Quentin Bacon for realsimple.com
Here’s a guest post from Sam Richman, a foodie originally from PA:
Hello, coffee straws? Thanks for having me on. Long time listener, first time caller.
I have just eaten maybe the most delicious cheeseburger of my entire life. Seriously. And it was made of…turkey.
Alright, look. Let me clear this off the table from the onset. I love food. That’s why I’m here. The other thing I want to say is that I love the art of the cheeseburger. Yes, it’s an art. And when it comes to cheeseburgers, I’m something of a traditionalist. I like ‘em simple. I like ‘em classic. I like the burger part of the burger, the beef, I like that thick, juicy, as rare as possible. I like the bun warm, thick to absorb all the burger juice. I don’t like adding superfluous and unnecessary accoutrements. Ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion. Maybe bacon. MAYBE chili, on occasion. But sprouts? Avocado? Spare me. When cooking the beef, the only seasoning you need is salt. Like I said, I keep it simple.
With all that being said, with the fat beef patty, the salt, the bacon, you can safely assume I’m not known for being the healthiest of eaters. And I used to not be. But then I found out I have high cholesterol.*
So with that discovery, I had to make some necessary changes to my diet – namely the usual cutting back on saturated and trans fats. And this was, at first, a tragedy to a burger lover like me. The first day I went to the Safeway and trudged back with a pound and a half of ground turkey, I felt ashamed. I felt like I was betraying my tongue and stomach. I felt like the good part of my life was over. And the first turkey burger I made was disaster. I made the patty as thick as I usually did with beef – about three-quarters of an inch. I seasoned it with salt. I went through the motions as I would with beef. But I ignored one simple truth: Turkey ain’t beef.
As I’ve mentioned, I like my burgers rare. And you can do that with beef. But not with turkey, lest you face salmonella. So to get a ¾ inch turkey patty cooked the whole way through, it takes TIME. And during that time, the outside cooks to a burnt, crispy disgusting crust that tastes awful and the middle tastes like turkey, which is definitively NOT how a burger should taste. So after that first attempt, I swore off turkey burgers.
So how, you may be asking, did I come to think that a turkey burger was, perhaps, the most delicious burger I’ve ever eaten? Read on.
First and foremost, you have to break the seasoning rule. So far I’ve found two alternatives that have turned out excellent. The past few times I’ve made the ultimate turkey burger, I’ve seasoned about ¼ pound of ground turkey liberally with Fresh Ground Garlic Sea Salt (McCormick), Fresh Ground Peppercorns (I like the McCormick Peppercorn Medley Grinder – but my spice rack may be a topic for another blog), and then mash up both of those spices pretty well through the meat. Once you have that done, I like to mix up about a tablespoon of Sriracha into the meat, which gives it a little bit of a kick and adds some extra spice as it cooks. Don’t do this with any cuts or open sores on your hands…. Seems obvious but I learned the hard way.
Your other option, and this was the one I stumbled on today, was I picked up a little container of McCormick “Smoky Sweet Pepper Seasoning Blend” while browsing through the spices at Safeway. If you season your meat liberally with this stuff, it makes your turkey burger simply delicious. The blend, basically a mix of onion, salt, tomato, peppers, garlic, and paprika, gives the burger, a wonderful, peppery, garlicky, smokiness that, even though I cooked it in a skillet, tasted almost grilled over open coals. I highly recommend picking up (or even making) some of this stuff. Even though I’ve only used it for this purpose, I can’t wait to try it on chicken, shrimp, etc. in the future.
That being said, the other discovery I’ve made is that the best way to do this is to make two thin patties and double up. Easiest way to do this is just after you’ve spiced up your meat, divide it into two equally-sized portions and shape them like meatballs. Throw your meatballs into a cast-iron skillet, let them sizzle for a minute or so, then take a spatula and flatten them out. I like about ¼ inch thick. Let them sizzle and cook through, about 2 minutes per side, throw on some cheese, let it melt, and throw those bad boys on a bun. I like to top simply, with ketchup and sriracha and then go to town.
I should also add, that if you use the Smoky Sweet Pepper Seasoning and then top with Sriracha, you get a whole bunch of phenomenal pepper flavors playing together – the hot from the Sriracha, the Smoky and Sweet from the Seasoning. It brought great joy to my taste buds, and I’m looking forward to doing it again.
* I may not actually have high cholesterol. Official lab results are pending.
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