The Best Way to Eat Thanksgiving Leftovers? Sauced and Tucked Into a Tortilla

Give that day-old turkey new life, and turn it into tender pavo al pastor or a hearty birria.

There are many reluctant turkey eaters out there. Deeming it bland or boring or both, they might begrudgingly eat it out of tradition or politeness. But when leftovers are being passed out at the end of the night, they’re nowhere to be found.

The truth is, blandness is a gift. Flavorless, moisture-deficient birds can be resurrected and even celebrated when bathed in a mind-blowingly delicious salsa — not the kind that lands on your table with a basket of chips, but rather one that’s long-simmered and used as a marinade, then cooked with the meat.

Two iconic Mexican dishes, birria and tacos al pastor, have exactly that, both defined by and celebrated for those qualities: birria with its spicy braising sauce and al pastor for its vermilion achiote (annatto seed) marinade.

Transforming leftover turkey into a birria de pavo is a much simpler process than a traditional goat birria, which was historically marinated in a ground chile sauce, wrapped in maguey leaves and slow-cooked in a pot sealed with corn masa until the meat fell off the bone. But because the bird is already cooked, there is no need to braise. Boiling the carcass in a chile-tomato adobo salsa that’s been thinned with water, then adding the shredded turkey to be warmed and rehydrated, yields a similarly rich flavor and texture. Serve this simple birria, with the broth or tucked into warm corn tortillas, alongside your favorite salsa or a leftover cranberry sauce bejeweled with a little onion and chopped jalapeño.

Al pastor has a long history in Mexico, stretching back to the 1920s and the arrival of Lebanese immigrants in the city of Puebla, who brought with them shawarma and its vertical spit, or trompo in Spanish. Eventually, pork made its way onto that spit, getting marinated in an adobo sauce built on achiote and dried red chile, then roasted with pineapple and onion.