Big Mess

grill4us · May 2014

This is a plea for advise from some experienced eggheads. I tried a new turkey burger recipe - no I didn't get it from anyone on this forum - and, well, they fell apart and went into the grill. I figure the best thing to do is to let it burn off. Huge mess and loads of smoke. I don't want it to smell in a day or two. Should I empty the firebox or do you think letting it burn for a few hours is enough? I'll have to clean where some of it landed on top of the wall of the firebox. Just hope none fell between the firebox and inside of the egg. Anyway has this happened to anyone else? if so, what did you do?

Mkline · May 2014

Just burn it off. Open the vent and let it go at 600 or 650 for 30 minutes.

DaveRichardson · May 2014

Go nuclear burn out as if cleaning... Or just clean it out by hand..... I'm thinking a clean out burn...

grege345 · May 2014

I'd just let it cool off. Do a full clean and remove everything. Next time you fire up let burn for 30 min at any temp and cook away.

grill4us · May 2014

Ok - thanks - nuclear burn coming up!

NPHuskerFL · May 2014

@grill4us‌ Burn baby burn. Tip: Try a little egg in your turkey burger next time along with some planko crumbs (you don't need a lot). It'll help hold it together. Also a quick CI pan sear will ensure it stays together.

grill4us · May 2014

I did the burn - at 500 - it wouldn't go any higher, but it had been burning for a few extra hours - it's too dark outside now to do anything, so tomorrow morning I'll check it out - remove and clean/scrape anything left. I don't think I'll remove everything unless it's a total mess when I open it up. The fire was really cooking, so hopefully it's all right. I think I'll stick to store bought burgers - burgers seem to be my downfall.

Mattman3969 · May 2014

Did you buy the ground turkey or grind yourself?? I've not had this problem on fresh ground but I will mix in a couple of chicken thighs when I grind it. The egg and panko trick works well too

Jaime_Doug · May 2014

Grill, You have kindred noob here. My first burgers were made big with the BGE burger press set up for half pound size. I used 80/20 ground chuck I think. Turkey is lean so perhaps the egg/panko is an idea or maybe some teriyaki sauce or worch sauce? Find a cheap press of the size you want. You'll make a better turk burger rollin your own. I refuse to give up when I overcooked my zuchinni, I won't let u. :-). There's also the idea of a small 8x11 wirelike or perforated thin piece of metal to slap the burgers on. Something like that works for fragile fish or smaller shrimp. Keep posting, these folks are grate{sic}

grill4us · May 2014

I bought the turkey ground. But I do have the ability to grind my own, just never have. Maybe I'll try that and use the egg and panko crumbs. I don't have any CI pans yet - I've only had the egg since Saturday. I have a gas grill too, so maybe in the future I'll try the new burger recipes out on the gas grill (because I don't care about it) BEFORE I try it on the egg (which is quickly becoming a member of the family). For now tho, it's store bought because that was a nightmare!

HDumptyEsq · May 2014

Grind some bacon and add it next time. The fat will help hold it together and it'll taste great too.

Skiddymarker · May 2014

i'm from the bread crumb and egg crowd.

@HDumptyEsq - most folks eat turkey burgers because they are a low fat lean alternative - doesn't bacon defeat that purpose? It is a great idea.

)

FearlessTheEggNoob · May 2014

TastyLicks made a good video on turkey burgers. Pretty funny too.

tgkleman · May 2014

I wouldn't worry about cleaning the grill. Food falls into mine fairly often, and just burns off. I haven't noticed any change in flavor of food coming off the grill.

Foghorn · May 2014

Yeah, I don't use the gasser a lot but I try to treat it with care because it is not indestructible like the egg.

wpendlegg · May 2014

I know that this isn't a request for a recipe,but this works well for me and never falls apart. I think they're pretty healthy and tasty too.

Turkey burgers with spinach & feta

1) 1 package of ground turkey (about 1 lb.) I've had success with 99/1 and 93/7

2) 1 box of chopped frozen spinach, thawed out with the liquid drained. You might need to get in there and squeeze it out

3) Some feta crumbles, to your taste. Now I skip that and just use some Mexican crumbling cheese like queso fresco.

4) 1 beaten egg (optional)

5) Seasonings to your taste; I normally try to keep it simple and season the outside of the patties once they are made with kosher salt, ground pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. You can go crazy though.

HDumptyEsq · May 2014

Skiddymarker said:

i'm from the bread crumb and egg crowd.

@HDumptyEsq - most folks eat turkey burgers because they are a low fat lean alternative - doesn't bacon defeat that purpose? It is a great idea.
)

Point taken. But my Grandma used to say, "A little of what you fancy does you good…."

Little Steven · May 2014

I use a lot of dehydrated onion flakes as a binder. It absorbs and retains what juices there are and holds them together well. Not a great deal of onion flavor because of the meat juices.

Eggcelsior · May 2014

Little Steven said:

I use a lot of dehydrated onion flakes as a binder. It absorbs and retains what juices there are and holds them together well. Not a great deal of onion flavor because of the meat juices.

I second this. Raised LS to great heights in my mind's eye after using his suggestion in burgers and meatloaf.

LeoHat2 · May 2014

Nuke it (from orbit) it's the only way to be sure.

grill4us · May 2014

Thanks everyone! I checked out the egg this morning - looked ok - most of it had burned off. I'm planning a cook tomorrow when the AR arrives. So the egg will get a good workout tomorrow. Plus I picked up a CI grill pan, so next time I try homemade burgers, I'm trying NPHuskerFL's suggestion of searing it first. Still shell shocked tho, so it won't be anytime too soon. The family is supposed to eat the burgers - not the egg!

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