Turkey Burger Recipe | How To Grill A Turkey Burger

When you love grilled foods as I do, it doesn’t matter the time of year or even the conditions outside. I’m sharing a delicious turkey burger recipe and tips on how to grill a ground turkey burger. When the primal urge strikes you, there’s no denying the need to cook by the fire stoked from charcoal, and there’s nothing that’s going to stop you.

This post is sponsored by Kingsford Charcoal. All photos and opinions are my own.

Turkey Burger Recipe | How To Grill A Turkey Burger

The burger. What is more emblematic of fired cooked meat than the American burger? The burger is what the moon is to Saturn V, or what the ocean was to Jacques Cousteau, or something integral and basic as a pencil to paper. Some certain combinations are joined at the hip within the fickle history of popular culture. Burgers and fire have been going steady for quite a while now, and if you haven’t noticed by now, it’s serious! See, these two are in love, and we’re in love with them too. And when you love something, it’s hard to get enough of it, like the old saying goes, “Give a man a burger and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to cook his own burger, and he’ll eat like a king for the rest of his long-lived days.”

Try our turkey burger deep-fried!

There’s a basic knowledge one needs to possess to get from the aching need for charred meat to delivering the final product and several crucial steps in-between you’ll need to follow. This isn’t magic, yet it feels closer to archaic alchemy written in the DNA of our ever-hungry need to feed.

The first thing you’re going to need is a charcoal grill because, let’s face it, gas-fired grilling isn’t grilling. Charcoal grilling with Kingsford Charcoal is as imperfect and as beautiful as it needs to be. Are you ready to learn what you need to know about grilling turkey burgers? Here are a few tips on grilling the best turkey burger.

Here is everything you need to make a turkey patty from scratch

Turkey Burger Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
1 egg (optional)
1 small onion diced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano,
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorn

Directions:

Grab a medium-size mixing bowl and add the ground turkey, egg (optional), diced onion, Worcestershire sauce, EVOO, dried oregano, fresh chopped parsley, sea salt, or Kosher salt, and freshly cracked black peppercorns.
Mix the ingredients well until well incorporated.
Form the mixture in 3-4 patties depending on how big you like your burgers.
Place the patties on a plate and cover with plastic.
Chill the turkey burgers for 10-15 minutes.

When the charcoal is hot, spray the grate where you will be placing the turkey burgers with a high smoke point oil like canola or vegetable oil, which will prevent the turkey burgers from sticking to the grill while cooking. The temperature of the charcoal grill should vary between 400-450 degrees.
Place the turkey burgers on the grill and cook 4-5 minutes per side, flip the burger over and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
An instant-read thermometer should give a 160-degree reading when the turkey burgers are finished cooking.

How do you season turkey burgers?

Take a cue from your taste buds. Season the turkey burgers with flavors you like, from simple salt and pepper to things like chopped olives, Cajun seasoning, or roasted garlic, even shredded cheese.

How long does it take to cook, and how do you know it’s ready?

Hopefully, your charcoal has a built-in thermostat. For cooking turkey burgers, the charcoal grill should have a reading between 400-450. When cooking burgers, your Kingsford Charcoal should be in a horseshoe shape or all on one side so you can cook the burgers using indirect heat. This means you cook the burgers using the conductive heat stored inside the grate instead of placing the burgers directly over the flame or heat.

Pro-tip: Before placing the burgers on the grill, make sure the grill is well-oiled with a high smoke point oil like canola or vegetable oil; brush the area where you will be placing the burgers. Place your turkey burgers away from the coals and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, then flip the burgers over and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer; the internal temperature of the turkey burgers should read 160 degrees.

You Will Love Our Turkey Burger Recipe Because They Are:

Juicy

Delicious

Easy To Make

Healthier Than Beef Burgers

Require Only A Few Ingredients

Have A Smoky Grilled Taste

What do I do with leftovers turkey burgers?

You can chop up the turkey burgers and make turkey burger tacos or burritos, use the turkey burgers to make chili with chopped turkey burgers. The chopped-up turkey burger meat can make spaghetti, lasagna, or a variety of pasta dishes.

How to prepare the grill for grilling turkey burgers

I like using a chimney stack.

Turn the charcoal chimney over and place several pieces of rolled-up newspaper into the bottom cavity.
Pack in as much newspaper as you can into the bottom without the newspaper sticking out of the bottom or making the chimney uneven or wobbly when you set it down.
Turn the charcoal chimney over right-side-up onto the grill grate. Depending on how much charcoal you need, fill the charcoal chimney half-way or fill it to the top.
Light the newspaper using a long matchstick or long lighter wand. Light the newspaper in several areas to make sure the fire doesn’t go out. The chimney will begin to smoke; as the fuel (newspaper) burn, it will ignite the charcoal, and shortly after that, you should see the fire rising to the top of the charcoal chimney within five to ten minutes.
Allow the charcoal to heat up for 15-20 minutes; this time, the charcoal should be orange or white-hot.
Remove the grate from the grill and pour the charcoal into the grill.
For cooking turkey burgers, make sure the charcoal is on one side at the bottom of the grill. We will be cooking the turkey burgers using indirect heat.

I’ve been a Kingsford Charcoal guy for a long time, my dad and uncles used Kingsford, and it worked just fine for them. And guess what? It works fine for me too.

Grilled Turkey Burger with olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and onion

Now, I’ve given you the know-how for grilling turkey burgers over hot and smoky charcoal. It’s up to you to make it happen. Grabbing a big bag of Kingsford Charcoal is a pretty good place to start. It doesn’t matter the season, snow on the ground, or leaves turning orange; I love grilling all year long. Certain recipes like this turkey burger recipe require you to fire up the grill for that smoky flavor incorporated into the burger. Because for those who love grillin’, it’s a 365-days-of-the-year thing!