The gauntlet has been thrown down for the week…in the struggle of what to make for meals for the week, a challenge was thrown down to create a different burger every other night…can I do it? Can I make up my own burgers? Do I have enough ideas right now?

To be clear, the challenge was not just for variations of the standard ground beef hamburger – that I would be ready for because of working with ground beef so long and already doing some of those variations. This challenge was to use different ground meats that I am not as familiar with to create fun new burgers.

Needless to say, since you are reading this…

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!

The turkey burger here was actually the burger on the second night. The first night was my standard seasoned grilled cheeseburger, which is a staple in our house during the summer or whenever there isn’t too much snow where the grill can come out. Really do not know why I didn’t take any pictures to share. So, next time we make those, I’ll have to share my special seasoning blend.

One thing I found working with the ground turkey is that it had a lot more moisture to it than ground beef. The addition of the panko bread crumbs not only added texture, but absorbed some of that moisture. Egg is essential to bind everything together, similiar to when making meatloaf. Another trick is once the patties are made is to put them in the fridge to chill and become more solid before grilling.

A lot of the time that went into this, was dedicated to the bacon rhubarb jam. All of it took around an hour and a half to make, but had I made and jarred the bacon jam earlier in the week, it would have been quite the quick weeknight meal.

Turkey Burgers w/Bacon Jam

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 1/4 panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg, whisked before adding to meat
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbls dijon mustard
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Toppings & Extras:

5 Gouda cheese slices

Buns

Mayonnaise

Dijon Mustard

Lettuce

Bacon Rhubarb Jam

Preparation:

In a bowl, gently break up the ground turkey with a fork to provide a larger surface area to apply the flavor components. Add the remaining burger ingredients and gently mix together with a fork until combined.

Form the patties with your hands and place them on a parchment lined pan or plate. Place in the fridge for 15 mins to chill and help the burgers set.

Heat the grill to medium high heat. Adjust burners for more indirect lower heat below, but higher heat around. Once to temperature, place the burgers over the lower heat and grill on the first side for approximately 5-6 minutes or until it does not stick. Flip to other side and repeat. At about 3-4 minutes, top with Gouda cheese. It will melt in the final 2-3 minutes of the burgers cook time.

If you dont work with turkey very often, use a thermometer to check for doneness- around 170-175°.

Assemble burgers with lettuce, condiment of choice and of course – the Bacon Rhubarb Jam. Grilling the bun and is a nice texture addition.

Happy Grilling!