Smokey Turkey Burgers

Every now and again, I like to enjoy a good burger. I have to confess however, I am not totally fond of Beef Burgers. In truth I would rather have a Turkey Burger. Its a texture thing really . . . as soon as

I get a bit of gristle or something even closely resembling it in between my teeth, my gag reflex kicks in. It is a problem I have mostly with beef or pork. I haven't experienced it with turkey yet.

Its awfully hard to enjoy eating something once the gag reflex kicks in.  My mother used to try feeding me hamburger (s) when I was a child and it was a no go. I used to hide it under my plate, (only got away with that one once), under the carpet (that worked until my mother hoovered), and in the cold air vents. (Worked until Spring Cleaning kicked in.)

I would be told that I had to sit there until I ate it, and I would sit there all afternoon if need be, and on into the evening, patiently awaiting my opportunity to ditch it. (We had no dog.  If we had, it would have been a lot easier!)  My mom finally gave up.

I still don't really ground meat of any kind mixed into anything.  I think I was the only child on the planet who could pick out all of the hamburger from a hamburger casserole, eating the pasta and sauce, but leaving the hamburger behind. (Yes I was that annoying!)  Again, it was a texture thing. 

I can eat and do enjoy meatballs now, and occasionally a Hamburger, but for the most part I leave them alone.  I do enjoy ground turkey however, so more often that not, this is what we will have.

The original called for the use of Chorizo sausage.  I couldn't bring myself to use that, so instead I used their suggestions for an alternative, which was basically a spice mix.

You may think I am picky, and perhaps I am, but I think Chorizo tastes like dirty socks. (Not that I have eaten or tasted dirty socks because I haven't. To me it just tastes like what I imagine dirty socks to taste like.)

The end result was a very delicious Turkey burger, with lovely smoky flavours and a moist texture, as you can see from the photographs.  I cooked them on our electric grill. Todd enjoyed his with a nice bun. I enjoyed it all on its own, both with sweet potato wedges on the side.

Delicious and moist with spicy smoky flavours. I served them on buns with slice tomato and lettuce, some cranberry chutney and a squirt of mayo, but they are equally delicious on their own without the bun.

ingredients:

• 600g lean turkey mince (1  1/4 pound)
• 100g fresh bread crumbs ( about 2 1/2 slices)
• 1 small  onion, peeled
• 2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 TBS mayonnaise
• 2 tsp English mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 TBS smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp oregano flakes
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin

instructions:

1. Tip the turkey and bread crumbs into a bowl.   Put the remaining ingredients into a small food processor and blitz until smooth. Add to the turkey and bread crumbs and mix well together with your hands.  Shape into 4 large patties. Place onto a plate and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
2. When you are ready to cook them, remove from the refrigerator and cook on a lightly oiled grill or in an oiled skillet for 8 to 10 minutes, until cooked all the way through and the juices run clear.
3. Serve with your favourite accompaniments.  We like toasted buns and sweet potato wedges.

I added some mayo, some of my Christmas Cranberry Chutney, sliced tomato and shredded lettuce.  (If you have gotten this far after reading about the taste of dirty socks and gristle, I applaud your tenacity!)  Seriously though, they really are quite good. 'Nuff said.