Grilled Turkey Burgers

By Ali Slagle

Published Aug. 3, 2022

Grilled Turkey Burgers
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(459)
Comments
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There are a couple steps to ensure a crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside and all around delicious grilled turkey burger. Grated onion and barbecue sauce give the patties savoriness and provide additional moisture, so they don’t dry out from the high heat of the grill. Coating the patties in a mixture of barbecue sauce and mayonnaise guarantees a seared and glazed exterior. If you’d like to turn these into cheeseburgers, simply drape sliced cheese — preferably Cheddar or pepper Jack — over the patties in the last two minutes of grilling and cover the grill.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • Neutral oil (such as canola), for greasing
  • 1medium yellow onion, peeled
  • 1pound ground turkey
  • ¼cup store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce
  • 2tablespoons mayonnaise
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • Black pepper
  • 4hamburger buns
  • Toppings (such as shredded iceberg, sliced onion, tomato and pickles) and condiments (mayonnaise, barbecue sauce or mustard), as desired
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the grill to medium-high. Lightly grease a plate and set aside. Coarsely grate ¼ cup onion; reserve the remaining onion. In a medium bowl, mix the turkey, grated onion and 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce. Form 4 patties about 4 ½ inches wide (about 5 ounces each). Press a small dimple in the center of each patty, then place the burgers on the plate and refrigerate until firm (at least 5 minutes or, covered, up to 2 days).

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce with the mayonnaise; season with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    When ready to grill, dip the reserved onion in oil. Clean the grates with a grill brush, then grease the grates with the oiled onion. (This perfumes the grill and your patties.) Lightly coat the tops of the burgers with some of the mayo mixture (about ½ teaspoon per patty).

  4. Step 4

    Grill the burgers, mayo side down, until well browned and patties release from the grates, 4 to 6 minutes. (If flare-ups occur, move to an area of the grill where there are no flames underneath. For a gas grill, close the lid between flips, listening and keeping an eye out for flare-ups.) Spread mayo mixture on the tops of the patties, then flip and grill on the second side until cooked through, another 4 to 6 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Transfer to a plate and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Grill the cut sides of the buns until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Build burgers on the buns with the patties and desired toppings and condiments.

Ratings

4 out of 5
459 user ratings
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Comments

Sherri

The dimple in the middle of the burger is to keep it from getting too thick in the centre when the meat contracts in the heat. Flattening a small spot in the middle allows for more even cooking and flat burger, not one domed in the middle.

Kate

Keeps it burger flat/keeps from puffing up in the middle. ;-)

MaeBrown

Excellent turkey burger recipe. . one of the best we've ever made.

Michael Napa

Instead of wasting an onion, I use a couple of folded paper towels well oiled and wipe down the grill that way, both oiling the grill and cleaning off any possible stray bits of steel brush that may have broken off. (Note: A recent medical mystery story was about a physician with serious gastrointestinal problems finally attributed to swallowing a tiny bit of steel bristle from cleaning his BBQ grill.)

caroline

The first one fell right through the grates. Had to pan fry the rest and even then they just fell apart. Would not make again

meg

I added some bread crumbs and one egg. Held Together really well that way

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