A "burger" Experiment

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a
turkey
burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet since I've
been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat
and
added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to hold it
together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely chopped
onion,
Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it to firm up.
Formed
patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely
better.
I really liked them, too.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

If fat is an issue, see if you can get buffalo meat. It's leaner than
skinless chicken. And it's got a lot of flavor. To me, it seems to taste
beefier than beef, if that makes sense.

Donna

On Sat 06 May 2006 10:51:00p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it D.Currie?

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a
turkey
burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet since
I've been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat
and added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to
hold it together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely
chopped onion, Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it
to firm up. Formed
patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely
better. I really liked them, too.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬ _____________________

If fat is an issue, see if you can get buffalo meat. It's leaner than
skinless chicken. And it's got a lot of flavor. To me, it seems to taste
beefier than beef, if that makes sense.

Thanks, Donna. I can get buffalo, and have seen it for sale in several
stores. For whatever reason, it just never occurred to me to try it, but
I think I will. I didn't know it was that lean.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Wayne Boatwright said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a turkey
burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet since I've
been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat and
added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to hold it
together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely chopped onion,
Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it to firm up. Formed
patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely better.
I really liked them, too.

This sounds like a very good idea, Wayne. I am not fond of turkey
either, but chicken is good!

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On Sat 06 May 2006 11:06:54p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Chatty
Cathy?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a
turkey burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet
since I've been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat
and added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to
hold it together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely
chopped onion, Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it
to firm up. Formed patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely
better. I really liked them, too.

This sounds like a very good idea, Wayne. I am not fond of turkey
either, but chicken is good!

Thanks, Cathy. That was my premise, since I like chicken in almost any form.
The burgers were really good.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

For what it's worth, turkey burgers (made from ground turkey)
are completely bland to my taste, compared to ground beef,
ground buffalo, ground chicken, ground pork, and probably
several other things that don't immediately come to mind.

But turkey is good roast, in mole', or in pot pies, or sliced
in sandwiches.

Steve

Wayne Boatwright said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a turkey
burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet since I've
been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat and
added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to hold it
together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely chopped onion,
Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it to firm up. Formed
patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely better.
I really liked them, too.

Schmaltz can make just about anything better!

I know on Emeril, he used to say that "pork fat rules", but in my house
I say "chicken fat's pretty damn good too!"

I've never been much for ground turkey or chicken either, but this
sounds pretty good. I'm sure the Old Bay helped alot as well.

On Sat 06 May 2006 11:49:52p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Steve Pope?

Quoted message said:

For what it's worth, turkey burgers (made from ground turkey)
are completely bland to my taste, compared to ground beef,
ground buffalo, ground chicken, ground pork, and probably
several other things that don't immediately come to mind.

But turkey is good roast, in mole', or in pot pies, or sliced
in sandwiches.

Turkey in any form has a strong gamey taste to me that no one else seems to
taste. To me it's anything but bland. Everyone I know likes turkey but me.
I can't really explain it, except that we never ate turkey at home while I
was growing up and I wasn't exposed to it until much later. At holidays we
had roast capon instead of turkey. The funny thing is, I like game hens,
duck, and goose. I will occasionally and grudgingly eat a token slice of
turkey breast when fresh roasted, but that's my limit.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

On Sat 06 May 2006 11:53:02p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
PastaLover?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a
turkey burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet
since I've been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat
and added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to
hold it together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely
chopped onion, Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it
to firm up. Formed patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely
better. I really liked them, too.

Schmaltz can make just about anything better!

I know on Emeril, he used to say that "pork fat rules", but in my house
I say "chicken fat's pretty damn good too!"

My preference is chicken fat, too, although I do season some southern
dishes with bacon fat, and grind some pork fat with lean pork cuts for
sausage.

Quoted message said:

I've never been much for ground turkey or chicken either, but this
sounds pretty good. I'm sure the Old Bay helped alot as well.

Yes, I'm sure it did. It can perk up a lot of things.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Duh'Wayne said:

I was interested in limiting beef in my diet since I've
been on Weight Watchers.

I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat and
added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat.

And this is more healthful and less caloric than beef, how... it's no
wonder you're an obeastie.

Sheldon

Wayne Boatwright <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com>
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely
better. I really liked them, too.

Schmaltz? I guess David did like the chicken burgers ;o) EVERYTHING
tastes better with schmaltz 😉

Michael

--
"The first zucchini I ever saw I killed it with a hoe."
John Gould, Monstrous Depravity, 1963

In article <[email hidden]>,

Wayne Boatwright wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a turkey
burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet since I've
been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat and
added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to hold it
together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely chopped onion,
Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it to firm up. Formed
patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely better.
I really liked them, too.

That sounds interesting, but speaking as a fellow Weight Watchers
follower, I gotta ask a question. How many points is one of those
burgers?

On Sun 07 May 2006 06:50:51a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Stan
Horwitz?

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Wayne Boatwright wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a
turkey burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet
since I've been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat
and added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to
hold it together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely
chopped onion, Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it
to firm up. Formed patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely
better. I really liked them, too.

That sounds interesting, but speaking as a fellow Weight Watchers
follower, I gotta ask a question. How many points is one of those
burgers?

A quarter pound burger, the way I prepared it, is 7 points. Worth it,
IMHO, if you plan ahead and allow for it.

These were cooked on the outdoor grill, so no fat from frying.

BTW, Stan, how long have been on WW? We started at the beginning of
January.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Wayne Boatwright said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a turkey
burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet since I've
been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat and
added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to hold it
together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely chopped onion,
Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it to firm up. Formed
patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely better.
I really liked them, too.

Doesn't the addition of schmaltz kind of defeat the purpose?

--
Jean B.

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sat 06 May 2006 10:51:00p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it D.Currie?

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a
turkey
burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet since
I've been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat
and added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to
hold it together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely
chopped onion, Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it
to firm up. Formed
patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely
better. I really liked them, too.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬ _____________________

If fat is an issue, see if you can get buffalo meat. It's leaner than
skinless chicken. And it's got a lot of flavor. To me, it seems to taste
beefier than beef, if that makes sense.

Thanks, Donna. I can get buffalo, and have seen it for sale in several
stores. For whatever reason, it just never occurred to me to try it, but
I think I will. I didn't know it was that lean.

I've got a comparison chart on it somewhere, and I was surprised, too. I
knew it had to be leaner than beef, but when I saw that it was leaner than
skinless chicken, I was a little skeptical. But if you cook with it, you
realize how little fat there is.

If you buy the ground buff and you want to fry it up, you actually have to
add a little fat to it, you don't end up with a puddle of fat that you have
to drain off. If you use it for burgers, you probably want to add something
to it to add some moisture, though.

Here's a site with some stats:

http://www.bisoncentral.com/index.php?s=&c=67&d=99&a=1056&w=2&r=Y

Donna

On Sun 07 May 2006 08:19:03a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Jean B.?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a
turkey burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet
since I've been on Weight Watchers.

This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh meat
and added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary fat to
hold it together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of finely
chopped onion, Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then refrigerated it
to firm up. Formed patties and grilled 'til done.

Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely
better. I really liked them, too.

Doesn't the addition of schmaltz kind of defeat the purpose?

Not really. I only used 2 tablespoons of schmaltz per pound of meat.
That's 1-1/2 teaspoons per 1/4 lb burger. In WW we are supposed to have 2
teaspoons of fat per day. That is in addition to the naturally occurring
fat content in other foods.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

On Sun 07 May 2006 09:04:30a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it D.Currie?

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sat 06 May 2006 10:51:00p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
D.Currie?

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
>I detest turkey in all forms, so have never been able to choke down a
>turkey
> burger. However, I was interested in limiting beef in my diet since
> I've been on Weight Watchers.
>
> This afternoon I ground equal portions of chicken breast and thigh
> meat and added a couple of tablespoons of schmaltz for the necessary
> fat to hold it together. Seasoned the mixture with small amounts of
> finely chopped onion, Old Bay, and cracked black pepper, then
> refrigerated it to firm up. Formed
> patties and grilled 'til done.
>
> Although David likes turkey burgers, he pronounced these infinitely
> better. I really liked them, too.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬ _____________________

If fat is an issue, see if you can get buffalo meat. It's leaner than
skinless chicken. And it's got a lot of flavor. To me, it seems to
taste beefier than beef, if that makes sense.

Thanks, Donna. I can get buffalo, and have seen it for sale in several
stores. For whatever reason, it just never occurred to me to try it,
but I think I will. I didn't know it was that lean.

I've got a comparison chart on it somewhere, and I was surprised, too. I
knew it had to be leaner than beef, but when I saw that it was leaner
than skinless chicken, I was a little skeptical. But if you cook with
it, you realize how little fat there is.

If you buy the ground buff and you want to fry it up, you actually have
to add a little fat to it, you don't end up with a puddle of fat that
you have to drain off. If you use it for burgers, you probably want to
add something to it to add some moisture, though.

Here's a site with some stats:

http://www.bisoncentral.com/index.php?s=&c=67&d=99&a=1056&w=2&r=Y

Thanks, once again! I think this would be great to use in Chili, which I
have really been missing. I haven't dared make it and use ground beef.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Sun 07 May 2006 08:19:03a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Jean B.?

Quoted message said:

Doesn't the addition of schmaltz kind of defeat the purpose?

Not really. I only used 2 tablespoons of schmaltz per pound of meat.
That's 1-1/2 teaspoons per 1/4 lb burger. In WW we are supposed to
have 2 teaspoons of fat per day. That is in addition to the naturally
occurring fat content in other foods.

I was about to suggest that maybe egg or
a polysacchride gum (such as carrageenan,
algin, or xanthan gum) could have acted
as a binder, eliminating the need for
the fat. But 1-1/2 teaspoons is very
little and certainly would have tasted
better. Bacon fat might have been even
better, especially because it would add
smokiness.

On Sun 07 May 2006 09:53:17a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Mark
Thorson?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Sun 07 May 2006 08:19:03a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Jean B.?

Quoted message said:

Doesn't the addition of schmaltz kind of defeat the purpose?

Not really. I only used 2 tablespoons of schmaltz per pound of meat.
That's 1-1/2 teaspoons per 1/4 lb burger. In WW we are supposed to
have 2 teaspoons of fat per day. That is in addition to the naturally
occurring fat content in other foods.

I was about to suggest that maybe egg or
a polysacchride gum (such as carrageenan,
algin, or xanthan gum) could have acted
as a binder, eliminating the need for
the fat. But 1-1/2 teaspoons is very
little and certainly would have tasted
better. Bacon fat might have been even
better, especially because it would add
smokiness.

Thanks, Mark. I think the bacon fat is a great idea. I'm sure the egg
would also work well. I'm not sure how the gums would react in grilled
meat. Probably okay, though.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Wayne Boatwright said:

Thanks, Mark. I think the bacon fat is a great idea.
I'm sure the egg would also work well. I'm not sure how
the gums would react in grilled meat. Probably okay, though.

Polysaccharide gums should be about as stable
as any other polysaccharide, like starch.
Carrageenan is what McDonald's used in their
McLean Deluxe burger back in 1991. I have
no idea whether that burger or follow-on
products are still available.

Quoting from:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_n12_v25/ai_10486495/pg_2

To retain moisture when most of the natural fat
is removed, food technologists added water and
carrageenan -- a seaweed extract -- Goldblatt
said. During grilling on McDonald's dry grills,
a small amount of moisture is lost, but the
percentage of fat increases by less than a point.

McDonald's developed the beef patty with Auburn
University researchers and funding by the National
Livestock and Meat boards. The process took three
years and cost $2 million, according to McDonald's.