Three Ways to Make a Juicier Turkey Burger

Three Ways to Make a Juicier Turkey Burger

Turkey burgers don't have to be dry. Here are a few simple tips to make a downright succulent bird burger.

When you’re looking to lay off the red meat and not quite feeling the pull of Impossible burgers, it’s common to try turkey burgers. This move 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 tasty protein, and with a little help it can be downright succulent. Here are three things you can do to make a juicier turkey burger.

Add mayonnaise

Turkey lacks fat and doesn’t hold onto moisture very well, which leads to the problem of dry, tough, and flavorless burgers. Adding a little mayonnaise to the raw meat mixture improves the juiciness and flavor. The finished burger doesn’t come off as “mayo-y” either, just well seasoned and moist. My boyfriend actually asked if I had added sausage. But I hadn’t; I had just mixed in a little mayonnaise and a pinch of salt.

Add about two teaspoons of mayo for a four-ounce patty, which equates to two tablespoons plus two teaspoons for a pound of turkey. Add any seasonings you normally like and mix gently with your hands to avoid over-mixing. It’s not going to look enticing at this stage. The mayo makes the meat a little loose, if you will, but stick with it. Form patties and cook them on a pan as usual. If you’re grilling, be gentle when transferring the patties to the grill. Once they begin cooking the burgers firm up, and you’ll be able to flip them

Add grated cold butter

This is another way you can add fat and bring the juiciness levels up. Grate cold butter straight into the mixing bowl with the raw turkey meat and other seasonings. I used a box grater to get medium strips of butter. A microplane’s holes are too small and will probably get gummed up with the fat, unless it’s frozen butter you’re using.

Grate about a half tablespoon of butter per four-ounce patty, or two tablespoons for a pound of turkey. Fry or grill the burgers as usual. The butter will melt, it’s true. A lot of the butter will come out of the turkey burger the same way fat drips out of a cow burger, but a good deal of it will be left behind in the patty. I used a frying pan, so my turkey burgers got the benefit of frying a bit in the drippings, and I was rewarded with some beautiful browning and incredible moisture.

Add fruits or veggies

I can’t ignore that turkey is often preferred because it’s leaner than beef. Luckily fat is not the only way to save your turkey from a dry, rubbery fate. Instead, try adding finely minced fruits and veggies to the raw mixture. Chopped produce releases plenty of moisture while cooking, which is why recipes normally ask you to pre-cook them before adding them to mixtures. In the burger’s case, we want that moisture inside.

Finely chop any water-packed plant matter you want, like apples, mushrooms, onions, celery, or all of the above. (Small cuts are important so the pieces in the center soften during cooking.) You don’t need much, about one tablespoon of chopped produce per four-ounce patty, or four tablespoons per pound of turkey. If you add too much, the chopped veggies can prevent enough of the protein’s fibers to bind togethe