Turkey Carnitas for Tacos & Burritos - Video Recipe

My latest recipe is a lighter version of Mexican-style Pork Carnitas. I often look for Pork Carnitas being slow-cooked by street vendors, like Leo's Taco Turck, in a Los Angeles alley or sidewalk. I just pull over and get in line for a luscious Carnitas taco after being on the town late at night.

Hey, with my easy to make Turkey Carnitas recipe, you can cut in line and have a taco or burrito anytime!

I know there are a lot of you who have dietary restrictions against pork products, so this recipe is for you. So all my Jewish or Muslim readers can now enjoy real L.A. street tacos, right at home.

And with Christmas right around the corner, Turkey is extra cheap. And this recipe travels well if you are a designated potluck provider.

For my recipe, I use two dark meat drumsticks, that weigh in about a pound each. They are often on sale for less than a $1.50 per pound at my local Latin grocery store. For extra-tender and juicy Turkey Carnitas, dark leg meat is the way to go, you can use thigh meat or even turkey wings, too. For Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey Carnitas the sales are on full blast!

I get my spices and dried herbs at the local Dollar Tree and 99c only Stores. I use garlic powder and dried onion, but you can use fresh veggies if you like. So between dollar store spices and meat sales at an ethnic grocery, a lot of dinero is staying in your pockets!

Click on any photo to see larger.

I first noticed Turkey Carnitas in cafeteria-style heating bins in the deli section of my local Latin  market. And they are not cheap at about $7 per pound, so I decided to just make some myself.

Latin market Turkey Carnitas

Theirs seem to be drier than my fresh made, but that could be the result of  hours under heating lamps - which do give Turkey Carnitas an extra chrispy edge. To get that I just bake some cooked meat in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to get some crunchy bits.

I flavor Turkey Carnitas with typical spices and herbs that Pork Carnitas also use. The most important ones are: cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Extra spices include thyme, bay leaf, and chopped or dried onion - so if you don't have those, it's okay to leave them out.

The trick is to slow-cook or braise the turkey legs in water and/or broth for 2 to 3 hours until tender. With Pork Carnitas, pork shoulder is used that has fatty skin and marbling. They are slow-cooked in it's rendered fat, for that luscious flavor.

My Turkey Carnitas are lean and mean, since there is little fat in turkey legs. I do leave the skin on, but you could take it off. Since turkey is much more pungent than pork, this helps make up for the extra fatty flavor you get with typical Pork Carnitas. And two turkey legs will feed the whole family!

Flour and corn tortillas are cheap these days, too. All I do is add a little oil on a pan and heat them up for a minute - stack on a plate and cover with a paper towel to keep warm.

You can use your fave jar of salsa for your taco topping. If you like your tacos gringo-style then chop some tomato, iceberg lettuce and open a bag of shredded cheddar cheese. Or kick it up a notch and click on any of the following salsa names to get my homemade recipes: Roasted Salsa Verde (tomatillo,) Red Chili (2 dried types - but same recipe,) Pico de Gallo, Mango, and an Avocado Crema.

My cheap$kate recipe is easy to make, just turkey legs and a few spices and herbs that are slow-cooked -- so all you need is a little patience, and the payoff is bigtime. And I just use dried herbs and spices, so you don't even have to chop anything.

So if you're looking for a dish to serve at your next taco party then try out my Turkey Carnitas. Let your guests do all the work and build their own. Just set out some chopped onion, cilantro and your fave salsa, oh and kick it up a notch with some sliced avocado, too.

Turkey Carnitas - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes 10 seconds

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (about 12 tacos)

• 2 turkey legs - about 3-4 pounds total. Okay to use thighs or wings. Use a turkey breast too, although it's a bit drier to my tastes.
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano - fresh or dried. 
• 1 teaspoon thyme - fresh or dried.
• 1 tablespoon dried onion - okay to use 1/2 chopped onion.
• 1 tablespoon dried garlic - okay to use 2 chopped cloves garlic.
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder - okay to substitute with paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups water or broth

Directions

Add turkey legs to a large pan or pot, over a medium heat. I leave the skin on. It renders very little fat, but okay if you want to remove it.

Sprinkle on the spices including cumin, oregano, thyme, dried or fresh onion and garlic, chili or paprika powder.

Salt and pepper to taste, or about a 1/4 teaspoon salt and half teaspoon pepper.

Pour in 2 cups of water or a favorite broth. On your stovetop, bring the cooking pot to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook covered for 2 - 3 hours until meat separates easily with a fork.

You are cooking the Turkey Carnitas so the broth reduces and intensifies and the meat becomes flavorful.

Check every hour or so, and add water or broth if it cooks out, but it's okay for the liquid to reduce by half for an intense pot liquor to drizzle over finished Turkey Carnitas.

Rotate the meat a couple times during simmering so all sides evenly cook through.

Done when meat is fall-apart tender. Use a fork to see how easily turkey flakes off the bone.

Traditionally Carnitas are fine chopped and piled into flour or corn tortillas. When you peel turkey from the bone, look for small fine bones and chewy cartilage to remove.

For serving, just take turkey pieces and chop them into small 1/4 inch pieces. You could also do the "pulled pork" method of using 2 forks to pull the tender chunks apart to shred.

You can drizzle on some of the "pot liquor" or broth if you are storing the Turkey Carnitas to serve later. Or if you are keeping it warm in the oven, make sure to drizzle on plenty, so cooked meat stays moist.

The above method is the easiest way to make Carnitas. Outdoor sidewalk vendors cook it similar in a large pot or pan filled with pork shoulder and thick skin, intestines, tongue and other parts, slow cooking for hours in the rendered fat and broth. And when you order, the cook just plucks out a hunk of meat and chops it into small pieces to pile on a warmed corn tortilla. The main difference here is way less fat and grease! 

You can top Turkey Carnitas Tacos with my Pico de Gallo (recipe here,) or simply with chopped onion and cilantro. Go Americano with your favorite salsa, iceberg lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheddar cheese.

For a Carnitas Burrito, add some of my Mom's Mexican Rice (recipe here) with a heated can of pinto beans, along with the above mentioned chopped veggies. If you have a favorite salsa then use that...and don't forget the hot sauce!

I've also had Turkey Carnitas with a crispy crust.

Roasting for Crispy Bits

This is a lean way. Just add the larger chunks of tender braised turkey to a roasting pan and bake about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. To keep the Turkey Carnitas extra moist add some of the broth to the roasting pan, just enough to barely cover the bottom. You just want to lightly brown some of the turkey pieces for crunch. Don't worry about all the small boiled bits, just add them to the larger roasted pieces and chop them up altogether.

Thanksgiving Recipes Week - Roast Turkey with Sage Leaves

Check back for a daily dose of Thanksgiving recipes all this week - it's a digital all-you-can-eat holiday brunch at the Cheap$kate Chateau!

Whew, the holidays are over! At least there's a break until New Years Eve. And, this Economical Epicurean learned a few culinary lessons on cooking the big bird during this holiday break. Plus, I shot a short stop motion video of the roasting turkey for the fun of it.

I was on the lookout for whole frozen turkey for less than a dollar a pound -- without the caveat of a $25 minimum purchase. I found my local Ralphs grocery sold Jennie-O whole turkeys for 79 cents a pound. I got a 13-pounder for just over $10 -- what a deal! But even if you prefer an heirloom, free-range, all- natural, hormone-, steroid-, and antibiotic-free heritage bird fed on an alfalfa pasture, protected by a 7-foot fence, and raised on a sustainable farm -- you can still apply my cooking tips.

I have only cooked turkey a couple of times, and at these prices, it was a good chance to get some more experience. Since we were having a rib roast for Christmas dinner with the in-laws, I thought I'd invite some friends and neighbors over for a cheap pre-Christmas fowl feast. Hey, I could feed seven, and still have leftovers though the New Year. Roasted turkey is notorious for being too dry.  I wanted to try brining it, which I've heard keeps the bird from drying out.

There has been a lot of bytes spilled on the subject of salt-brining a turkey. Well, I think brining is bogus! I tried it and I didn't like it -- maybe I did it wrong? I salted the turkey all over, which I read works as well as submerging a turkey overnight in a cooler of icy salted water. It's supposed to keep the breast moist and tender during roasting.

Well, if you overcook the bird, just a little bit, all that effort goes out the window, and you still get a dry bird. It's too much work for too little payoff.

The other problem with brining is you get over-salted turkey parts. It takes too much rinsing and soaking to get rid of all the salt.

I like to chomp on crunchy turkey wing bits, and sink my incisors into the "oysters" (known to the French as: "sot-l'y-laisse,") which are two tender meaty rubies embedded in the bony undercarriage of the fowl's carcass. And, the jolt of an over briny bite is too much. You would have to run the turkey though a car wash twice to get out the salt from all those tasty tidbits.

Those poultry roasting bags work well at keeping the bird from drying out. Cooking the bird upside down keeps the breast moist, too. Cutting along the turkey backbone and flatten, or splaycock, will enable the breast and dark meat to finish cooking at the same time and also reduce roasting time.

I loosely cover the bird with foil to keep the breast from drying out. During the last hour or so, add enough water to fill the roasting pan just below the roasting bird for turkey drippings to make a rich gravy. And make sure to scroll down to the end of this blog post, under Hindsight, for my Homemade Turkey Gravy recipe.

And for a crispy skin take off the foil and let the skin brown for the last hour or so.

My method is not new, but it's underused. In my video I use this old school method.

Here are a couple delicious tips for you: I added fresh sage leaves under the turkey skin (I would even add more next time). It made a fragrant bird and added a light earthy herb flavor.

Also, I added 2 cups of water to my roasting pan when I took off the aluminum foil during the last hour; then sloshed the water around to loosen the browned bits and mix in the drippings. I basted the turkey breast and legs about every 15 minutes until done. Sage leaves are such a tasty addition that you'll also want to bake your next chicken (or breast and thigh pieces) with them.

Of course if fresh herbs are hard to find just roast the turkey herbless, it will still be delish.

No one complained about the bird being salty in places. The Sausage Stuffing I made was perfect (see recipe video below), and my wife's Squash, Tomatoes and Onions (click here to see the recipe) made a welcome light veggie side  While not the best pre-Chrismas dinner, it was a success, and I learned a few things. So, check out my fun video of an imperfect turkey dinner.

And, if you learned any turkey cooking tips of your own this year, or have some tried-and-true advice to pass on, leave a comment for me and my visitors. Have an entertaining New Year!

Turkey & Sausage Stuffing - VIDEO

Play it here. Video runs 4 minutes, 22 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.
 

Ingredients for Sausage Stuffing

• Sausage - about one12-ounce package breakfast sausage. You could use less or more, to your taste. Or, keep it vegetarian and use more mushrooms and veggies.
• 1/2 bell pepper - chopped, any color.
• 1 onion - chopped.
• 1 rib of celery - chopped. 
• 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
• Sliced mushrooms - small 4 or 5 ounce package. Optional.
• Stuffing mix - any favorite store bought package, follow package directions.
• Water - according to stuffing directions.
• Stuffing mixes are usually over-seasoned, so I left it out salt and pepper.
• Okay to use any fresh or dried herbs, too. I sometimes add a few chopped leaves of  fresh sage, parsley and oregano.

Directions
Over a medium heat in a large pan or pot, saute the sausage until brown and cooked through. Break apart the sausage into bite sizes. You can drain off some of the fat -- I kept it in, to flavor the veggies and stuffing. Set sausage aside when done.

In the same pan, add the chopped onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and celery. Cook about 5 minutes until soft. Finally add the chopped garlic and cook another minute.

Prepare the stuffing according to the package directions. I cut the water or broth amount in half. If you add all the water they call for the stuffing is very mushy - fine if you like it that way. The stuffing will get more moisture from the roasting bird.

I like to add a couple extra slices of  toasted bread, sliced into small cubes. And if I have extra stuffing to roast at the end, well, just get some turkey pan liquid and add that. I have a tall loaf pan to add the extra stuffing

Now it's time to mix it all together. You may need to do this in batches, depending how much stuffing you are making. In a large bowl add the stuffing, sausage and cooked veggies. I add some fresh herbs, too. Mix well, and set it aside while preparing the turkey for roasting.

Ingredients for Turkey with Sage

• 10-15 pound turkey - I got a 13-pound bird. If yours is larger, then follow package directions for baking times. I have a couple of handy links for cooking times. Butterball has a comprehensive guide for turkey size and cooking times, just click here. Allrecipes has a simpler guide, a click away here.
•  Sage leaves -- a handful, depending how many leaves you can get under the turkey skin. You can use almost any fresh herb, including: basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano -- or any combination. Of course this turkey recipe is delish, even without adding herbs under the turkey skin.
• Salt and pepper - to taste.
• Aluminum foil
• Water - during last hour or so, for Turkey Gravy. Two to four cups, depending how deep your roasting pan is. Under Hindsight below, you will find my Homemade Turkey Gravy recipe.

Directions for Roasting the Stuffed Turkey
First remove any turkey parts in the chest cavity. Mine had a turkey neck, giblets, heart and liver. It also had a plastic pouch of gravy. Don't throw out the extra turkey parts - just throw them in a pot of water and low boil for about 2 hours to flavor your gravy (chop and shred the neck meat and add to your favorite gravy recipe.)

For the liver, I like to season it and roast it on the rack with the bird, about half an hour, or until done. This is the Chef's reward for all the hard work!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place whole turkey in a roasting pan. Season the turkey, inside and out, with salt and pepper.

Loosen the breast, leg and thigh skin. I do this with my clean fingers. Watch the video to see how I did it. It's a yucky process, but done carefully, you will get a flavorful bird loaded with a pungent, earthy herb taste. Loosening the breast is easy, it's harder to do the legs and thigh. The skin is malleable, but will tear, so be gentle and work it loose slowly.

I used sage leaves from my garden, but you can use any fresh herbs you have on hand.. I spaced the leaves about an inch apart. But next time I would add more leaves.

Next, fill the chest cavity with stuffing -- don't pack too tight, just fill 'er up. If you add stuffing under the neck skin, do it before stuffing the breast cavity. Flip the bird on it's breast and fill up the neck cavity. I use a couple of  toothpicks to thread the skin closed (if necessary.)

Loosely wrap the the turkey in foil.You will remove the foil during the last hour of roasting.

My turkey was 13 pounds, so the baking time is 3-4 hours (okay to follow turkey package direction timeline for the weight of your bird.) Because the bird is covered, you have a little wiggle room - the turkey will stay moist longer.

After the third hour, it's time to start checking the thigh meat to see if it's done. I make a small slice into the thickest part of the thigh, that is attached to the body, and look for any pink or red juices. The bird is done when the juices run clear, or the internal temperature of the thigh meat is at least 165 degrees.

Add water to the roasting pan once the foil is off. Slosh around the water to get all the tasty bits in the pan loose. The water and pan juices will be the base of your Turkey Gravy.

If you have leftover stuffing you can add it to a loaf pan, and bake it with the bird during the last hour of cooking. I like a tall pan, as opposed to a shallow dish, so the dressing doesn't dry out. (Add some of the turkey broth from the roasting pan for extra flavor and moisten.)

When turkey is done remove it and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.

I also like to remove the stuffing while the bird is resting. I add the bird stuffing to a loaf pan and let it cook in the oven about 15 minutes, while the turkey rests. Often the stuffing is too mushy for me so this firms it up just enough, as well as cooking it through (just in case.) Of course, you can leave the stuffing in the bird, for a nicer presentation on the dinner table (the internal temperature of the stuffing should measure at least 165 degrees.)

And should the bird still be a little dry (hey, it may still happen) just spoon on some of the turkey broth over your freshly sliced turkey -- that'll fix it.

Hindsight
For Homemade Turkey Gravy add at least 2 cups of water to roasting pan an hour or so before bird is done. This will give time for tasty roasted pan drippings to loosen and mix with water to make a rich broth. Add another cup of water (or more) to pan after removing bird. The water is the base to your gravy, so add enough water to make plenty of gravy.

Lightly scrape the pan and stir water. Now you can pour out the broth into a large pot or pan to make gravy.

Over medium heat, whisk or stir in 1 tablespoons of flour per cup of broth. I usually mix 3 cups of broth with 3 tablespoons of flour. You can use more or less flour to suit your taste, to make a thick or thin gravy.

To make a gravy without lumps, I add flour to a bowl and pour in a cup of broth. Mix until you have a watery paste. Add that to the pot or pan with the rest of the broth. Stir until well blended.

Stir and heat the gravy until it low simmers. The Turkey Gravy will thicken as it heats up, after 3-5 minutes.

If you are like me, I like some meat in my gravy. While turkey roasts I low boil the neck bone and giblets for about 2 hours in seasoned water, to tenderize. The liquid also serves as extra broth for gravy.

When neck and giblets are tender, let them cool down some and chop the giblets. You can easily peel off the neck meat from the bone. Now you have plenty of tasty meat to add to your Turkey Gravy. Add as much or as little as you like.

Roast Chicken with Peaches & Herbs

Cooking with fruit in season is cheap, just like this Chintzy Chef ! I went to my local Latin market (Superior Grocers) and they had a huge bin of peaches for 69 cents per pound - I left with a bag full.

They had a nice color although the flesh was not ripe. But they are good enough to cook with, after letting them ripen for a couple of days. Normally you want to eat a ripe peach that's soft to the touch, but a firm peach is fine for my  Roast Chicken with Peaches & Herbs.

It's like when you make an apple pie, you want to bake with firm apple slices, so it doesn't turn to complete mush after baking. Of course, you can use a ripe peach for my recipe, I just didn't want to wait a week before digging into this dish.

My latest cheap$kate entree is loaded with taste. From sweet roasted peaches, to tender and moist chicken. I even add extra flavor with a splash of white wine and a sprinkle of herbs. You can use any favorite broth or fruit juice instead of white wine.

 (And this is a versatile recipe, so go ahead and leave out the herbs if you don't have them on hand, or just want to strip my recipe down to basics - it will taste just as good.)

I used 2 whole peaches and 2 chicken leg quarters, that is, 2 chicken thighs and 2 legs. I cut thick slices of peach, so you get meaty bites. And I found a great deal on boneless and skinless chicken, at 88 cents per pound! Well, you know I now have a freezer full of inexpensive poultry.

I like these kind of recipes, because there is so little work or preparation. Just slice a peach and add the chicken and fruit to a baking dish. Finally add a little liquid and seasoning, then start roasting and walk away for about an hour - couldn't be simpler. One pot entrees are the best.

A sweet nectar of white wine, chicken and peach juices are released when roasting that you will want to spoon-over a dry side dish like: rice, pasta, couscous, or quinoa.

My Roast Chicken with Peaches & Herbs is a delicious confluence of flavors and ingredients, mixing and complementing each other. Once you try my fruity entree, you'll definitely make it again....and again.

Roast Chicken with Peaches & Herbs - Video

Play it here, video runs 2 minutes.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 2 chicken leg quarters - okay to use any chicken pieces you like or find on sale. I used skinless and boneless, that is 2 thighs and 2 legs total.
• 2 peaches - I used firm peaches. Depending how large, it got 6 slice/wedges per peach. I like to keep the slices thick at the wide end. You can use other fruit like sliced apples or whole grapes.
• 1/4 cup of white wine - okay to use a favorite broth, apple or orange juice, or just add water.
• Herbs - about a teaspoon fresh chopped. I have a herb garden, so I used a mix of basil, oregano and parsley. You can also use favorite dried herbs or mix of herbs, like an Italian Mix. For dried herbs use only half of a teaspoon, total. (This recipe tastes good without herbs, too.)
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
Usually I will leave skin on and bone in the chicken pieces for this recipe. You can use skinless and boneless leg quarters or white meat fillets. (Reduce cooking time by 10 minutes or so, as boneless chicken will cook faster.)

Add wine (broth or water) and herbs. A little bit of liquid helps steam the peaches. It will cook away and replaced by chicken juices. If you are cooking breast meat then you may want a 1/2 cup of liquid to help keep the breast from drying out.

Add the chopped or dried herbs. Salt and pepper the chicken.

Wash and slice 2 peaches. I got 6 wedges per peach. I picked a firm peach. It will soften and sweeten when roasted. But ripe peaches will taste fine, they will just be more mushy.

Arrange the peach slices under, on top, and around the chicken pieces. That way you get different textures with the peaches. In the liquid they will be softer and will be flavored with the chicken juices and wine - while on top, they will brown more and stay somewhat firm.

Roast chicken uncovered, until done, about 45 minutes to an hour at 375 degrees. Depending how large the chicken pieces are, especially breast meat, you will want to check for doneness. Just pierce or slice into the thickest part of chicken with a knife. Juices will run clear when cooked through. If you are cooking with boneless chicken then reduce the time by 10 minutes, or so.

I roast the chicken uncovered so the skin gets brown and crackly, and some of the peaches caramelize.

And save some of juice to add to the plate, especially if you have something that sops up the sweet peach/chicken broth.

And for the fun of it here's the soul music couple Peaches & Herb singing "Reunited."