Wild Turkey Carnitas
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…
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.
Serves 4-6
- 2 turkey legs or wings, 1-2 turkey thighs
- Kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons lard or olive oil
- 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
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Juice of half an orange
- Remove the skin from the turkey, save it to make cracklins if you wish. Debone the turkey leg if you can — this is not required, but it the meat cooks better when deboned.
- In a large Dutch oven or large lidded pot, heat 3 tablespoons lard over medium heat. Salt the turkey and brown well. Do this in batches and take your time.
- Pour in the herbs and spices and enough water to come up about 2/3 of the meat in the pot. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, turn the meat over and bring it to a simmer — uncovered this time. Simmer for 1-2 hours, turning every half hour. Let the liquid boil down. You will get a sense of how done it is when you turn the meat. You want it to be practically falling off the bone.
- When it is tender, remove from the pot and let it cool. Shred with two forks or your fingers.
- Add 2 tablespoons of 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.
- Serve…well, any way you like it: Sandwiches, ravioli filling, a topping for rice, in a taco or burrito…
