Now that the weather is nice again, I’m back to one of my favorite pasttimes: cooking outside over an open flame.
I started the grilling thing last year, and despite some early mishaps, with the help of a chimney starter, I became quite adept at grilling by the end of the summer. Earlier this weekend, The Civee and I decided now would be a good time to re-start our grilling adventure, so we made [what was our first meal on the grill last year] turkey burgers. We used about a pound of ground turkey, and I made two burgers, each of which was freakin’ huge (the burger pictured has a slice of grilled onion on top).
Even more important, the ginormous burgers were really good. As were the sweet potato fries on the side.
In case you want to make your own turkey burgers just like the king:
Take one pound of ground turkey meat. Mix with a half cup of breadcrumbs (or crushed crackers, which we used tonight), a quarter-cup of olive oil (or any other type of oil, you’ll need it because there’s close to no fat in the turkey meat). Add a palmful of poultry seasoning and as much pepper and salt as you want. Shape into two (or fewer) orbs, and grill about ten minutes per side.
As for the equimpent, I’m still using charcoal and the same Weber knockoff as last year. With the aforementioned chimney starter, there’s no need for lighter fluid, which is a good thing. Maybe this summer we’ll upgrade to a real Weber, but that’s something I’m trying to talk the Civee into.
Mmmmm… Grilling…
I love the grill. One of greatest inventions of all time. You know, as if fire wasn’t one of the classical elements .
I really do love to grill. At the end of last summer I bought a propane grill that I found on craigslist for $15 US. I ended up spending about $50 at Home Depot for the propane tank, new burners, and a grilling set, the scraper of which I’ve already replaced.
And I still want to get new cooking grates, but it’s not that important.
Propane is the way to go, though, I think. Or natural gas if you can get a line out of your house. It’s quicker, and the food tastes pretty damn good anyway. I do like the charcoal flavor infused when using that kind of grill, but it’s so much easier to just turn the propane on and spark it.
Either way, though, happy grilling, my friend!
I get the whole gas grill thing, and I’m sure I’d do fine with it. But (for right now) I like the whole make your own fire and wait part of the process. And I’ve always liked the charcoal flabor.
Who knows, maybe next year I’ll feel totally different.
I’m with you, gotta use charcoal. I myself have become the master of the bbq-bqcon cheeseburger.
But after a nauseating experience with onions while at a Red Robin a few weeks ago, I am afraid that I must be onion-free for a while…at least until the thought of them (and Red Robin) no longer makes me want to wretch.
We started grilling out early this year too! Previous years grilling was reserved for gatherings, but as we’ve been eating more due to schedules, we long for something not so “fast” and grilling is easy enough. A big bag of chicken breast from The Eagle does the trick nicely.
We have a classic Weber grill and it works great, although I doubt brands make any difference. All you need is a pit for fire, right?
We may try your turkey burger recipe…sounds yummy!
Z: Cook an onion enough, and it will lose all it’s nastiness.
MT: Yes, all you need is a pit for fire. But our Weber knockoff is woefully inadequate. It’s shallow, so there’s not much space between the coals and the grate. Normally not a problem, but Saturday, I was grilling an artichoke, which actually went down in the coals. And the grate was practically balancing like a see-saw on top of the artichoke, making it tough to manage the stuff on top of the grate. And the grate is another problem. It’s got a waffle pattern, with way too much space between the metal. Too much small things (bits of hamburger, fish, vegetables, etc) fall through the grates. I’d get a normal grate, but the surface area is square, making a replacement grate tougher to find.