Anyone else hate the taste of Ground Turkey?

d2footballJRC
d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
edited October 2 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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Replies

  • crobinson53
    crobinson53 Posts: 164
    Flavor that meat!
  • lisabstrong
    lisabstrong Posts: 165 Member
    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
    I definitely prefer very lean ground beef over turkey.
  • Sgriffin2382
    Sgriffin2382 Posts: 360 Member
    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
    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
    I love ground turkey. Just got to use some seasonings.
  • nakabi
    nakabi Posts: 589 Member
    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
    I hate it, and the chicken .. I use 98% lean. That is the best I can do
  • CrimsonHellkite
    CrimsonHellkite Posts: 114
    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
    I use 93/7 ground beef. I hate ground turkey and my husband is allergic to it.
  • kklemencic
    kklemencic Posts: 45
    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
    I don't mind it much as long as I season it and I mean really season it.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    seasoning, seasoning, seasoning.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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.
  • Laura_beau
    Laura_beau Posts: 1,029 Member
    I'm not sure if you US peeps have an equivilent but I use a beef or lamb stock cube (Knorr or OXO) and crumble that into the browning turkey- it completely works and makes it taste beefy/lamby and only adds about 20 extra calories.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    I'm not sure if you US peeps have an equivilent but I use a beef or lamb stock cube (Knorr or OXO) and crumble that into the browning turkey- it completely works and makes it taste beefy/lamby and only adds about 20 extra calories.

    Great idea, I have some beef stock cubes.
  • Nanadena
    Nanadena Posts: 739 Member
    I use ground venison (my FIL and husband hunt). I like the ground turkey for breakfast and occasionally as meatballs...

    That is what we eat. We both hunt and fortunately we have a freezer full. We process our own and add next to no fat.:heart:
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
    A few of my favorites.

    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Turkey-Meat-Loaf-with-Sun-Dried-Tomatoes-1560

    http://www.marthastewart.com/337340/favorite-turkey-burger

    http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/abs-diet-recipe-enchilada-lasagna
  • Aross83
    Aross83 Posts: 936 Member
    I love ground turkey.. turkey burgers, meatloaf, meatballs.. its all what you put into it..
    turkey chili is great you dont even know.. Try Turkey sausage too...
    i also use ground chicken alot.. chicken does have a better canvas to start with but like everyone else said seasoing is the key!

    search the internet for recipes.. lots of them online...
  • CharlieBarleyMom
    CharlieBarleyMom Posts: 727 Member
    I only buy my turkey from a local company that does not use any skin or "extra" parts in the grinding process. They have ground breast and then they also carry ground thigh... again, no additives.

    That said, I always add approximately the same spices whether I'm making burgers, meatballs, meatloaf or using the turkey for chili or browned for other recipes.

    A1 Chipotle
    Garlic
    Soy Sauce (low sodium)
    Worcestire Sauce
    Mustard (Dijon or Horseradish or other spicy flavor)
    Ketchup
    Garlic
    Pepper
    onion
    Mexican style chili powder
    Frank's Red Hot
    Garlic
    Egg
    Unprocessed bran (for binding)
    And anything else that might work - cilantro - cumin - italian seasoning

    Yes, I realize I put Garlic in the list 3 times -- in my world you can never have enough garlic!
    Enjoy!
  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Posts: 918 Member
    I love ground turkey, just plain, so I can't relate too much to this post except to say life is too short to eat stuff you hate. :wink:
    Stick with beef.
  • Brandirina
    Brandirina Posts: 67 Member
    I don't mind ground turkey - but if you can get your hands on some yak meat, try it! It's super lean and delicious.

    But really, there's no real substitution for beef.
  • dustyhockeymom
    dustyhockeymom Posts: 537 Member
    I just use very lean ground beef. I buy 96/4 ground beef and it's leaner than most of the turkey anyway. I do like the taste of ground chicken so I do use that pretty regularly.
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
    I prefer my meats fecal matter free... I prefered the taste of ground chicken better when i ate meat.. now its just fish
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