Islak Burger (Wet Burger)
3.8
(32)
Active Time
40 minutes
Total Time
40 minutes
Late-night crowds go wild for the delicious Islak "wet burgers" of Istanbul's Taksim Square. A trip to Istanbul inspired this recipe. This burger is packed with garlic, and a buttery tomato sauce gives it that succulent texture.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix beef, parsley, half of garlic, and 1 tsp. paprika in a large bowl. Divide into 4 loosely packed patties 4" wide and 3/4" thick. Make a small indentation in the center with your thumb to help keep it flat as it grills. Chill until ready to use.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook 4 Tbsp. butter and remaining garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until butter turns caramel-brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and remaining 1/2 tsp. paprika, whisk to combine, and cook until paste begins to caramelize, about 30 seconds. Add 3/4 cup water and whisk until smooth; simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 3
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter and cook buns, cut side down, until cut sides are golden-brown, about 2 minutes (you may need to do this in 2 batches, using additional butter if needed). Using a brush, generously brush cut side of buns with tomato sauce. Transfer buns to a 13x9" glass baking pan.
Step 4
Add oil to skillet and increase heat to high; heat until oil begins to smoke. Season patties on both sides with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook burgers until lightly charred on the bottom, 2–3 minutes. Flip and cook to desired doneness, 2–3 minutes for medium-rare.
Step 5
Transfer burgers to pan with sauce and coat burgers in sauce. Transfer burgers to bun bottoms and top with top bun. Brush top of bun with sauce. Cover pan with foil, transfer to oven, and bake 5 minutes. Carefully remove foil and serve immediately.
Do Ahead
Step 6
Raw burger patties and sauce can be made 3 days ahead; cover separately and chill. Reheat sauce in a medium saucepan over medium, whisking until smooth.
This recipe name has been updated to put the English translation in parentheses, as a part of our archive repair project.
Leave a Review
Reviews (32)
Back to TopI love this recipe. It's a nice change from the usual burger. However, I would use less than 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef for four burgers. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing.
mountainlawrel
Kansas city, MO
7/6/2020
They were really yummy, and not difficult! Followed other reviewer's advice and added salt and a pinch of cayenne to the sauce. It was too late to add more salt to the patty mix, but I generously salted the exteriors. Cooking for six people, I used my electric griddle: still had to toast the buns in two batches, but the meat was easy in one batch. Don't forget to use lots of butter in toasting the buns! It really does wonderful things to the final gestalt. Finally, Small Plates' menu suggested added a bit of vinegar to the leftover sauce to use as salad dressing. This was also really yummy, and we enjoyed dipping our burgers in it, too!
a_usami
11/8/2019
Decent, but basically a thicker burger served with a type of ketchup on the top bun and on the inside. I may make this again, but if I did I'd make the burgers a bit thinner. All that said, we liked them, but probably less than a regular American style burger with cheese, lettuce, and tomato, etc.
Francus
Charlotte, NC
7/15/2019
I never realized that the thing missing from hamburgers all my life was butter. My eyes have been opened. These are mind-blowing. I've made them for guests several times and gotten raves and requests for the recipe every time.
erobi
Seattle, WA
3/25/2019
I'm full-on fantasizing about these burgers after having them for dinner last night. Despite the initial complaints of my family ("it's not possible to improve upon the classic cheeseburger"), the wet burger was met with Oohs and Aahs and Yums all around my table. Sold. I will be making these again... and again... and again.
allison.ceppi1675
Los Angeles
1/14/2019
Love these burgers -- had them for dinner last night, having forgotten about them for some time. Delicious, messy, and definitely a do-again (though probably not for company).
peartart
Vancouver, BC
12/29/2018
tasty and messy (in a good way)! Don't bake more than 5 minutes as the bottom bun can get hard or burned
jansan1
Orange County, CA.
9/25/2018
Made these last night as I'd been wanting to since I saw the recipe and these burgers did NOT disappoint! DELISH!!! Can't wait to make it again!!
Susiemajor
West Hills, CA
9/6/2018
Made for my family today and it was yummy. I doubled the paprika and garlic.
liebekim
2/5/2018
I expected the burgers to be a bit “wetter,” but was still delicious and we dipped our burgers in the extra sauce. Next time I will add a little less garlic.
myers1
Tacoma, WA
1/2/2018
I have my cast iron skillet out and ready to make sauce this morning. Will very finely chop 2 slices of red onion, add more paprika, a dash of cayenne, 1/4 cup or so of tomato sauce. Allowing sauce to sit all day, building flavours. I know many readers are against alterations to recipes, but I find it to be a fun, challenging endeavour.
sabinelobos
Buffalo, New York
12/28/2017
Oh, this is so, so good. We like our food spicy, so I added a bit more garlic and paprika to the meat, and added a dash of cayenne to both the meat and the sauce, as well as salt and pepper. Don't skimp on the butter--definitely makes the dish. Delightfully messy to eat.
dmhorn
Boston, MA
4/25/2017
Quite tasty. Like others, added extra garlic, paprika, salt and pepper to both the meat and the sauce. The sauce leftovers will work well as a homemade ketchup this week!
entdoc
Charlottesville, VA
4/17/2017
Agree with others that the sauce was quite bland, added extra garlic & salt to both the sauce and the burgers, used hot paprika and added fresh rosemary to sauce. It needed it. But the result was a hit and will make again. Gave it three Forks due to the fact that it needed more than original recipe called for.
feedmysoul
Toronto, Canada
4/9/2017
The texture of this burger was great. It was one of the most moist burgers I've ever made at home. I followed the recipe exactly and did think the flavor was bland. I'll add more salt, garlic and other seasonings next time.
Anonymous
Texas
3/23/2017
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