Wild Turkey Carnitas
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Let’s face it: Wild turkey legs, wings and thighs can be unbearably tough, and the tendons are often as tough as bone. The answer? Braise them. For a long, long time. What better way to do it than use the Mexican carnitas method? This is where you brown the meat, then simmer it uncovered in a flavorful broth until the water evaporates, then brown it again. There’s a reason it sells out at Chipotle every day…
Some versions of carnitas are essentially confit — they cook the pork or whatever slowly in lard. This is also excellent, but it requires an awful lot of lard. I prefer to follow the braising method that Diana Kennedy uses in her excellent cookbook The Cuisines of Mexico.
If I can give you one piece of advice here, it is to take your time. Turkey will get rubbery and nasty before it submits and becomes smooth and luscious. If you need more water, add more water. This recipe will require at least 3 hours of your time, maybe more if you are cooking an old Tom. Be patient. It’s worth it.
turkey carnitas
I of course use wild turkey here, but a domestic turkey will work just fine. You could also use pheasant, an old chicken, a guinea hen or just go full-on traditional and use pork shoulder. Once you braise the meat and pull it off the bone, it will keep in the fridge for a week. Crisp it up before you serve it.
I prefer this in soft tacos, with the traditional accompaniments: limes, onions, maybe a hot sauce or two, roasted chiles and cilantro or parsley.
Serves 4.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
- 2 turkey legs plus wings, or 2 turkey thighs
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon coriander seed
- 1 tablespoon cumin seed
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 3 dried small chiles, such as an arbol
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 tablespoons lard or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Juice of 1/2 an orange
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- Remove the skin from the turkey, save it to make cracklins if you wish. Put the turkey in a large Dutch oven or large lidded pot, add all the herbs, spices and enough water to just barely cover the meat in the pot. Cover and simmer for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone.
- When it is tender, remove from the pot and let it cool. Shred with two forks or your fingers. Discard the bones and any tendons. You can store the meat for up to a week at this point.
- To finish, Add the lard to a frying pan and brown the meat as much as you like. I like a mix of soft and crispy. At the very end, drizzle in about a tablespoon of honey and the juice of half an orange.
- I serve this as part of a taco plate. But you can eat it any way you like it: Sandwiches, ravioli filling, a topping for rice, in a burrito…
