Hamburgers are one of my homemade perennial favorites. Of course, the clearance meat section is also one of my favorites. (Don’t laugh. Many major grocery stores put out their meat that has a use-or-freeze date that’s close for up to 60% off. My freezer is full of clearance meat.) Usually, though, classics like hamburger are rarely in the clearance section. More often than not, I end up with choices like ground turkey, ground chicken, and ground bison meat.
These non-traditional meats can also make amazing burgers. However, you can’t treat the meat the same way. Turkey and chicken are loved for their lower fat content, but that can also mean very dry burgers. This means two things for all ground poultry. One - put away your countertop grill. If you absolutely LOVE the grill marks it leaves, finish off the cooking in that little device. However, for the majority of the cooking, you’ll want to use your trusty frying pan. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil, and cook on medium-high heat. Use a splatter screen or lid to keep the oil from splattering.
This necessity of cooking the poultry in some olive oil is an opportunity. Try using garlic-infused or red pepper olive oil. Try sauteing a few slices of onion along with your burgers for an easy layered topping.
Bison burgers require an entirely different treatment. Modern, farm-raised bison does have an element of fat - so go ahead and use the countertop grill if you’d like - or use the frying pan. Either way, a little garlic, pepper, and thyme is perfect. Bison has a more earthy flavor that is best enhanced with earthy herbs - so stay away from lemon pepper, cheese, and anything that could be described as “bright”. Bison is also great spicy, so if you’re the type that finds tabasco mild, these are the perfect foil for you.
As always, burgers are best with a toasted bun. Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you need to give up the classic American hamburger - just enjoy the variety of flavors!
