Bobby Flay's Trick For Keeping Turkey Burgers Juicy

Turkey burgers deserve more love than they get. They're notorious for being labeled dry and lackluster, yet they can be just as delicious as their beef counterparts when cooked right. The key to cooking turkey burgers is understanding that ground turkey dries out quickly because it has a lower fat content than beef. Thus, the addition of moisture is all you need to ensure your burgers don't come out dry and crumby. Ingredients like goat milk, a dusting of flour, and canned creamed corn are excellent ways to boost the moisture content. You can even seek out Alex Guarnaschelli's secret weapon for juicy turkey burgers: chicken stock. But, fellow celebrity chef Bobby Flay has a different trick.

To keep turkey burgers juicy and flavorful, he believes you should focus primarily on the meat. On his Bangin' Burgers course on the Food Network app, he recommends purchasing good-quality meat from your local supermarket or butcher. Then, you want to season your meat with salt and pepper and brush some canola oil on the patty before you throw it on the grill. The oil acts as an extra layer of fat if the meat is too lean. This tip plus the addition of an umami-packed burger topping is all you need to take your turkey burger to the next level.

For the juiciest burger, you want ground turkey that has a decent amount of dark meat. Dark meat has a higher fat content than white meat, so you want a blend that is a good mixture of both. Next, make sure the patty is cooked all the way through. The internal temperature of a turkey burger should always be 165 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid dry, overcooked patties, it's best to remove them from heat when they reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit. While they are resting, the residual heat of the meat will help it reach the desired temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. 

As tempting as it may be, refrain from flipping your burgers too many times. And don't flatten it out with a spatula. You want to keep all that moisture within your patty. That's why you brushed it with canola oil before cooking it. To create extra moist turkey burgers on the grill, you should cook them for roughly 12 minutes and only flip them halfway through cooking. 

Turkey burgers are great for customization. That's why Flay adds a grilled Swiss cheese-filled portobello mushroom cap to his. On their own, portobello mushrooms have a robust flavor that mimics the flavor profile of beef, hence why it's often used as a meat substitute. This richness gives the leaner turkey burger a new layer of texture and umami flavor that it's missing. And you can never go wrong with adding gooey, melting cheese.