Shredded Turkey for Tacos - A Yucatecan Turkey Recipe (2024)

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4.80 from 5 votes

By Hank Shaw

April 25, 2016 | Updated March 20, 2021

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Perhaps nowhere in the world are the more or better recipes for turkey than Mexico. After all, it was in Central and the upper part of South America where turkeys were first domesticated.

And the best evidence suggests that it was the Maya who managed this feat first. As it happens, the part of Mexico that is most Mayan now is the Yucatan. And this shredded turkey recipe may well have its origins before the Spanish arrived there in the 1500s.

Shredded Turkey for Tacos - A Yucatecan Turkey Recipe (2)

I first learned about this dish, called pavo del monte en k’ool rojo, in David Sterling’s excellent book Yucatán: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition. This recipe is a slight adaptation from his. The Yucatecan pavo del monte, or “mountain turkey,” is the famed ocellated turkey — the hardest of the six subspecies to get. It’s smaller than the others and actually looks a bit more like a peacock, as its face lacks the droopy snood of the others. It’s also psychedelically iridescent. Think Lucy in the Sky, with Turkey.

But, of course, any turkey will do. I used a Rio Grande. You could use whatever.

What attracts me to this recipe is not just the exotic and fascinating cooking of the Yucatan, but also the technique. The combination of grilling and then braising an otherwise tough piece of meat to produce something so tender you can easily bite though big pieces in a taco is nothing short of miraculous — especially for an old tom turkey.

And I mean that: We slapped the shredded turkey you see in the picture on a small corn tortilla and could easily bit through them. If you’ve ever bitten a piece of meat in a taco only to have it completely pull out of the tortilla you know how nice this is.

The other attractive thing about this dish is the flavor. It looks like a pretty standard Mexican mole, like the Oaxacan mole chichilo I make with venison.

But looks are deceiving. There is only a hint of chile in this sauce. It is mostly a mixture of charred, pureed onions, garlic and tomato, with a hefty dose of ground annatto, or achiote, seeds. That’s the red color. It starts out almost tandoori red, but mellows with the long braising you need to tenderize the shredded turkey legs.

The result is floral, fairly mild — the chipotle adds a touch of smoky heat — bright with citrus. Ideally you would use the bitter juice of the Seville orange, but this hard-to-find citrus can be reasonably replicated with regular supermarket oranges, limes and grapefruit.

Most of all, this is a beautiful way to use an unloved part of a wild turkey. A great many hunters simply breast out their birds, which is a damn shame. There is far more meat that isn’t breast meat than what is. The legs, thighs and drumettes, plus heart and gizzard, made for four hearty meals for Holly and me — and I even held back one thigh, too.

There are all sorts of substitutions you can do here, but some things are vital.

First, it is important to actually char your vegetables for the sauce. If you don’t do this, the signature flavors just won’t be there. Also, you absolutely do need the achiote rojo. You can’t do this recipe without it. I do have a recipe for making it from scratch here,so if you can find annatto seeds you are in business. Thankfully achiote rojo is in most Latin markets. You can also buy achiote paste online.

Shredded Turkey for Tacos - A Yucatecan Turkey Recipe (4)

Most people don’t have Seville orange juice. This is the juice of a particular type of orange that is bitter. To make a substitute, mix the following:

  • 2 parts lime juice
  • 1 part regular orange juice
  • 1 part grapefruit juice

I cook quite a lot of Yucatecan food, so if you like this recipe, you might want to try my rendition of cochinita pibil, poc chuc, which is grilled pork, dzik, which is a shredded venison salad, a stew called ajiaco, or sopa de lima.

4.80 from 5 votes

Yucatan-style Shredded Turkey

I made this with the legs, thighs and wings of a decent tom. Gauge your cooking times off this. A jake or domesticated turkey will take less time to cook, and older longbeard more. Needless to say this recipe is more about method than meat choice. The Yucatecans also do this same dish with either chicken and venison, and anything you think might taste good here will work. Serve your turkey with tortillas or rice, along with a fresh salsa if you want, cilantro and maybe some roasted and sliced poblano peppers. Chopped chives mixed with the cilantro is a good idea, too.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 8 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

TURKEY

  • Drumsticks, thighs and wings from a turkey
  • Gizzard and heart of a turkey, cut in chunks (optional)
  • 1/2 cup achiote paste
  • 2 teaspoons salt (smoked salt if you have it)
  • 2 tablespoons melted lard or vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup Seville orange juice (see above)

SAUCE

  • 2 heads garlic
  • 1 white or yellow onion, quartered
  • 3 Roma tomatoes , sliced in half lengthwise
  • 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon oregano (Mexican if you can get it)
  • 1 teaspoon achiote verde (optional)
  • 2 sprigs fresh epazote (optional)
  • 1/4 cup achiote paste
  • 1 or 2 chipotles in adobo (optional)
  • Masa harina, only if you are making your own achiote paste

Instructions

  • To get the turkey ready, you can brine it at a ratio of 1/4 cup kosher salt to 1 quart of water for a few hours if you want. Definitely do this for old turkeys. Next mix all the remaining turkey ingredients together to make a mixture that has the consistency of BBQ sauce. Coat the turkey pieces with it and marinate in the fridge at least 30 minutes, and up to a day.

  • If you want to save time, while the turkey is marinating, you can char the 2 heads of garlic, onion and tomatoes on the grill. Or you can do it all at once. Obviously a wood-burning grill is best, but any type will be fine. You want a good char on all the vegetables. Char only the cut side of the tomatoes. Get some good char marks on the turkey, too, but don't worry about cooking the pieces all the way through -- that's what the braising is for. Once everything is nicely charred, set it aside.

  • To make the sauce, roughly chop the onion and tomato, and peel the cloves of 1 head of garlic, plus at least 4 more cloves from the second head. I like to use all of both head of garlic. In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook the vegetables in lard or vegetable oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and move everything into a blender or food processor.

  • Add to this the oregano, achiote paste and epazote (if using), the red achiote paste, chipotles and about a cup or so of water. Puree until more or less smooth.

  • Put the turkey pieces into the pot and cover with the sauce. Pour some more water into the blender to get every bit of the sauce stuck to the sides and pour that into the pot, too. You want the turkey to just barely be submerged. Bring this to a simmer and add salt to taste. Cover the pot and simmer gently over low heat, stirring once in a while, until the turkey is tender. A domesticated turkey should take 45 minutes or so, a jake maybe an hour or 90 minutes, and an old tom up to 3 hours.

  • By now the sauce should be plenty thick. If it is not, whisk in some masa harina until it thickens to the consistency of BBQ sauce.

  • To serve, you have a few choices. You can lift away large pieces of turkey from the bones (make sure to remove all the drumstick tendons!) and serve in the sauce with rice or tortillas. Or, if you want to go the taco route, shred the meat more fully. Top with any of the accompaniments listed in the headnotes.

Notes

If you happen to have leftovers, they will keep for a week in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 686mg | Potassium: 278mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 354IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Featured, Recipe, Wild Game

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Shredded Turkey for Tacos - A Yucatecan Turkey Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make ground turkey taste like beef? ›

Whenever I made turkey burgers, I would dissolve some beef bouillon in a little water and add it to the turkey with a little canola oil, then season and form the patties. The bouillon gave it some flavor and the water and oil helped with moisture. Just make sure not to overcook.

How do you cook ground turkey without drying it out? ›

Don't overcook your ground turkey and it will stay moist. It should take no more than 15 minutes to cook. Anything beyond that will dry it out.

When cooking ground turkey do you add water? ›

How do you cook ground turkey so it is moist? Add Fat: Use a bit of oil or butter to the pan to prevent drying. Don't Overcook: Cook until no longer pink, but avoid overcooking, as it can lead to dryness. Add Moisture: Incorporate broth, sauce, or vegetables with high water content to keep the meat moist.

How long can a turkey sit out after cooking? ›

Throw away turkey, stuffing, and gravy left out at room temperature longer than 2 hours (1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F). Divide leftovers into small portions. Refrigerate or freeze in covered shallow containers for quicker cooling. Use refrigerated turkey and stuffing within 3 to 4 days.

What seasoning makes ground turkey taste like beef? ›

Ground turkey isn't as flavorful as ground beef, but if you want it to feel a little bit more like ground beef, try adding some Worcestershire sauce.

What can I add to ground turkey to keep it moist? ›

Mushrooms add moisture, mouthfeel, and umami (beefy) flavor to the otherwise dry ground turkey. When mushrooms are chopped up into little bits, they easily and evenly mix with ground turkey making the protein so tender and flavorful while also giving the dish a veggie boost.

Should you let ground turkey sit out before cooking? ›

A package of frozen meat or poultry left thawing on the counter more than 2 hours is not at a safe temperature. Even though the center of the package may still be frozen, the outer layer of the food is in the "Danger Zone" between 40 and 140 °F — at a temperature where foodborne bacteria multiply rapidly.

Can you season ground turkey to taste like ground beef? ›

eHow recommends Worcestershire sauce, ground black pepper, sea salt, as well as pungent spices such as garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Just make sure you're adding more of these seasonings than the amount you'd typically add to ground beef.

Can ground turkey taste like beef? ›

As far as a difference in taste, Hueschen says it's only slight, and depending on how you use it, you might not even notice – meaning it's possible to make ground turkey taste like beef.

Can you cook ground turkey like ground beef? ›

Sure, in many recipes, but turkey is leaner, doesn't have a lot of flavor itself, and can easily dry out because you are often cooking to a higher temp than beef. You simply have to adjust your recipes to accommodate. Ans: Yes, you can use ground turkey instead of ground beef in many recipes.

Can ground turkey be used like ground beef? ›

Ground Poultry

The poultry is a bit paler than beef, which can change the appearance of some dishes, but they still taste equally delicious. Chicken and turkey are leaner than beef, so if you're missing that natural fattiness in a dish, try adding a bit of extra cooking oil or butter to offset the mouthfeel.

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