Knockoff

I gave up red meat and pork in the mid-90s. It wasn't for religious reasons. I'm African-American an I believe the overuse of pork in soul food is one of the reasons so many of us are obese and are plagued with diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. I really don't miss beef, with the exception of a Whopper. (I know this proves I was unworthy of eating beef in the first place.) I do have to say that I think pigs are gross. I have now officially been disowned by the state of Arkansas and the folks in New Orleans are eyeing me suspiciously.

Moving on. Turkey rocks! I know that given what I said above, this may seem biased. I really do like turkey and I think it makes an excellent burger. (It kicks butt as sausage too.) It can be dry, so you have to help it out in the moisture department. Following are tricks I stole from Martha Stewart and Paula Deen to make a moist burger.

Martha's old show featured a discussion about the James Beard method of using an ice cube in the center of the burger. The particular guest chef on the show talked about using a pat of frozen butter in the center. (Culver's fans, sit up and take note.) They also discussed simply seasoned burgers -- salt and pepper and maybe the edition of parsley. Paula Deen added water to her burgers. Combine the idea of frozen butter and water and the moisture problem is solved.

Let's do it. Grab your parsley.

Get your kosher salt and pepper. I never measure for this recipe and I always throw the seasoning into the bowl before the meat.

Here's where I differ a bit. For turkey burgers, I have to have Worcestershire sauce. Add a couple of dashes and a little bit of water. Toss in the parsley.

Grab a pound of turkey. Use the 93% lean.

Mix everything well, but don't overdo it. You don't want to toughen the meat.

Portion into four pieces. Take a portion and begin to shape into a burger. Make it thick. Place a piece of frozen butter in the middle. I used a half tablespoon. Form the meat around the butter.

Fry or grill. When you're done, you'll have this!

Tools of the trade:

• Shun Santoku
• Totally Bamboo Butcher Block