Disintegrating turkey burgers?
I made turkey burgers last night and they totally disintegrated on the grill. They were really flimsy and squishy when I was packing them. I used Trader Joe's ground turkey and I think the grind was too fine, but are there any suggestions for how I can prevent this in the future?
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14 Comments:
Did you use anything as a binder, or was it just ground turkey?
dbcurrie at 12:21PM on 04/01/09
An egg and some finely ground breadcrumbs (in addition to the spices, etc) always keep mine together. Also, I use my hands to knead a bit, which adds to the binding.
savecara at 12:43PM on 04/01/09
You have to use a binder with ground turkey. It's too lean to stick together. It's almost like you're making little turkey meat loafs when you do it right. . .
The meatloaf style also works for making your own salmon burgers. . .
joeqboo at 1:04PM on 04/01/09
I add some olive oil to my turkey burgers to make up for some of the missing (bad) fat. I have never added egg to mine and they have never fallen apart. I think it's also a matter of where you get the ground turkey and what type of "grind" it is. I find the homogenous sickly white grind to be the worst. I like a little bit rougher grind where you can almost see the color variations of both the breast and dark meat within the ground turkey.
therealchiffonade at 2:26PM on 04/01/09
Sounds strange but mix alittle pictin in the meat....alittle
Markbb at 2:42PM on 04/01/09
i agree completely with @therealchiffonade. the first couple of times i made turkey burgers i used the 100% lean white-looking meat, and they fell apart and were dry and just generally unappealing. then i switched to the regular ground turkey meat (i got it from TJ's -- so you can definitely find it there) and it was a world of difference.
i just pat then with olive oil and cover them with paul prudhomme's blackened redfish magic. topped with grilled onions :)
megannesta at 3:55PM on 04/01/09
I used regular ground turkey, but no binder or olive oil, so I guess it needed some extra fat or something.
The grind on this meat was so fine, it was almost like a mousse. Burgers were good, though.
popcornfordinner at 4:44PM on 04/01/09
salt is the key to holding it together, but it may make it too tough. Mix salt in the lean turkey. It solubilizes the protein and makes it stick together. Too much mixing will make it tough. Eggs add protein (albumen) which acts like glue and will hold it together, but the myosin in the meat should work as well if provided a touch of salt.
Meat guy at 5:33PM on 04/01/09
Simple turkey or chicken burger inspired from Craig Wollam, who was the Frugal Gourmet's asst. chef. Holds together and delicious.
2 lbs ground chicken or turkey
1 C bread crumbs (Bella brand plain toasted, here in the Midwest)
1 egg, beaten or 1/4 C Egg Beaters
1/2 C parsley, minced
1 med onion, diced and sauteed until wilted. (Yes, raw doesn't work)
1/2 tsp salt and ground pepper to taste. (I do 5 grinds of the pepper mill)
Its simplicity makes it the perfect base for your favorite salsa/topping.
Conrady at 11:47PM on 04/01/09
I Second Meat guy... Turkey meatloaf (adding egg and breadcrumbs) kinda defeats the purpose of having a healthy turkey burger, and will not make you want to....... (wait for it)............ GOBBLE them up!
Get it ? Gobble...heh heh.....errr.... Is this thing on?!
Pavlov at 5:45AM on 04/02/09
Mix in 2 tblsponns of mustard (any kind that floats your boat) instead of egg to cut down on the fat content, then add some breadcrumbs.
nelson5757 at 2:00PM on 04/02/09
I've used Cooks Illustrated recipe for turkey burgers, they use ricotta cheese as a binder, and it moistens it nicely. Some have expressed concern at putting fat back in the burger, but it's good fat as opposed to the animal fat that is absent.
chanterelle at 10:20PM on 04/02/09
@Pavlov - ha, ha, you are so funny - I love reading your threads - too bad we aren't talking about pork, because then I could make a joke about being a ham!!
bareneed at 4:10PM on 04/03/09
oh Pav, you nut. :)
@Meat guy, thanks for the Alton-Brown-esque input. I'll remember that for my own turkey burgers.
wookie at 4:25PM on 04/03/09