Turkey Chili Verde from The MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook
Serves
4 to 6
This recipe comes from the “On the Spit” chapter of our newest book release—The MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook: Wild Game Recipes for the Grill, Smoker, Campstove, and Campfire. To purchase a copy of the book,click here.
The time-honored Mexican combination of stewed birds (usually chickens) and tomatillos makes for a hearty and exciting meal that is perfect for Dutch oven campfire cooking. In my previous book,The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook, I shared a slow cooker turkey posole with hominy grits that is similar to this dish.
This version is more of a thicker, stewier, stick-to-your-ribs recipe that you’ll truly appreciate on a cold night. Be sure to consider the age of your turkey; an old tom will likely need a bit more time on the fire than a young jake. We give the legs a head start by par-braising them before adding them to the dish. If you’re a frugal butcher, throw the wings in as well.
Ingredients
- 2 skinned turkey legs
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more for grilling
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 (12-oz.) bottles lager beer
- 4 cups homemade game stock or store-bought chicken stock
- 2 (4.5-oz.) cans chopped green chiles
- 1 tbsp. dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1½ lbs. skinless, boneless wild turkey breast, cut into 4 or 5 pieces
- 1½ lbs. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 1 large white onion, quartered
- 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers or serrano chiles, halved
- 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 poblano chiles
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
Optional Garnishes
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Sliced jalapeños or serranos
- Sour cream or crema
- Cotija cheese
- Fresh cilantro leaves
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Braise the turkey:Pat the turkey legs dry. Add a tablespoon of the oil in the bottom of a large stock pot. Season the turkey legs with salt and pepper and cook until browned, turning every 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- In the stockpot, combine the beer, stock, green chiles, oregano, cumin, and a tablespoon of salt over high heat and bring to a simmer. Carefully lower the turkey legs into the liquid (the liquid should almost cover the legs; if not, add more stock or water). Cover the pot and maintain a gentle simmer over low to medium-low heat for 2 to 4 hours. Check for tenderness and add more broth and water as needed to keep the liquid level barely covering the meat. Once the legs are close to tender, add the breast pieces and remove the lid. Keep the pot over the lowest heat possible to maintain a low simmer, and continue to cook until the leg meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
- Remove the breast meat and turkey legs from the liquid and let cool until you can comfortably shred the meat with your hands. Discard the bones. Strain the cooking liquid (about 4 cups) through a fine-mesh strainer. Transfer the cooking liquid and the shredded turkey to two separate airtight containers and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze until ready to use.
- Prepare a campfire:In a campfire stone circle, build a fire and set up a grate for high direct heat. When hot, heat a cast-iron griddle on the grate for at least 10 minutes. Lightly brush with oil. Place the tomatillos, onions, jalapeños, garlic, and poblanos on the griddle and cook, turning frequently, until charred all over. Remove to a bowl and let cool until you can easily handle them. Remove the seeds from the poblanos and jalapeños and the skins from the garlic. If you have access to electricity, add the charred vegetables to a large blender in two batches and puree. If not, use a manual food mill to puree or chop them finely with a knife. (Make sure someone is watching your fire if you step away.)
- For tripod cooking:Set a tripod over the campfire circle. Lower the chain so that the pot hovers 6 to 12 inches above the flames or hot coals. Suspend the Dutch oven and let sit for a few minutes to make sure the heat is penetrating the pot (add a splash of water into the pot; if it sizzles and evaporates, it’s hot). Lower the pot closer to the fire or build the fire up, if necessary.
- Add the puree to the pot and stir in 2 teaspoons salt. Cover and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook until the puree thickens a bit and turns a duller green color, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded turkey and 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid and simmer for about 20 minutes until it comes to a boil and is bubbly and hot. Stir to avoid scorching on the bottom. Add more cooking liquid as needed to reach the desired consistency.
- Ladle the chili into bowls. Garnish with toppings as desired.
Make ahead option:Braise the turkey legs and shred the meat in advance for camping trips. The step of charring and pureeing the tomatillo-poblano mixture can also be done in advance, then vac-seal the puree or store it refrigerated in an airtight container for 2 weeks or in the freezer until ready to use. You can also make the entire meal ahead of time, vac-seal, and reheat it in a pot of water at camp.
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Turkey Chili Verde from The MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook
Serves
4 to 6
This recipe comes from the “On the Spit” chapter of our newest book release—The MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook: Wild Game Recipes for the Grill, Smoker, Campstove, and Campfire. To purchase a copy of the book,click here.
The time-honored Mexican combination of stewed birds (usually chickens) and tomatillos makes for a hearty and exciting meal that is perfect for Dutch oven campfire cooking. In my previous book,The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook, I shared a slow cooker turkey posole with hominy grits that is similar to this dish.
This version is more of a thicker, stewier, stick-to-your-ribs recipe that you’ll truly appreciate on a cold night. Be sure to consider the age of your turkey; an old tom will likely need a bit more time on the fire than a young jake. We give the legs a head start by par-braising them before adding them to the dish. If you’re a frugal butcher, throw the wings in as well.
Ingredients
- 2 skinned turkey legs
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more for grilling
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 (12-oz.) bottles lager beer
- 4 cups homemade game stock or store-bought chicken stock
- 2 (4.5-oz.) cans chopped green chiles
- 1 tbsp. dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1½ lbs. skinless, boneless wild turkey breast, cut into 4 or 5 pieces
- 1½ lbs. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 1 large white onion, quartered
- 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers or serrano chiles, halved
- 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 poblano chiles
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
Optional Garnishes
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Sliced jalapeños or serranos
- Sour cream or crema
- Cotija cheese
- Fresh cilantro leaves
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Braise the turkey:Pat the turkey legs dry. Add a tablespoon of the oil in the bottom of a large stock pot. Season the turkey legs with salt and pepper and cook until browned, turning every 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- In the stockpot, combine the beer, stock, green chiles, oregano, cumin, and a tablespoon of salt over high heat and bring to a simmer. Carefully lower the turkey legs into the liquid (the liquid should almost cover the legs; if not, add more stock or water). Cover the pot and maintain a gentle simmer over low to medium-low heat for 2 to 4 hours. Check for tenderness and add more broth and water as needed to keep the liquid level barely covering the meat. Once the legs are close to tender, add the breast pieces and remove the lid. Keep the pot over the lowest heat possible to maintain a low simmer, and continue to cook until the leg meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
- Remove the breast meat and turkey legs from the liquid and let cool until you can comfortably shred the meat with your hands. Discard the bones. Strain the cooking liquid (about 4 cups) through a fine-mesh strainer. Transfer the cooking liquid and the shredded turkey to two separate airtight containers and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze until ready to use.
- Prepare a campfire:In a campfire stone circle, build a fire and set up a grate for high direct heat. When hot, heat a cast-iron griddle on the grate for at least 10 minutes. Lightly brush with oil. Place the tomatillos, onions, jalapeños, garlic, and poblanos on the griddle and cook, turning frequently, until charred all over. Remove to a bowl and let cool until you can easily handle them. Remove the seeds from the poblanos and jalapeños and the skins from the garlic. If you have access to electricity, add the charred vegetables to a large blender in two batches and puree. If not, use a manual food mill to puree or chop them finely with a knife. (Make sure someone is watching your fire if you step away.)
- For tripod cooking:Set a tripod over the campfire circle. Lower the chain so that the pot hovers 6 to 12 inches above the flames or hot coals. Suspend the Dutch oven and let sit for a few minutes to make sure the heat is penetrating the pot (add a splash of water into the pot; if it sizzles and evaporates, it’s hot). Lower the pot closer to the fire or build the fire up, if necessary.
- Add the puree to the pot and stir in 2 teaspoons salt. Cover and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook until the puree thickens a bit and turns a duller green color, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded turkey and 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid and simmer for about 20 minutes until it comes to a boil and is bubbly and hot. Stir to avoid scorching on the bottom. Add more cooking liquid as needed to reach the desired consistency.
- Ladle the chili into bowls. Garnish with toppings as desired.
Make ahead option:Braise the turkey legs and shred the meat in advance for camping trips. The step of charring and pureeing the tomatillo-poblano mixture can also be done in advance, then vac-seal the puree or store it refrigerated in an airtight container for 2 weeks or in the freezer until ready to use. You can also make the entire meal ahead of time, vac-seal, and reheat it in a pot of water at camp.