Turkish Beef Burger for #BurgerMonth

May is a pretty big month. It’s packed with lots of celebrations. We celebrate moms and graduates plus honor those who gave their lives for our country. Did you know May is also Burger Month? Oh yea! A whole month of tasty patties, toppings, and buns. I’ve been waiting all month long to share this recipe for a Turkish Beef Burger.

Actually it’s been more than a month. It all started back in April when I visited the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association headquarters in Denver. One part of it was learning their process of recipe development. They call it recipe ideation. It involves lots of detailed steps and testing including using equipment commonly used in homes. My idea was a Turkish burger inspired from when I made Greek Meatball Salad.

Those meatballs were heavenly. I ate them for days. The thought of transforming them into burgers came to me right away. I presented my idea to NCBA before the trip and was thrilled when they gave it a thumbs up. During my visit is when the Turkish beef burger went into official ideation.

The initial test went well. There was a taste testing and it received great reviews. Only a few tweaks were presented. The culinary team took over and put it through their detailed process. I received the finalized recipe a couple of weeks later. It was then an official one that would soon go on the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner website. Awesomeness!

About the Turkish Beef Burger: The patty is made with lean ground beef and a little couscous plus an egg as a binder. It’s flavored with garlic, mint, and a touch of lemon. Toppings are simply romaine lettuce, red onion and either creamy cucumber-yogurt sauce or tzatziki. All that is a stack of yumminess inside a whole grain bun. Guess what? It’s not only tasty, it’s nutritious too.

A note about the beef. The recipe calls for 93% lean or leaner. I highly recommend using Certified Angus Beef® brand because it is premium quality. Beef must pass 10 science-based specifications for quality before it qualifies for the brand label.

More on the Burger Month celebration. It’s hosted by Kita Roberts of Girl Carnivore. She brings together bloggers to share recipes all month long. You can find out all the information and see the burgers on her Burger Month 2016 page. She also puts together prize pack giveaways of grilling products from generous sponsors.

Big thanks to American Lamb Board, Char-Broil, Cowboy Charcoal, Swissmar, Cabot Cheese, Grill Masters Club, Certified Angus Beef® brand, and CuttingBoard.com for the fantastic prizes provided for Burger Month 2016!

Are you ready to enter to win a big grilling prize pack? Here’s the list of goodies one lucky winner will receive:

• Swissmar Glow 7PC Fondue Set ($15.00 value)
• American Lamb prize box (5 pounds of ground lamb, an apron, and a meat thermometer)
• Cabot Legacy Gift Box (2 each Farmhouse Reserve and White Oak & Alpine Cheddar, 1 each New York Vintage & Seriously Sharp, and 1 Wine Bottle Opener)
• Certified Angus Beef® brand grilling accessory kit, $50 VISA gift card, and a George Motz Hamburger America cookbook.
• Char-Broil Performance 780 Charcoal Grill
• Cowboy Hardwood Lump Charcoal, a variety of wood chips, and some of Cowboy’s new BBQ sauces.
• Cuttingboard.com Olive Wood Carver Board
• Grill Masters Club Curated Grill Sample Box

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Turkish Beef Burger

Turkish Beef Burger is made with lean ground beef, couscous, mint, garlic, and lemon. It's deliciously topped with onion, lettuce, and creamy yogurt sauce.

Course Hamburger

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Renee Dobbs

Ingredients

For the Turkish Beef Burger:

• 1 pound Ground Beef 93% or leaner
• 1/2 cup cooked couscous
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 whole-grain hamburger buns
• 4 slices red onion
• 2 cups romaine lettuce
• 1/2 Creamy Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce or tzatziki sauce

For the Creamy Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce:

• 1/2 cup peeled finely chopped or grated cucumber
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

For the Turkish Beef Burger:

1. In medium bowl, combine Ground Beef, couscous, egg, mint, garlic, lemon zest and salt, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into four 1/2-inch thick patties. Place patties on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 13 - 15 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, covered, 13 - 14 minutes) until instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center registers 160°F, turning occasionally.
2. Prepare Creamy Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce. Place burger on bun, top with lettuce and red onion. Top with 2 tablespoons Creamy Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce. Close sandwich.

For the Creamy Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce:

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

Cook's Tip: Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.

Cook's Tip: Burger may also be served on or in pita bread or naan bread.

Original recipe for Creamy Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce on the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner website and used with permission.

Disclosure: I received a few items from some of the sponsors at no charge for participating in Burger Month and hosting the giveaway. I did not receive monetary compensation. I was under no obligation to post a review of any of the products.