Anyone else hate the taste of Ground Turkey?

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d2footballJRC
d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I was just curious, I'm looking at moving over to using bison as I just can't stand the taste of ground turkey. I've tried a couple brands now. I know bison is a bit more but I've had it and it's closer tasting to ground beef. I was wondering if anyone had any other way to use ground turkey that makes it taste more like ground beef? I thought about maybe mixing some lean ground beef with lean ground turkey to see if that would help. Has anyone tried that?
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  • crobinson53
    crobinson53 Posts: 164
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    Flavor that meat!
  • lisabstrong
    lisabstrong Posts: 165 Member
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    I find dark meat ground turkey not so bad with lots of spices in meat balls.... It's also to go with turkey meat that is not ground with the skin. I use a local poultry producer who can assure me that he is not grinding the skin in with it. I avoid buying meat from the grocery store wherever possible but I can admit that's not always entirely realistic...
  • surfrgrl1
    surfrgrl1 Posts: 1,464 Member
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    I definitely prefer very lean ground beef over turkey.
  • Sgriffin2382
    Sgriffin2382 Posts: 360 Member
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    Yeah, you really have to season the crap out of ground turkey to get any flavor out of it. I still prefer 93/7 beef over it any day. I will save turkey for my sandwiches at lunch and Thanksgiving :-)
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    I think the pitfall is that you want the taste of beef. Usually I use ground turkey in chili, so I don't taste it much, but for burgers and other applications then bison is probably your best bet.
  • lisahightower2
    lisahightower2 Posts: 35
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    I love ground turkey. Just got to use some seasonings.
  • nakabi
    nakabi Posts: 589 Member
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    I use ground venison (my FIL and husband hunt). I like the ground turkey for breakfast and occasionally as meatballs...
  • jilliebk
    jilliebk Posts: 252 Member
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    I hate it, and the chicken .. I use 98% lean. That is the best I can do
  • CrimsonHellkite
    CrimsonHellkite Posts: 114
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    i have mixed them and its pretty good, but im kinda biast cause i like the taste of ground turkey and ground beef and bison, i love meat lol....but if you dont like it by itself, do like crobin said try different herbs n seasonings till you get something you like, there are alot of low/no sodium seasonings out there that are great! sometimes ill put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and herbs in the pan and warm them up then throw in the turkey...
  • shiransom
    shiransom Posts: 83 Member
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    I use 93/7 ground beef. I hate ground turkey and my husband is allergic to it.
  • kklemencic
    kklemencic Posts: 45
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    I make turkey burgers versus buying the pre-made ones and have tried different things but they taste the best when I add in a steak sauce and worchestire sauce for flavoring. Even my sons will eat them more when I do that. I also add minced garlic, onion, pepper, parsley or cilantro whatever seasonings I have in my cabinet that sound good to me. Give it a try and see what you think it may do the trick for you.
  • ct1986
    ct1986 Posts: 200
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    I don't mind it much as long as I season it and I mean really season it.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    seasoning, seasoning, seasoning.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    You can't make it taste like ground beef, because it's not ground beef. There is a bit of a different texture too.

    I use Perdue and don't have any trouble at all with using it for the same things I would use beef for, however I usually use recipes that specifically call for ground turkey. Turkey chili, turkey burgers, and turkey meatloaf are staples in our house. As many others have already said, Ingredients/seasoning are key. But I also make my taco meat with ground turkey + a seasoning packet and don't even notice anymore.

    FYI, I don't care for beef meatloaf but I have found a turkey meatloaf recipe that I just love:-)
  • buckaroos30
    buckaroos30 Posts: 127 Member
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    I don't just hate ground turkey, but I prefer to use ground chicken instead to me it's a much better taste. and the key is season, season, season. good luck
  • lyngoode
    lyngoode Posts: 197 Member
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    i made turkey burgers and regular hamburgers at a cook-out one day and did not tell my guests. Suprisingly, all the turkey burgers were eaten up first. I have not made regular hamburgers since. I guess it is in the seasoning!
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    Yeah my problem I was craving a big juicy burger a couple days ago, so I fired up the grill and some ground lean turkey burgers not so good. Now I liked the lean ground turkey sausages I had for breakfast the other day.

    My wife made me feel I was crazy as she thought it tasted like beef. Good to hear others agree. *whew.*

    I know people are saying it is in the seasoning, what seasonings do you recommend for burgers and such?
  • rachelleahsmom
    rachelleahsmom Posts: 442 Member
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    I have a great turkey sloppy joe recipe. It's the only kind of sloppy joes we eat. Shoot me a message if you want the recipe.
  • cedarhurst2006
    cedarhurst2006 Posts: 378 Member
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    I've never tried mixing the two but I make a turkey chili recipe and it has a lot of spice. I even like it and I think ketchup is spicy. The combo really gives the turkey lots of flavor (I use 93/7). It seems like it's a lot of heat but it really isn't.

    Turkey Chili

    2 1/2 lbs. ground turkey (93/7)
    2 tbsp. olive oil
    1 green bell pepper, diced
    1 red bell pepper, diced
    1/2 cup red onion, diced
    4 tbsp. chili powder
    3 tbsp. ground cumin
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
    2 tsp. salt (I usually cut this in half)
    1 tsp. black pepper
    1/2 tsp. garlic powder
    1 can Hunts no salt added diced tomatoes
    1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I sometimes add 2 cans instead on one)

    Heat oil in skillet. Add peppers and onions and cook till tender. Add the ground turkey and spices and cook till browned. Skim off excess grease. Add the tomatoes and black beans and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    I top with shredded lo-fat mozzarella cheese.

    It makes alot. My daughter likes in taco shells or tortillas. I like it by itself with the cheese. We put in containers for leftovers during the week. It takes very little time and uses only one large pan. I can make this after work for dinner that night - no problem.
  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
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    I understand that some foods should be considered a blank canvas with which to become creative with seasoings, but ground turkey really is a horrible starting point, taste-wise lol. I like 85/15 ground beef the best for it's flavor and juiciness because of the fat content.

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