Got turkey leftovers? Make turkey birria tacos
The best part of Thanksgiving turkey is the leftovers. Use them to make these delicious birria tacos.
After the dishes are cleared and the guests leave, you get one of the best parts of Thanksgiving: leftovers. That includes the bones, scraps, and carcass of the turkey, which make for rich, flavorful stock. Birria tacos, born in Jalisco, Mexico, and now beloved across the United States, come with a side of consommé, which is a more concentrated version of stock, sometimes clarified. It makes perfect sense to use that good turkey stock to make birria by infusing leftover turkey meat with an adobo full of chiles, onion, garlic, and spices. The inspiration from this recipe came from Claudette Zepeda, whose excellent birria recipe I once had the pleasure of helping test for Food & Wine. This obviously uses turkey rather than beef, but the delicious adobo has similar flavors.
You can download the recipe here or scroll down.
Ingredients
4 dried chiles de arbol, stems removed
3 dried pasilla chiles, stems removed
3 dried guajillo chiles, stems removed
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed
3 cloves or ¼ tsp ground cloves
1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds or ground cinnamon
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 turkey carcass and any accumulated turkey bones or scraps (meat removed and reserved)
1 lb leftover turkey meat, shredded
Tortillas, for serving
Cilantro sprigs, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving
Directions
In a dry skillet, toast the chiles over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes until fragrant, shaking the pan occasionally so they don’t burn. Transfer to a plate.
In the same skillet, toast the spices, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant.
Put the toasted chiles and spices into a medium-size pot, add the onion and garlic, and add 5 cups of water to cover. Heat over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Lower heat and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, until the chiles have rehydrated. Transfer to a blender — carefully, the liquid will be hot — and process into a smooth sauce.
In a large stock pot, cover the turkey carcass (and whatever herbs, spices, or meat that’s clinging to it) with water. Bring the contents of a stockpot up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for at least an hour, and up to two hours.
Strain the stock into a bowl, discarding the carcass and any scraps or bones, and return the stock to the pot.
Bring the stock back up to a simmer. Stir in a cup of the adobo (the chile sauce mixture) and season with salt to taste.
In a small pot, combine the shredded turkey with another cup of the adobo, and bring to a low simmer to heat through the meat.
Arrange the turkey meat mixture in tortillas for tacos. Pour the stock-adobo consommé into a ramekin, cup, or gravy boat on the side, for dipping. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro.
— Recipe by Margaret Eby, Deputy Food Editor at the Inquirer