Turkey | Prime Cuts

Jul 3 2009

Coffee-Rubbed Turkey Patties

Justin Levy

Today Justin Rasmussen provides a recipe he created from experimenting with some turkey patties, coffee, and a grill…some of his favorite things. Justin is co-founder of CoffeeHouse Ideas, a creative design firm. You can find Justin hanging out over on Twitter often.

It’s officially summer and that means if you haven’t been grilling already, you should be pulling your barbecue out and firing it up. Everyone knows that putting a rub or marinade on your meat before grilling always brings out great flavor, but what do you do if you’re bored of the same old rubs and need a way to feed your coffee addiction at the same time. We have just the fix for you!

A coffee-based rub can change the way you grill. It’s no wonder that many fine dining restaurants use coffee-based rubs on their most prime and exclusive cuts. They know coffee helps bring out and intensify the natural flavors of your meat that other spices don’t. When you explore with different blends, origins, and roasts you’ll find those subtleties that are so reclusive in your morning brew become abundantly pronounced.

Looking to capitalize on the opportunity to recreate the fine dining experience in our own kitchen, we decided to mix it up a little bit and make a childhood favorite but a little healthier. Coffee-rubbed turkey patties topped with melted mozzarella cheese and grilled onions with homemade coffee infused barbecue sauce, served next to boxed organic macaroni and cheese.

At first we were somewhat skeptical about putting coffee on meat, let alone turkey. Ground turkey is so hit and miss if you don’t cook it right or not long enough it is still raw, and if you cook it too long, it’s tough and dry. So, we initially tested one turkey patty to see what our results would yield, and to our surprise the coffee added amazing flavor and didn’t dry out the meat. After our trial run, we finished making all of the patties, sprinkled on the rub and let them rest in the fridge for a bit before grilling to ensure better grilling and flavor.

As with any rub or almost anything culinary, we try to use the freshest ingredients possible in order to bring out the best flavor. Choosing the coffee was a big decision for us, how do we properly pair the right coffee with the rest of the ingredients in our rub? Since we were using freshly ground coriander which gives a warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavor we decided to go with a more earthy Ethiopian bean. Usually, Ethiopian beans will present a hint of lemon and a great floral aroma when brewed, but when mixed with our other spices and ground turkey, the citrus flavor shoulders its way to the front of your palate demanding attention then yields to the robust roast and garlic for a well rounded finish.

Once the turkey patties rested in the fridge for about an half hour we pulled them out and placed them on our pre-heated grill. As the turkey cooked, the coffee began to create a crust on the meat, providing a slight crunch on the outside without affecting the moist, delicious meat on the inside. Generous slices of mozzarella cheese awaited our almost perfect turkey patties as we tended to the grilled onions. When the moment was just right, the cheese was added, melted, and the patties removed and plated with grilled onions as the crowning glory; it was perfect.

Because of the citrus flavors, darker roast, and garlic tones we decided to go middle of the road with our barbecue sauce, we made it a little sweet to balance the earthy, smoky flavor the coffee gives. As we began to eat, everyone was pleased and surprised by the taste. This was a complete one-eighty from when we told them that there was coffee on the turkey patties and in the barbecue sauce.

By the end of the meal, hungers were satisfied, childhood memories were recollected. Overall, the coffee rub was a big hit and we are looking forward to experimenting with different coffee flavors and meat combination in summer cookouts to come.

Coffee Rub Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon freshly ground coffee (fine)

• 2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Note: I chose to use Newhall Coffee (client) but any freshly fine grounded coffee will work well.

Preparation

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Make sure you do this ahead of time as it can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. Follow the instructions above with whatever either turkey patties or hamburger patties.

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Photos by: Justin and Eric Rasmussen

Comments | tags: coffee, grilling, guestpost, Recipes, Turkey | posted in Recipes, coffee, grilling

Nov 26 2008

How to Make Turkey Stock this Thanksgiving

Joseph Gionfriddo

As you settle in to start making your Thanksgiving dinners, Joe wanted to provide you with a turkey stock recipe that he uses after every Thanksgiving as a base to make various soups.

Don’t throw away the turkey carcass, the wing or drumstick bones after you eat on Thanksgiving because the leftover bones can make some amazing stocks and soups and you can do it all without the giblets. The following is my personal stock recipe that I use to make delicious turkey rice and noodle soups.

Ingredients

I Turkey carcass (chopped into 3” pieces) and any reserved wing and leg bones

2 whole onions with skin, roughly chopped

4 peeled carrots, roughly chopped

4 ribs celery, roughly chopped

4 large celery leaves, chopped

½ bulb garlic, smashed and roughly chopped

3 bay leaves

2 tbsp peeled and chopped fresh ginger

1-2 tbsp sea salt

20 Black peppercorns

1/2 lemon worth of lemon juice and zest

1 cup dry white wine

1 tbsp tomato paste

2-3 gallons water

1 tsp vegetable oil

Preparation

1. On a medium/hot burner, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large stockpot that can hold at least 4 gallons of liquid. Add the chopped turkey carcass and any reserved bones, brown well to caramelize to a dark brown color, approximately 10-15 minutes.

2. When all turkey pieces are evenly browned add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes to lightly caramelize the vegetables.

3. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up all of the browned pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato paste, bay leaves, lemon, salt, ginger, and peppercorns, stirring occasionally to thoroughly combine all the ingredients. Reduce the mixture by half, approx. 1-2 minutes.

4. Add the water to the stock pot and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a medium simmer, and reduce by half, approx. 1 ½ hours. Filter the stock through a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth, taste and check for flavor. Most times a little bit more fresh lemon juice and some kosher salt can bring a stock to life.

5. Chill overnight in the refrigerator allowing all the fat to rise to the top and solidify, then skim it off and discard. The reserved stock will keep for up to a week in a tightly sealed container in the fridge

6. Use to make you favorite chicken/turkey soups, enjoy!

You can download a PDF version of this Turkey Stock Recipe.

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Photo by: LexnGer