Leaner meats like turkey and chicken have less fat to keep the meat moist as it cooks, which can result in tougher, easily overcooked, dry burgers.

Heat the grill to medium-high heat and clean the grill grates. Spray the patties with a little cooking spray on both sides to help them not stick to the grill grates, then lay them directly over the flames or heat source.

Because of its low fat content, ground turkey isn't very forgiving when it's cooked for a few minutes too long. When overcooked, ground turkey quickly gets dry and crumbly, and loses its flavor. Follow this tip: Keep on eye on the time as you cook, and keep an instant-read thermometer handy.

Absolutely! We love getting ahead when it comes to prep. Make the turkey burger mixture, form into patties, and then cover with cling film and refrigerate up to 1 day ahead. You can also freeze the patties for up 3 months and then use when you need!

Adding a divot into the centre of the patty will help stop shrinkage, so you don't need to squash the patties while they're in the pan. Cook till three-quarters done, then move to a plate to rest and finish cooking with residual heat. This will stop the meat from drying out.