Sous Vide Mega Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

As much as I love turkey burgers, they can be notoriously dry. Leaner than beef, turkey just doesn’t have that generous amount of fat to impart real succulence. As a result, I’ve even known friends to sneak in a little pork into their ground turkey patties on the sly. Me? All I need is a precision cooker to make gloriously juicy turkey burgers that just might never make you utter, “Where’s the beef?’’ again. The secret’s in placing the burgers in a vacuum-sealed bag so they end up cooking in their own juices and reabsorbing them. Mix the ground turkey with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, mustard powder, fresh basil and fresh parsley for a Mediterranean flair. A dash of Worcestershire sauce adds complexity and savoriness. And grated onion imparts even more moisture. Form the patties, then freeze solid before vacuum sealing them in bags. Otherwise, they will flatten too much. For me, the real revelation came when I fried up a little of the meat mixture in a sauté pan. I always do that before making the actual patties in order to test for seasoning in case any adjustments are needed. My test portion was very flavorful. But what was really astounding was just how much juicier the actual burgers turned out to be after cooking them sous vide. I guarantee you’ve never had a turkey burger gushing with juice like this before. Take a bite and prepare for burger bliss.

Author

Carolyn Jung

Carolyn Jung is a James Beard Award-winning Bay Area food journalist, whose work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Coastal Living, Via magazine, Food Arts, Edible Silicon Valley, Wine Spectator and other publications. She is the former staff food writer for the San Jose Mercury News. Her debut cookbook "San Francisco Chef's Table'' published in December 2013. She is also the creator of the acclaimed blog, FoodGal.com.

Prep Time: 04:20

Recipe Time: 01:00

Temperature : 145.4F / 63C

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, grated
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 slices mozzarella or your favorite cheese (optional)
• 6 hamburger buns, split
• 6 slices tomato
• 6 leaves lettuce
• Condiments of your choice

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap.
2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, tomatoes, onion, parsley, basil, Worcestershire, garlic, mustard, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix until well combined.
3. Divide the turkey mix into 6 portions and form into patties. Place patties in one layer on the prepared baking sheet. Cover the patties with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place in the freezer until patties are fully frozen, about 4 hours.
4. Meanwhile, set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 145ºF (63ºC).
5. Place each burger in its own small zipper lock or vacuum seal bag. Seal the bags using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the moist setting. Place in the water bath and set the timer for 1 hour.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bags from the water bath. Remove the burgers from the bags and pat very dry with paper towels. Heat a grill pan or an outdoor grill to medium-high heat.
2. Sear the burgers on each side until deeply golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Add a slice of cheese to the top of each burger, if desired.
3. Once the cheese melts, remove the burgers from the grill. Toast the buns on the grill, if desired. Assemble burgers with tomato, lettuce, and condiments. Serve.