Juicy Wild Turkey Burgers with Herby Aioli
By: Adam Berkelmans
I was gifted some wild turkey thighs and thought that I would try grinding them up, which I’d never done before. The resulting grind a little too dark and rich, so I sacrificed some of my ever-dwindling wild turkey breast to round it out, which worked great. I figured I’d try to make some wild turkey burgers with it.
The only problem was that, even when cooked perfectly, the burgers came out quite dry due to the lack of fat in the bird.
I considered adding fatty pork to the grind, but thought better of it, not wanting to sacrifice the flavor of the turkey meat.
That left putting in some additives to help soften and moisten the meat. Never truly enjoying how beaten eggs react inside a burger, I explored some different options and eventually came up with a secret ingredient that stood in for the eggs: mayonnaise.
Mayonnaise is egg-based and will still do a decent job of binding the ground meat together without imparting that “eggy” texture. It also has oil in it, which adds fat to the mix, moistening the burger meat without sacrificing the pure flavor. Lastly, it has a touch of vinegar in it, which adds a subtle zing to the burger that I was very fond of.
The burgers were now juicy, but they were still a little tough. For my last batch, I added a panade, which is simply breadcrumbs soaked in milk or cream (or stock!) to the mix. A panade works by preventing the proteins in the burger from tightening and constricting during cooking, resulting in a softer bite and helping add moisture to boot. Panades are often used when making Italian meatballs, providing that rich softness they’re famous for.
Between the mayonnaise and the panade, my turkey burgers came out fantastically – juicy, soft, and still tasting like wild turkey. The herby aioli was the final touch that brought the burgers from yummy to delicious!
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1lb ground wild turkey (75% dark meat and 25% white – use 1.5lbs to make larger burgers)
- 1/4 cup panko or other breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
- 2 tablespoons + 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 green onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons lard or oil
- Kosher salt
- 4 toasted brioche buns
- 1 cup finely minced herbs (any combo of chives, green onion, parsley, mint, cilantro, dill)
- Sliced tomatoes
- Green leafy lettuce
Preparation:
Add the panko and milk/cream to the bottom of a mixing bowl and stir until combined. Once the breadcrumbs have soaked up the liquid, add the ground turkey, the 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, black pepper, green onion, and garlic. Mix lightly.
Add the lard or oil to a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Form the ground turkey into 4 patties and sprinkle with salt. Sear on both sides until the centers read 160°F. Pull off of heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
OR:
Cook on a grill over medium heat.
While the burgers rest, mix the herbs with the mayonnaise and spread onto both sides of the buns. Top with a turkey patty, tomato, and lettuce and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Get Cooking:
As always, Good luck this spring and remember to send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected] and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article or any of our articles have helped you become a better hunter or conservation steward, consider becoming a member of the Mule Deer Foundation or the Blacktail Deer Foundation or both. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/ or https://www.blacktaildeer.org/
Adam Berkelmans, also known as The Intrepid Eater, is a passionate ambassador for real and wild food and a proponent of nose to tail eating. He spends his time between Ottawa and a cozy lake house north of Kingston, Ontario. When not cooking, he can be found hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening, reading, traveling, and discovering new ways to find and eat food.
