Puppy Chow: "The Best Grilled Turkey Burgers" Cooks Illustrated

With David out of town this week Rocky and I are on our own for dinner. Saturday night we decided to try a recipe from David's most recent issue of Cooks Illustrated - probably the first time I have ever read it before he has! We attempted grilled turkey burgers.

The recipe below is copied from the magazine, but I did make some changes. Kroger only carried whole frozen turkey or ground, so I had to buy pre-ground turkey. I also had to leave out the soy sauce. I used some homemade chicken stock I found in the freezer (I'm still not sure that is the same thing as broth) and of course, no bun for me so it looks a little funny in the photos. The recipe says to cook it for up to 7 min on each side - I cooked them for 45 minutes on the grill and they still hand's reached an internal temperature of 160 so I ended up microwaving them in the end. I'm embarrassed to admit that after going through so much effort, but it's 100 degrees here and I was so hot after standing over the grill for almost an hour. Since it was my first time using the grill I suspect I didn't have the burners on high and that if you make these you won't have to resort to the microwave out of desperation. I also made guacamole to put on top and sautéed zucchini as the side. The zucchini is a recipe from Bittman, you simply chop it in the food processor, salt it and let it sit, rinse it and then ring it out very well using a dish cloth to remove all the water and then sauté on high heat for about 10 minutes. One of my absolute favorite vegetable dishes and so easy!

SERVES 6

If you are able to purchase boneless, skinless turkey thighs, substitute 1 1/2 pounds for the bone-in thigh. To ensure the best texture, don’t let the burgers stand for more than an hour before cooking. Serve the burgers with Malt Vinegar–Molasses Burger Sauce or your favorite toppings. Serve the burgers with any of our burger sauces (see related content) or your favorite toppings.

INGREDIENTS

1(2-pound) bone-in turkey thigh , skinned, boned, trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1tablespoon unflavored gelatin
3tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
6ounces white mushrooms , trimmed
1tablespoon soy sauce
Pinch baking soda
2tablespoons vegetable oil , plus extra for brushing
Kosher salt and pepper
6large hamburger buns

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place turkey pieces on large plate in single layer. Freeze meat until very firm and hardened around edges, 35 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over chicken broth in small bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Pulse mushrooms in food processor until coarsely chopped, about 7 pulses, stopping and redistributing mushrooms around bowl as needed to ensure even grinding. Set mushrooms aside; do not wash food processor.
2. Pulse one-third of turkey in food processor until coarsely chopped into 1/8-inch pieces, 18 to 22 pulses, stopping and redistributing turkey around bowl as needed to ensure even grinding. Transfer meat to large bowl and repeat two more times with remaining turkey.
3. Return 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) ground turkey to bowl of food processor along with softened gelatin, soy sauce, and baking soda. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. With processor running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 10 seconds; leave paste in food processor. Return mushrooms to food processor with paste and pulse to combine, 3 to 5 pulses, stopping and redistributing mixture as needed to ensure even mixing. Transfer mushroom mixture to bowl with ground turkey and use hands to evenly combine.
4. With lightly greased hands, divide meat mixture into 6 balls. Flatten into 3/4-inch-thick patties about 4 inches in diameter; press shallow indentation into center of each burger to ensure even cooking. (Shaped patties can be frozen for up to 1 month. Frozen patties can be cooked straight from freezer.)
5A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
5B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).
6. Clean and oil cooking grate. Brush 1 side of patties with oil and season with salt and pepper. Using spatula, flip patties, brush with oil, and season second side. Place burgers over hot part of grill and cook until burgers are well browned on both sides and register 160 degrees, 4 to 7 minutes per side. (If cooking frozen burgers: After burgers are browned on both sides, transfer to cool side of grill, cover, and continue to cook until burgers register 160 degrees.)
7. Transfer burgers to plate and let rest for 5 minutes. While burgers rest, grill buns over hot side of grill. Transfer burgers to buns, add desired toppings, and serve.