How To Grill Killer Turkey Burgers While Keeping Them Juicy

By Daniel Hale

June is National Turkey Lovers Month, and while most people think of turkey as a holiday meal, ground turkey makes a great and healthy summer burger when you treat it right. The trick is keeping it moist, seasoning it right, and grilling it with control.

Personally, I have never had a Turkey Burger before, and I was a little skeptical. I mean why get a turkey burger when you can get a perfectly grilled beef one! But hey, sometimes you have to try something new.

I was a little worried about grilling one because ground turkey is leaner than beef and can dry out and fall apart quickly.

A few years ago, we ran a great blog called, “Turkey Burgers go to Rehab.” And in this blog, we had tons of tips and tricks on how to cook juicy turkey burgers.

So, with this blog and my wife Laurie (who loves turkey burgers), I felt I had the confidence to successful cook turkey burgers.

Now my wife (who usually looks at my barbecuing activities with great skepticism) had a secret ingredient; Applesauce! We knew we had to add some kind of moisture to the patty. This helps the burger stay moist on the grill. So, Laurie came up with the idea to use applesauce, simply because she once ate a turkey burger at a restaurant, where the burger had small apple chucks in it.

So when forming the patties, I added a dollop of applesauce. I then added an egg to help bind everything together. Finally, I added some of Steven’s Carolina Pit Powder for seasoning.

The next step is essential. Chill the patties in the refrigerator for an hour or two before grilling. This helps the burger patties firm up, which in turn will make them easier to handle and less likely to fall apart on the grill.

The Denali 605 Pro gas grill from Monument Grills was the perfect grill for this cook. I preheated the grill to a medium high. About 450°F. And with the Denali’s smart control system and app, I was able to be inside of my house forming the patties and just look at my phone at a glance and see when the grill was ready. The wide cooking surface also gave me room to move the burgers to a cooler zone if needed. But my favorite feature is the window. Being able to look inside without opening the lid and letting heat escape is a huge plus.

Once the grill was ready, I grilled the burgers over direct heat.

Turkey burgers are not like beef burgers where people tend to want theirs cooked at rare, medium, or well-done. Ground turkey needs to be cooked through.

At a medium high level the burgers cooked in about 4-1/2 minutes per side, but the real guide is temperature, not time. Ground turkey needs to reach 165°F in the center, so be sure to use an instant-read thermometer.

Once the burgers were cooked, I toasted up a nice brioche bun, added lettuce, tomatoes, and some red onions.

I have to say, I never thought I’d like a turkey burger. But after having THIS one, I’m now a believer! The finished turkey burger was perfectly juicy and tender thanks to the secret ingredient of applesauce. The Carolina Pit Powder gave the turkey an authentic barbecue flavor. The brioche bun added richness, while the lettuce, tomato, and red onion brought freshness and crunch. Instead of drying out on the grill, the burger stayed moist and flavorful from the first bite to the last.

Thanks to Monument Grills for sponsoring this post.