The Extra Step Bobby Flay Does Before Adding Turkey Burgers To The Grill

Turkey burgers are fantastic — don't let anyone tell you otherwise. A well-made turkey burger paired with avocado and salsa can be delicious. Due to the low fat content, however, they are a lot less forgiving in the pan or grill than ground beef burgers. A dry hamburger is boring. But a dry turkey burger is unpalatable. Thankfully there are ways to avoid a dry turkey burger, which chef Bobby Flay offers up for Food Network: adding a little canola oil and getting the burger off the grill before it overcooks.

You probably know of a few upgrades for the juiciest turkey burgers, like mixing in mayo and savoring the extra fat. Another tip involves mashing avocado into your ground turkey for added moisture. But Flay provides another solution, whether he intends to or not: a generous layer of canola oil brushed over the burger patties (Clearly he knows when to use a neutral oil). The weird thing is, it works. Flay doesn't say why he slathers canola oil over one side of the turkey burger before tossing it on the grill, though he does season both sides. But when he bites into the burger, he remarks at how juicy it is. Since he doesn't mix anything in with the meat, and the only seasonings are salt and pepper (along with a honey mustard sauce), one might assume something's happening on the grill thanks to the oil.

The technique is simple. Form the turkey burgers into patties, brush a tablespoon or so of oil across the burger, then season it. During a test of the method involving one burger with no added oil and another burger with oil on one side, both got a similar sprinkling of salt and pepper the same way Bobby Flay did it. Then the burgers were tasted blind, without sauce or cheese.

The results were surprising. The burger with oil on one side was noticeably juicier and tastier than the burger without any oil at all. The oiled burger was also easier to flip. In fact, a healthy pour of canola or vegetable oil over the burger seems to add a bit of extra fat and juiciness to the equation. Flay prefers canola over olive oil for its high smoke point and neutral flavor, but both work well here on a hot grill to seal in the juices. While you can go fat-free, it might help to start with a lower-fat lean ground turkey for your burgers. If fat is a concern, note that the oil adds a little extra. Getting your burger off the grill early is also crucial. Make certain it's cooked through (165 degrees Fahrenheit on a digital thermometer), but not overcooked.