Turkey smash burgers? They didn't suck
I didn't have high hopes, but it turns out you can make a smash burger with turkey mince...
I love smash burgers! There is just something to the juiciness and flavor of a smash burger that just makes me smile after taking a big sloppy bite. But when I eat smash burgers it brings that age old question to mind: "Why do all of the things that taste good have to be so bad for me?"
This was a ridiculously good smash burger! But soooooooo unhealthy!
I'm 40 years old, and I'm way past the time I should have been considering eating healthier food. The problem is, it's hard to eat healthy foods when the really good tasting stuff is so damn good. But I figured I'd try something to ease a little of the pain of not having smash burgers all of the time: turkey smash burgers.
Turkey smash burgers go together pretty much like their beef counterparts, but with an important modification at the beginning. And that modification at the beginning has to do with forming up the turkey meatballs. Turkey meat is much leaner than beef, and will lack both the flavor and texture of ground beef, so some ingredients need to be added to help make up for that. I started with a dollop of mayonnaise so the turkey wouldn't dry out, and added some bread crumbs to act as a binder. To help in the flavor department I threw in chopped green onion, fresh ground black pepper, and fresh ground Himalayan sea salt. The ingredients were hand mixed and then formed into meatballs.
Turkey instead of beef?
Meatballs all formed up!
From this point the smash burger process was pretty much the same. Instead of using butter like I typically do to sautée onions on the Blackstone griddle, I used olive oil; again, just trying to keep it a little healthier. Then, the turkey meatballs were dropped onto their own individual small piles of onion for a moment before being smashed flat.
Onion sautéed in olive oil.
The meatballs have hit the griddle!
Smash those suckers flat!
After a short time I flipped the flattened turkey patties and tossed some whole wheat buns onto the griddle to toast. And a short time after that, pepper jack cheese was added to my two smash burger patties to finish them off!
A nice crust has formed!
Toasting the buns and slapping down some cheese!
All stacked up!
Top top off this experimental burger, I decided not to get too awfully crazy, so I went with the standard setup. Lettuce, tomato, and onion were stacked up with a little bit of a special treat added too: avocado. I also added ketchup and mayonnaise, but in less quantity than I might usually use. And on the side? Sweet potato fries from the air fryer instead of regular fries.
All dressed up!
Mmmmmmmm!
I was actually a little worried about this one. I was concerned it was going to be dry and flavorless. I was also worried it was going to fall apart and just generally be unappetizing. I was pleasantly surprised that both the flavor and the texture of this turkey smash burger were very good.
Now don't get me wrong, it was nowhere as flavorful and juicy as a beefy smash burger, but it was a suitable substitute. I think next time I do turkey smash burgers, I'm gonna kick it up a notch and add something like diced jalapeños from my wife's garden. Or maybe somehow add a touch of smoke flavor? I don't know, I'm kind of starting with a blank canvas here.
It was good!
I'd definitely do this again!
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Comments (6)
Nice, but I'd replaced the avocado with some pickled gherkin.
I was wondering if I should have gone with pickle slices!
You young folk can eat anything. 😂 A blank canvas is a fun place to start. I can not to see where you go from here. 👍
My 40 years have not been kind to me!
Ughhhhhh! My knees!
Trust me my brother I understand. I have dislocated my knee cap more than I can count I will not get into many other issues. 😁
These looks so good. I love a good turkey burger..... and a smash turkey burger even better.