Sign in to access your profile, save content and more. Learn More
Tequila Turkey Tacos

Tequila Turkey Tacos

  • Course

    Main

  • Duration

    4-8 hours

  • Serves

    4-6
Chef’s notes

These tacos are my most requested recipe—and for a good reason. I cooked them for Steve and Janis while turkey hunting in Texas, and it appeared on Season 8 of MeatEater’s turkey hunting episode. Use the tougher cuts of a turkey like the thighs, drumsticks, and wings, and turn them into a tender shredded meat with tons of flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 - 2 lb. turkey thighs, drumsticks, or wings
  • 3 tsp. spice rub (recipe below)
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 jalapeños, cut in half lengthwise
  • 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 3 limes, juiced
  • 3 oz. tequila
  • 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • Neutral flavored cooking oil, such as avocado or grapeseed
  • Tortillas, hot sauce, slaw, salsa, and/or cheese for serving

Spice Blend

  • 2 tbsp. kosher or sea salt
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. allspice

Also works with

Pheasant legs, rabbit, squirrel, hog

Special equipment

Crockpot

Preparation

  1. Make the spice blend by mixing the salt, cumin, oregano, pepper, and allspice together.
  2. Season the turkey with roughly two teaspoons of the spice mixture. You want enough to cover the meat, but not entirely coat.
  3. In a large sauté pan, heat about a tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, brown the turkey on both sides. Transfer to the crockpot.
  4. Drizzle more oil into the pan if needed and add the onion. Cook until soft and golden in color. Add the jalapenos and garlic and cook for an additional minute.
  5. Squeeze fresh lime juice into the pan, and add the tequila. Let the alcohol boil off for a few minutes, then add the stock and honey. Stir and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season with one teaspoon of the spice blend.
  6. Pour all of the liquids and onions into the crockpot. You want enough liquids to come up halfway to the turkey. Add more stock or water if needed.
  7. Turn the crockpot on low and braise for 4-8 hours, or until the meat is tender. You’ll know it’s done when the meat shreds apart easily with a fork.
  8. Use tongs and pull the meat from the crockpot. Shred apart with a fork and serve in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.
Chef’s notes

These tacos are my most requested recipe—and for a good reason. I cooked them for Steve and Janis while turkey hunting in Texas, and it appeared on Season 8 of MeatEater’s turkey hunting episode. Use the tougher cuts of a turkey like the thighs, drumsticks, and wings, and turn them into a tender shredded meat with tons of flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 - 2 lb. turkey thighs, drumsticks, or wings
  • 3 tsp. spice rub (recipe below)
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 jalapeños, cut in half lengthwise
  • 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 3 limes, juiced
  • 3 oz. tequila
  • 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • Neutral flavored cooking oil, such as avocado or grapeseed
  • Tortillas, hot sauce, slaw, salsa, and/or cheese for serving

Spice Blend

  • 2 tbsp. kosher or sea salt
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. allspice

Also works with

Pheasant legs, rabbit, squirrel, hog

Special equipment

Crockpot

Preparation

  1. Make the spice blend by mixing the salt, cumin, oregano, pepper, and allspice together.
  2. Season the turkey with roughly two teaspoons of the spice mixture. You want enough to cover the meat, but not entirely coat.
  3. In a large sauté pan, heat about a tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, brown the turkey on both sides. Transfer to the crockpot.
  4. Drizzle more oil into the pan if needed and add the onion. Cook until soft and golden in color. Add the jalapenos and garlic and cook for an additional minute.
  5. Squeeze fresh lime juice into the pan, and add the tequila. Let the alcohol boil off for a few minutes, then add the stock and honey. Stir and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season with one teaspoon of the spice blend.
  6. Pour all of the liquids and onions into the crockpot. You want enough liquids to come up halfway to the turkey. Add more stock or water if needed.
  7. Turn the crockpot on low and braise for 4-8 hours, or until the meat is tender. You’ll know it’s done when the meat shreds apart easily with a fork.
  8. Use tongs and pull the meat from the crockpot. Shred apart with a fork and serve in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.
Shop
The Essential Meatcrafter Knife
Save this product
Benchmade
The Essential Meatcrafter Knife

A hybrid hunting fixed blade with a fine, smooth edge to trim, debone, or slice your preferred cuts of meat. Makes just as much sense in the back of your truck as it does in the kitchen drawer.

Meater+ Bluetooth Thermometer
Save this product
Meater
Meater+ Bluetooth Thermometer

With up to 165 ft Wireless Range, MEATER is the first truly wireless smart meat thermometer.

7 Seasonings Gift Pack
Save this product
MeatEater
7 Seasonings Gift Pack

Bring home the entire Mega Spice Collection and change the way you cook.

The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook
Save this product
MeatEater
The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook

The definitive guide to cooking wild game, including fish and fowl, featuring more than 100 new recipes.

Get the latest in your inbox
Subscribe to our newsletters to receive regular emails with hand-picked content, gear recommendations, and special deals.
Our picks for the week's best content and gear
For the whitetail obsessed, with Mark Kenyon
Redefining our connection to food, with Danielle Prewett
Your one-stop for everything waterfowl, with Sean Weaver
Get out on the water with the MeatEater Fishing crew
Technical hunting apparel
Purpose-built accessories for hunting and fishing
Quality elk, turkey, waterfowl, and deer calls

Related

Video: How to Deep Fry a Turkey

Cooking Techniques

Video: How to Deep Fry a Turkey

This is how to deep fry a turkey, Cajun style! Throw tradition out the window and bust out the big burners for this recipe. To prepare the bird, I inject it with a Cajun butter baste and let it rest in the fridge the night before frying. A good rule of thumb when frying turkey is to allow three to three and a half minutes of cooking time per pound. Since I’m frying a 15-pound turkey in this video, I’ll give it 45 minutes at 350°F, then check temp...

How to Cook Diver Ducks

Cooking Techniques

How to Cook Diver Ducks

Diver ducks, migratory waterfowl that feed on fish, mollusks, and aquatic invertebrates, get a lot of praise on the wing but a bad rap at the table. Despite this reputation, hunters sure shoot a hell of a lot of them each season. According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the take of shovelers, scaup, ring-necked ducks, eiders, oldsquaw, scoters, buffleheads, goldeneyes, mergansers, and canvasbacks is well beyond a million birds annually...

Smoked Turkey Legs

Recipes

Smoked Turkey Legs

Wild turkey legs are one of the toughest cuts of wild game I’ve ever cooked. These 20-pound birds spend all day running around looking for food, fighting, and avoiding all types of predators. It’s no wonder their skinny little legs are densely muscled and full of hard tendons. You can braise or confit turkey legs to render the meat tender, or debone and grind them for use in sausage or any ground meat dish. But another great way to utilize these...

Save this recipe

Tequila Turkey Tacos

Recipe by: Danielle Prewett
Tequila Turkey Tacos

  • Course

    Main

  • Duration

    4-8 hours

  • Serves

    4-6
Chef’s notes

These tacos are my most requested recipe—and for a good reason. I cooked them for Steve and Janis while turkey hunting in Texas, and it appeared on Season 8 of MeatEater’s turkey hunting episode. Use the tougher cuts of a turkey like the thighs, drumsticks, and wings, and turn them into a tender shredded meat with tons of flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 - 2 lb. turkey thighs, drumsticks, or wings
  • 3 tsp. spice rub (recipe below)
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 jalapeños, cut in half lengthwise
  • 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 3 limes, juiced
  • 3 oz. tequila
  • 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • Neutral flavored cooking oil, such as avocado or grapeseed
  • Tortillas, hot sauce, slaw, salsa, and/or cheese for serving

Spice Blend

  • 2 tbsp. kosher or sea salt
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. allspice

Also works with

Pheasant legs, rabbit, squirrel, hog

Special equipment

Crockpot

Preparation

  1. Make the spice blend by mixing the salt, cumin, oregano, pepper, and allspice together.
  2. Season the turkey with roughly two teaspoons of the spice mixture. You want enough to cover the meat, but not entirely coat.
  3. In a large sauté pan, heat about a tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, brown the turkey on both sides. Transfer to the crockpot.
  4. Drizzle more oil into the pan if needed and add the onion. Cook until soft and golden in color. Add the jalapenos and garlic and cook for an additional minute.
  5. Squeeze fresh lime juice into the pan, and add the tequila. Let the alcohol boil off for a few minutes, then add the stock and honey. Stir and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season with one teaspoon of the spice blend.
  6. Pour all of the liquids and onions into the crockpot. You want enough liquids to come up halfway to the turkey. Add more stock or water if needed.
  7. Turn the crockpot on low and braise for 4-8 hours, or until the meat is tender. You’ll know it’s done when the meat shreds apart easily with a fork.
  8. Use tongs and pull the meat from the crockpot. Shred apart with a fork and serve in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.