Equipment
Ingredients
Adobo Sauce
- 2 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 chipotles in adobo
- 30 g achiote paste
- 45 ml white vinegar
- 60 ml pineapple juice
- 3 garlic, peeled
- 2 g dried oregano
- 2 g ground cumin
- 4 g salt
Turkey
- 15 ml vegetable oil
- 1 white onion, half thinly sliced, half finely diced
- 500 g roasted turkey, shredded
Cranberry-Pineapple Salsa
- 200 g fresh pineapple, finely diced
- 100 g whole berry cranberry sauce
- 15 g cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, finely diced
- 30 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 g salt
For Serving
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 204 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbohydrates
- 24 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 338 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 56 mg
- Potassium
- 267 mg
- Calcium
- 49 mg
- Iron
- 1.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 38 mg
- Phosphorus
- 183 mg
- Zinc
- 1.9 mg
- Vitamin A
- 27 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 17 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.7 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.09 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.22 mg
- Niacin
- 3.6 mg
- Folate
- 16 mcg
- Water
- 87 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Place the stemmed and seeded guajillo chiles in a bowl and cover with the boiling water (100C/212F). Let soak for 15 minutes until pliable.
Transfer the softened guajillo chiles to a blender. Add the chipotles in adobo, achiote paste, white vinegar, pineapple juice, peeled garlic cloves, dried oregano, ground cumin, and 4g of salt. Blend on high speed until completely smooth.
In a mixing bowl, combine the diced fresh pineapple, leftover whole berry cranberry sauce, finely diced half of the white onion, chopped cilantro, diced jalapeno, fresh lime juice, and 2g of salt. Stir well to combine and set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced half of the white onion and saute until translucent and beginning to brown at the edges.
Add the shredded leftover turkey to the skillet and toss with the cooked onions. Pour the blended adobo sauce over the turkey. Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the meat, and the turkey is heated through to at least 74C/165F.
Warm the corn tortillas in a dry skillet or over an open gas flame until pliable. Fill each tortilla with the warm adobo turkey mixture and top generously with the cranberry-pineapple salsa. Serve immediately with extra lime wedges.
Chef's Notes
- Using a mix of dark and white leftover turkey meat yields the best texture; the dark meat holds up better to the rich adobo sauce while remaining juicy.
- Mexican oregano has a distinctly different flavor profile than Mediterranean oregano, leaning more citrusy and floral, which perfectly cuts through the earthy achiote.
- To revive stale or brittle corn tortillas, lightly dampen your hands with water and pat the tortillas before heating them in a dry skillet. The steam will restore their flexibility.
- If your leftover cranberry sauce is very thick or jellied rather than whole berry, mash it lightly with a fork before mixing it into the pineapple salsa to ensure even distribution.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store the adobo turkey and the cranberry-pineapple salsa in separate airtight containers.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze the adobo turkey only. The fresh pineapple salsa will become mushy if frozen and thawed.
Reheating: Reheat turkey gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of chicken broth to prevent drying out.
Troubleshooting
Turkey mixture seems dry after adding the adobo sauce
Cause: Leftover turkey was already very dry or the sauce reduced too quickly
Fix: Stir in a splash of chicken broth or extra pineapple juice to loosen the sauce and rehydrate the meat
Prevention: Simmer gently over medium-low heat rather than boiling vigorously
Adobo sauce tastes bitter
Cause: Guajillo chiles were toasted too long before packaging, or seeds were not fully removed
Fix: Add a small pinch of sugar or an extra splash of pineapple juice to balance the bitterness
Prevention: Ensure all seeds and tough stems are removed from dried chiles before rehydrating
Salsa is overly sweet
Cause: The leftover cranberry sauce contained a very high amount of sugar
Fix: Add extra fresh lime juice and an additional pinch of salt to balance the sweetness
Prevention: Taste your cranberry sauce before mixing the salsa to gauge sweetness
Cultural Context
Tacos al pastor is a hallmark of Mexican street food, originally born from Lebanese immigrants who brought spit-roasted shawarma techniques to Central Mexico. Adapting the iconic achiote and chile adobo for leftover Thanksgiving turkey honors the Mexican-American tradition of blending festive cultural staples into entirely new comfort foods.
