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Relleno Negro (Stewed Black Turkey)

I was just recently in Belize and my tour guide to the Mayan ruins was telling me about this dish called relleno. He was describing it to look like a pot of mud with shredded turkey in it. He said how flavorful it was and that I should try it out…so I needed to learn how to make it.
Relleno negro originated from the Mexican Yucatán, but is also eaten in Belize and Guatemala. The paste is made out of charred arbol and ancho chilies, cloves, cumin, garlic, sour orange, oregano, and achiote. You can only find this paste in Latin markets if you’re not going to make it from scratch. I got mine in Belize for $1. Turkey gets simmered in this paste with giant egg yolk stuffed meatballs known as “the boot”. The turkey gets shredded and the meatballs sliced. The relleno negro is always served on top of tortillas. Not the prettiest looking dish but unbelievably flavorful.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Belizean, Mexican
Keyword: Belizean, Latin American, main course, Mexican, poultry
Servings: 6
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 5 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 small tomato diced
  • 3 small sweet peppers sliced
  • 2 quarts water
  • 4 oz recado negro paste
  • 2 bone in turkey thighs 3-4lbs total
  • salt and pepper to taste

The Boot

  • 1 lb ground beef or pork
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 small tomato finely chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 3 hard boiled eggs yolks and whites separated
  • 3 sprigs epazote leaves
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat up the oil in a large pot. Sauté the onions and garlic for 3 minutes over medium high heat.
  • Add in the tomatoes and peppers. Sauté for 2 minutes.
  • Pour in the water. Dissolve the recado negr0 paste. Add in the turkey thighs. Cover and simmer for an hour.
  • While the turkey is simmering, separate the yolks from the whites.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, chopped egg whites, the raw egg, onion, garlic, tomato, salt and pepper.
  • Form into 3 meatballs; stuffing the yolks in the center.
  • At the 1 hour mark, add the meatball’s into the pot with the turkey. Simmer for 1 more hour or until the turkey shreds off the bone.
  • Season with salt and pepper.