Cheesy Tangy Turkey Burgers

Everyone has a burger recipe. Because everyone loves burgers. Burgers are classic American comfort food, we all grew up on on them, either homemade or fast food. I mean, the Golden Arches claim to have sold over a billion, that’s a lot. So, I’ll add my recipe for cheesy tangy turkey burgers, because, they’re really good, and a little healthier than beef.

The burger

For those of you that read my posts, I would normally give a little history and information about the dish. Well the history of the burger is a little murky, so I’m not going to go into too may details. The idea of the hamburger is eastern European and has been around for a few hundred years. But once it came to America, it practically became a national dish. A beef patty, served on a bun, sesame is popular, with maybe, lettuce, tomato and onion. Ketchup, mayonnaise or a special sauce, usually thousand islands based, is also used. This is how we have come to like our burgers.

Well, the old burger has changed a bit in the last 30-40 years. There’s a lot more options. Different meats, or no meats. And options are always better. So, for this particular burger, I’m going to use ground turkey. I’ve come to like ground turkey, usually made from both the breast and thigh meat, it has flavor. As opposed to ground chicken that’s, well, a little bland. And, bird is healthier than beast, and that’s a good thing. But, I’m not going to pretend that turkey meat is beef, it’s not. Well, the answer is spices and flavorings. Oh, there’s cheese in it too. So let’s get to work

What’s in it

For the spices, well, garlic powder is a necessity, smoked paprika will give it some, smokiness, Worcestershire sauce will give it the tangy flavor, a sprinkle of ground red pepper flakes a little warmth. Rounding everything out is shredded sharp cheddar cheese, because cheese makes everything better, and this is no different. Also, some breadcrumbs will be needed to stiffen up the consistency, add as needed. Adding breadcrumbs also has another benefit. The breadcrumbs absorb the juices from the meat as it cooks and keeps that flavor in the burger, it will taste delicious.

Mix all that together in a bowl, and now the important part, let it rest. Leave it in the bowl, put it in the fridge for a bit. The spices added are dry, they need to absorb some of the moisture around them to rehydrate and release their flavors. The breadcrumbs need to absorb some of the moisture and capture some of those flavors into the bread. And everything needs to relax from being mixed up. Take the opportunity to get the other ingredients prepped while the meat rests. I have a oven baked fries recipe that goes well with cheesy tangy turkey burgers. Remember to wash up after handling raw meat, I have a post about safe food prep, please read it.

Building the better burger

This recipe is for two patties. Remove the meat from the fridge and divide into two even size balls, now flatten those out to form two patties about 3/4 inch thick. Press your thumb into the center of each one, about half way through. When burgers cook they tend to swell in the middle, by putting an indentation in the center, they won’t do that, and will stay more even. I’m cooking mine on the electric grill and love it, however, a pan works well, and a barbecue works even better, but the cooking times will be different. Lay the burgers on the grill, wait 4 mins, flip them and wait another 4 mins. At this point they should be cooked, but you can check temp to confirm, 165 degrees. If they need a little longer, check them in a minute. Now serve the cheesy tangy turkey burgers on toasted buns, with toppings of your choice. Enjoy, and thank you for reading.