Bacon Turkey Burgers + Smoky Burger Spread

by Kimberley Thompson, Tastemaker in Residence

I ADORE THE SIMPLICITY OF A GOOD BURGER!

Image from alex-motoc - unsplash

My favorite summertime food, (okay, not of all foods, but in the class of grilled meat in a bun group!), is a Good Burger. Beef, turkey, pork, chicken, seafood, or meatless…I am always trying to make a great burger.

Problem:  I kept trying to do a simple turkey burger with bacon in it, and it either fell apart on the grill, tasted too much like turkey meatloaf, or charred on the grill. So I went to the source of all things food: GOOGLE and stalked the recipes.

Some were too weird, others complicated. But I did succeed with what I think is the perfect turkey bacon burger. They were on Food52, titled “Fiendishly Tasty Bacon Turkey Burgers by hardlikearmour.”

It is rare that I keep to an original recipe this close, but hey…It’s good!

Great burgers…but you know me…had to have a little riff.

Below is the exact recipe; parentheses denote the changes made to hardlikearmour’s original recipe

For the bacon turkey burgers:

1 pound thickly sliced peppered bacon (I used plain thickly sliced bacon)

1 extra-large yellow or sweet onion

Salt

1 pound ground turkey (about 90% lean)

(1 finely sliced green onion including the green stems)

4 pub or brioche hamburger buns

4 slices swiss cheese (if they're especially thin slices, double up)

4 bun-sized butter lettuce leaves (preferably crisper inner leaves) 

For the smoky burger spread:

1/2 cup mayonnaise (homemade is excellent, but store-bought works well)

2 Tbsp finely minced pickled peppers (I use fresh roasted red peppers)

1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (Not being a mustard fan I use 3-4 Tbsp chutney)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp ground cumin 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400º F, with a rack in the lower-middle position. Lay slices of bacon onto a rimmed half-sheet pan without any overlap. Bake the bacon 15 to 18 minutes -- it should be cooked but still a little pliable. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. (Do not eat more than one slice!) Pour the bacon fat through a strainer into a jar or other suitable receptacle. (I actually fried my bacon in a large cast-iron pan…made for less clean up as the onions can be sautéed directly in this pan.)

While the bacon is cooking, prep the onion. Cut the root and leaf end off, then remove the papery outer skin. Cut the onion in half lengthwise (from cut end to cut end). Cut each half into thin, lengthwise slices.

Transfer 2 tablespoons of bacon fat into a large sauté pan and heat over medium-low. Add the onions, and stir to coat. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and lightly caramelized. It will take about 45 minutes. Lightly season with salt.

Combine the burger spread ingredients in a small bowl. Mix until homogenous.

Coarsely chop or crumble the bacon, and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Combine the chopped bacon, ground turkey, (green onions), and 2 tablespoon bacon fat in a medium bowl. Mix, using your hands, until bacon is well-distributed through the meat. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, and form into patties that are about 5/8-inch thick and between 1/2 and 3/4 inch larger in diameter than the buns. Refrigerate if you will be 30 minutes or longer until you grill the burgers. Season the burgers with salt just before cooking them.

Heat the grill to high, with coals to 1 side if using charcoal. Clean and oil the grates. If using a gas grill turn off one burner. Assemble the burger ingredients. Brush the insides of the bun with a thin layer of bacon fat (or spread it on if the fat has solidified)(I omitted doing this after the first time…the buns felt soggy!). Grill the burgers over direct heat, for 3 to 4 minutes per side until cooked through. Watch closely and remove the burgers to indirect heat briefly as needed if more than minor “flare-ups” occur. Grill the buns over indirect heat, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. When the burgers are a minute or so from being done, apply a slice of cheese to each patty and put the cover on the grill to allow the cheese to soften and start to melt. 

Assemble the burgers: Spread the burger spread on both sides of each bun. Place the patties on the bottom buns. Divide the caramelized onions between the burgers. Cap with the butter lettuce leaves concave side down. Place top buns on. Dig in!