Duration
4+ hours
Serves
4
Cooking turkey breast slices on the grill can be a tricky approach, as they’ll easily overcook. Using a technique fromThe Turkey Book(page 100), Tyler and K.C. from The Element and I made great use of a very large jake’s breast for a quick and appropriate end to a phenomenal Hill Country turkey hunt.Click hereto watch the hunt.
I like to cook the breast only on one side until almost cooked through, then quickly finishing the second side ensures two things: the breast won’t be dry, and there will be ample and delicious char on one side. Mesquite is the preferred wood or charcoal for grilling this preparation.
“Shepherd’s Style” or al Pastor, is traditionally applied to pork (it works exceptionally well with feral hog, especially the shoulder, or coppa cut from a fattier hog) but works well with turkey breast, too. The marinade is standard: dried chiles, cumin, some oil, and vinegar to add some tartness. Achiote paste, a fragrant and slightly bitter combination of orange, bright red annatto, spices, and orange juice, adds distinct color and flavor. Find achiote at quality grocery stores or Mexican and Central American markets.
Al Pastor is commonly served with pineapple–roasted or grilled–and here I’m throwing in the leftover cores into the marinade to further tenderize the turkey. Pineapple contains protease, an enzyme that goes to work quickly and effectively on meat, breaking the muscle fibers down and yielding a softer, more tender cut. Serve this on quality corn tortillas with finely chopped raw onion, fresh cilantro, and a salsa of your choosing.
Ingredients
- 20 oz. turkey breast, sliced and pounded thin for paillards
- ¼ fresh pineapple, peeled, cut into 3 thick slices, core removed and reserved
- Salt
- 12 corn tortillas
- ½ medium white onion, finely diced
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
- Jalapeño Salsa (seeThe Hog Book, page 360) or Turkey Pepper and Tomato Salsa (seeThe Turkey Book, page 82)
Marinade
- 3 tbsp. achiote paste
- 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. ancho chile powder
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 6 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 1 tsp. black pepper, ground
- ½ tsp. cumin, ground
- ¼ cup olive oil
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl until homogenous, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag and add the reserved pineapple cores. Season the turkey to taste with salt and add it to the bag, making sure the marinade coats all of it. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to one day.
- Preheat a gas grill to high, or start a hot mesquite charcoal fire (or burn down some mesquite and oak to coals).
- Grill the pineapple slices until caramelized and browned on both sides, then set aside on a cutting board.
- Discard the pineapple cores from the marinade and grill the turkey breast slices on the hottest part of the grill on one side, rotating them occasionally, until the turkey is about 90% cooked through, then flip the slices and finish cooking them for a few seconds on the other side. Remove the turkey to the cutting board.
- Heat up the tortillas on the grill.
- Chop the turkey and the pineapple with a sharp knife. Serve with the tortillas, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño salsa.
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Reviews
Turkey al Pastor
Duration
4+ hours
Serves
4
Cooking turkey breast slices on the grill can be a tricky approach, as they’ll easily overcook. Using a technique fromThe Turkey Book(page 100), Tyler and K.C. from The Element and I made great use of a very large jake’s breast for a quick and appropriate end to a phenomenal Hill Country turkey hunt.Click hereto watch the hunt.
I like to cook the breast only on one side until almost cooked through, then quickly finishing the second side ensures two things: the breast won’t be dry, and there will be ample and delicious char on one side. Mesquite is the preferred wood or charcoal for grilling this preparation.
“Shepherd’s Style” or al Pastor, is traditionally applied to pork (it works exceptionally well with feral hog, especially the shoulder, or coppa cut from a fattier hog) but works well with turkey breast, too. The marinade is standard: dried chiles, cumin, some oil, and vinegar to add some tartness. Achiote paste, a fragrant and slightly bitter combination of orange, bright red annatto, spices, and orange juice, adds distinct color and flavor. Find achiote at quality grocery stores or Mexican and Central American markets.
Al Pastor is commonly served with pineapple–roasted or grilled–and here I’m throwing in the leftover cores into the marinade to further tenderize the turkey. Pineapple contains protease, an enzyme that goes to work quickly and effectively on meat, breaking the muscle fibers down and yielding a softer, more tender cut. Serve this on quality corn tortillas with finely chopped raw onion, fresh cilantro, and a salsa of your choosing.
Ingredients
- 20 oz. turkey breast, sliced and pounded thin for paillards
- ¼ fresh pineapple, peeled, cut into 3 thick slices, core removed and reserved
- Salt
- 12 corn tortillas
- ½ medium white onion, finely diced
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
- Jalapeño Salsa (seeThe Hog Book, page 360) or Turkey Pepper and Tomato Salsa (seeThe Turkey Book, page 82)
Marinade
- 3 tbsp. achiote paste
- 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. ancho chile powder
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 6 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 1 tsp. black pepper, ground
- ½ tsp. cumin, ground
- ¼ cup olive oil
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl until homogenous, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag and add the reserved pineapple cores. Season the turkey to taste with salt and add it to the bag, making sure the marinade coats all of it. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to one day.
- Preheat a gas grill to high, or start a hot mesquite charcoal fire (or burn down some mesquite and oak to coals).
- Grill the pineapple slices until caramelized and browned on both sides, then set aside on a cutting board.
- Discard the pineapple cores from the marinade and grill the turkey breast slices on the hottest part of the grill on one side, rotating them occasionally, until the turkey is about 90% cooked through, then flip the slices and finish cooking them for a few seconds on the other side. Remove the turkey to the cutting board.
- Heat up the tortillas on the grill.
- Chop the turkey and the pineapple with a sharp knife. Serve with the tortillas, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño salsa.