Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (224 page)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
A lean, fully cooked turkey burger, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, is a poor stand-in for an all-beef burger. Simply put, it’s dry, tasteless, and colorless. Add a grill to the equation and things only get worse. We wanted a turkey burger that grilled up juicy and full of flavor—one that would rival a beef burger. After trying all kinds of supermarket ground turkey, we discovered that the best-tasting burger was made from boned and skinless turkey thighs that we ground in the food processor ourselves. A little Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard seasoned the burgers, which cooked up quickly on a hot grill. For quicker turkey burgers, supermarket ground turkey can be used but we found that the moisture and richness of ricotta cheese improved both the flavor and texture of the meat.
SERVES 4
We found that the extra step of grinding fresh turkey thighs ourselves made the most flavorful, best-textured burgers.
1 | (2-pound) bone-in turkey thigh, skinned and boned, cut into 1-inch chunks |
2 | teaspoons Worcestershire sauce |
2 | teaspoons Dijon mustard |
¹⁄ | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
1 | tablespoon vegetable oil |
4 | hamburger rolls, toasted |
1.
Arrange turkey chunks on baking sheet and freeze until semifirm, about 30 minutes.
2.
Working in 3 batches, pulse semi-frozen turkey chunks in food processor until largest pieces are no bigger than ¹⁄
8
inch, 12 to 14 pulses. Transfer ground turkey to bowl and stir in Worcestershire, mustard, salt, and pepper. Divide meat into 4 portions and lightly toss 1 portion from hand to hand to form ball, then lightly flatten ball with fingertips into 1-inch-thick patty. Press center of patty down with fingertips until it is about ¹⁄
2
inch thick, creating a slight depression. Repeat with remaining portions.
3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4¹⁄
2
quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour two-thirds evenly over grill, then pour remaining coals over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
3B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.
4.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place burgers on grill (hot side if using charcoal) and cook, without pressing on them, until well browned on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
5.
Move burgers to cooler side of grill (if using charcoal), or turn all burners to medium (if using gas). Cover and continue to cook until burgers are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes longer, flipping halfway through cooking.
6.
Transfer burgers to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving on rolls.
This recipe will enrich store-bought ground lean turkey so that it makes excellent burgers. Ricotta cheese can burn easily, so keep a close watch on the burgers as they cook.
Substitute 1¹⁄
4
pounds 93 percent lean ground turkey for turkey thighs and add ¹⁄
2
cup whole-milk ricotta cheese to turkey with seasonings.
Japanese miso, a paste made from fermenting rice, barley, or soybeans, gives the turkey burgers a particularly savory, beefy flavor.
Stir 2 teaspoons white miso together with 2 teaspoons water. Omit Worcestershire sauce and mustard and add miso mixture with seasonings.
Pan-frying develops an especially nice crust on the burgers when grilling isn’t an option.
Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Add burgers to pan and cook over medium heat without moving burgers until bottom side of each is dark brown and crusted, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip burgers and continue to cook until bottom side is light brown but not yet crusted, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Reduce heat to low, position skillet lid slightly ajar on pan to allow steam to escape, and continue to cook 8 to 10 minutes longer, flipping burgers if necessary to promote deep browning, until burgers register 160 degrees. Serve immediately.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Burgers often come off the grill tough, dry, and bulging in the middle. We wanted a moist and juicy burger, with a texture that was tender and cohesive, not dense and heavy. Just as important, we wanted a flavorful, deeply caramelized reddish brown crust that would stick to the meat, and we wanted a nice flat surface capable of holding as many condiments as we could pile on. For juicy, robustly flavored meat, we opted for chuck, ground to order with a ratio of 20 percent fat to 80 percent lean. We formed the meat into 6-ounce patties that were fairly thick, with a depression in the middle. Rounds of testing taught us that indenting the center of each burger ensured that the patties would come off the grill with an even thickness instead of puffed up like a tennis ball. For our cheeseburgers, we took an unconventional approach and mixed the cheese in with the meat for an even distribution of cheese flavor.
SERVES 4
Weighing the meat on a kitchen scale is the most accurate way to portion it. If you don’t own a scale, do your best to divide the meat evenly into quarters. Eighty percent lean ground chuck is our favorite for flavor, but 85 percent lean works, too.
1¹⁄ | pounds 80 percent lean ground chuck |
1 | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
4 | hamburger rolls, toasted |
1.
Using hands, gently break up meat, season with salt and pepper, and toss lightly to incorporate. Divide meat into 4 portions and lightly toss 1 portion from hand to hand to form ball, then lightly flatten ball with fingertips into ³⁄
4
-inch-thick patty. Press center of patty down with fingertips until it is about ¹⁄
2
inch thick, creating slight depression. Repeat with remaining portions.
2A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
2B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.
3.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place burgers on grill and cook, without pressing on them, until well browned on first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip burgers and continue to grill, 2 to 3 minutes for rare, 2¹⁄
2
to 3¹⁄
2
minutes for medium-rare, and 3 to 4 minutes for medium.
4.
Transfer burgers to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving on rolls.
Since the cheese is evenly distributed in these burgers, just a little goes a long way.
Mix ³⁄
4
cup shredded cheddar, Swiss, or Monterey Jack cheese or ³⁄
4
cup crumbled blue cheese into meat with salt and pepper.
Toast 3 unpeeled garlic cloves in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 8 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and mince. Mix garlic, 2 tablespoons minced scallion, and 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce into meat with salt and pepper.
Mix ¹⁄
2
ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and minced, and 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme into meat with salt and pepper.
Mix 1¹⁄
2
tablespoons cognac, 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, and 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard in bowl. Mix cognac mixture into meat with salt and pepper.
PREVENTING PUFFY BURGERS
To prevent hamburgers from puffing up during cooking, many sources (including the test kitchen) recommend making a slight depression in the center of the raw patty before placing it on the heat. But we find the need for a dimple depends entirely on how the burger is cooked. Meat inflates upon cooking when its connective tissue, or collagen, shrinks at temperatures higher than 140 degrees. If burgers are cooked on a grill or under a broiler, a dimple is in order. Cooked with these methods, the meat is exposed to direct heat not only from below or above but also on its sides; as a result, the edges of the patty shrink, cinching the hamburger like a belt, compressing its interior up and out. But when the patty is cooked in a skillet, as in our recipe for
JUICY PUB-STYLE BURGERS
, only the part of the patty in direct contact with the pan gets hot enough to shrink the collagen. Because the edges of the burger never directly touch the heat, the collagen it contains doesn’t shrink much at all, and the burger doesn’t puff.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
These days, many backyard cooks prefer grilling burgers to medium-well and beyond. The problem is that the meat comes off the grill dry and tough. We wanted a well-done burger that was tender and moist-as-can-be. Taste tests proved that well-done burgers made with 80 percent lean chuck were noticeably moister than burgers made from leaner beef, but they still weren’t juicy enough. Because we couldn’t force the meat to retain moisture, we opted to pack the patties with a panade, a paste made from bread and milk that’s often used to keep meatloaf and meatballs moist. To punch up the flavor, we also added minced garlic and tangy steak sauce.
SERVES 4
Adding bread and milk to the beef creates burgers that are juicy and tender even when well-done. For cheeseburgers, follow the optional instructions below.
1 | slice hearty white sandwich bread, crust removed, bread cut into ¹⁄ |
2 | tablespoons whole milk |
2 | teaspoons steak sauce |
1 | garlic clove, minced |
³⁄ | teaspoon salt |
³⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
1¹⁄ | pounds 80 percent lean ground chuck |
6 | ounces sliced cheese (optional) |
4 | hamburger rolls, toasted |
1.
Mash bread and milk in large bowl with fork until homogeneous. Stir in steak sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. Using hands, gently break up meat over bread mixture and toss lightly to distribute. Divide meat into 4 portions and lightly toss 1 portion from hand to hand to form ball, then lightly flatten ball with fingertips into ³⁄
4
-inch-thick patty. Press center of patty down with fingertips until it is about ¹⁄
2
inch thick, creating slight depression. Repeat with remaining portions.
2A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour two-thirds evenly over grill, then pour remaining coals over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
2B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.
3.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place burgers on grill (on hot side if using charcoal) and cook, without pressing on them, until well browned on first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip burgers and cook 3 to 4 minutes for medium-well or 4 to 5 minutes for well-done, adding cheese, if using, about 2 minutes before reaching desired doneness and covering grill to melt cheese.
4.
Transfer burgers to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving on rolls.
Most bacon burgers simply top the burgers with bacon. We also add bacon fat to the ground beef, which adds juiciness and unmistakable bacon flavor throughout the burger.
Cook 8 slices bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons fat and refrigerate until just warm. Follow recipe for Grilled Well-Done Hamburgers, including optional cheese and adding reserved bacon fat to beef mixture. Top each burger with 2 slices bacon before serving.
