Wild turkey breast, boneless

Campfire Wild Turkey Tinga Tacos

Thin strips of wild turkey breast simmered in a skillet over the coals in a smoky chipotle and tomato sauce, pulled apart and piled into warm tortillas with cabbage and queso fresco.

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 40 min
Total: 45 min
Skill: Easy

Cooks on: Stovetop or campfire · Lunch, Dinner

Ingredients

1½ lbWild turkey breast, boneless, sliced into ¼-inch strips across the grain
1 can (14.5 oz)Crushed tomatoes
1Onions, thinly sliced
3 clovesGarlic, minced
2Lime, 1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges
1½ tspSalt, kosher, divided
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced, plus 1 tbsp of the adobo sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp neutral oil
½ cup water
8 small corn or flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cabbage
½ cup crumbled queso fresco
¼ cup chopped cilantro

You'll need

Large skillet, ideally cast iron
Instant-read thermometer
Stovetop or Campfire with grate or coals

Contains

Gluten, Dairy. Flour tortillas contain wheat; plain corn tortillas usually do not. Tortillas, chipotles in adobo and queso fresco vary; some contain wheat, soy or other allergens. Check the labels.

Method

Toss the turkey strips with ½ tsp of the salt and keep them cold while the fire burns down to a bed of hot coals. Set the skillet on a grate over the coals to heat for 5 minutes, or heat it over medium-high on the stove.
Add the oil and onion and cook, stirring, until soft and browned at the edges, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin and oregano for 30 seconds.
Add the crushed tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce, water and the remaining 1 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes, stirring, so the sauce thickens a little and the raw tomato taste cooks off.
Move the skillet to cooler coals or lower the heat so the sauce barely bubbles. Stir in the turkey strips so they are covered by the sauce. Simmer gently, stirring every couple of minutes, until the thickest strip reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, usually 6 to 10 minutes. A hard boil squeezes lean breast meat dry, so keep it gentle.
Take the skillet off the heat as soon as the strips reach temperature. Break them into shreds in the pan with two forks so they soak up the sauce, then stir in the lime juice. Taste and add salt or more adobo if it needs it.
Warm the tortillas on the grate or in a second dry pan, about 15 seconds per side. Fill them with the turkey, top with the cabbage, queso fresco and cilantro, and serve with the lime wedges.

When it's done: 165°F

The federal chart lists poultry at 165°F, and Kansas State University Extension says to fully cook game birds to at least 165°F. Check the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer.

If it goes wrong

Too spicy: Chipotles vary a lot. Start with 1 pepper and the adobo, taste the sauce, then add the second.
Sauce scorching over the fire: Rake some coals away from under the skillet and add a splash of water.
Chewy strips: They were cut with the grain or boiled long past 165°F. Slice across the grain, keep the sauce at a gentle simmer, and take the pan off the heat once they reach temperature.
Flat, heavy sauce: It needs acid and salt. Add more lime juice and a pinch of salt at the end.

Leftovers. Keep the raw turkey in a cooler or refrigerator at 40°F or below until it goes in the pan. Serve right away; refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F.