Sandhill Crane Leg Tacos with Salsa Verde

Name: Sandhill Crane Leg Tacos with Salsa Verde
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 4 h 30 min
Total time: 13 h
Yield: 12 tacos
Ingredients: 3 cascabel chiles; 3 morita chipotle chiles; 2 large pasilla chiles (more if they're small); 3 cloves garlic; ½ large white onion, quartered; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 2 tablespoon honey; ½ cup olive oil; 4 sandhill crane drumsticks, about 1.5 lb total (see note below about quantity); salt and black pepper, to taste; 2 tablespoon pork lard (or other cooking fat); 3 bay leaves; 3 cups stock (wild game, beef, etc.); 6 medium tomatillos (about 1 lb); 2 jalapenos (about 4 oz total); 2 cloves garlic (about 0.5 oz total); ½ large white onion (about 6 oz); 2 tablespoon olive oil; ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (about 0.5 oz); 2 ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice; 1 tablespoon fresh lime zest; ¾ teaspoon salt; 12 corn tortillas; fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving; diced white onion, chopped, for serving; Lime wedges, for serving

User Reviews

5.0

3 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs 30 mins
Marinating Time
8 hrs
Total Time
13 hrs
Servings
12 tacos
Calories
155 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Mexican

Sandhill Crane Leg Tacos with Salsa Verde

Zara Evans

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The earthy and flavorful homemade chile sauce turns tough sandhill crane legs into tender, succulent meat perfect for tacos. Topped with a zesty roasted salsa verde and wrapped in a warm corn tortilla, these tacos are a delicious culinary adventure!

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Ingredients

Servings

Chile Sauce:

3 cascabel chiles
3 morita chipotle chiles
2 large pasilla chiles (more if they're small)
3 cloves garlic
½ large white onion, quartered
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon honey
½ cup olive oil

Meat:

4 sandhill crane drumsticks, about 1.5 lb total (see note below about quantity)
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoon pork lard (or other cooking fat)

Other Marinade Ingredients:

3 bay leaves
3 cups stock (wild game, beef, etc.)

Salsa Verde:

6 medium tomatillos (about 1 lb)
2 jalapenos (about 4 oz total)
2 cloves garlic (about 0.5 oz total)
½ large white onion (about 6 oz)
2 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup cilantro, chopped (about 0.5 oz)
2 ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime zest
¾ teaspoon salt

Other Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas
fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving
diced white onion, chopped, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

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Instructions

Meat:

Place chiles in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1.5 minutes or until chiles are soft and flexible. Remove stems and seeds from chiles. Add chiles to the blender. Add remaining chile sauce ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Season crane drumsticks all over with salt and pepper. Heat lard or oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Sear drumsticks on all sides possible until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Place seared drumsticks into the crock pot insert. Add more lard to the dutch oven if there is not enough left to coat the bottom of the pan. Add in chile sauce. Stir frequently until fragrant and slightly browned, about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add in stock and stir until combined. Pour the liquid over the drumsticks in the crock pot. Make sure the drumsticks are fully submerged. Add more stock or water if necessary. Add bay leaves to the crock pot. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, remove the crock pot insert from the fridge and place it in the crock pot. Cook on high for 2 hours, or until the liquid is simmering. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 4 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bones.
Remove the meat to a plate. Remove the bones and connective tissue and shred the meat. Sandhill crane drumsticks have a lot of tiny bones and tendons, so be thorough and remove all of them.
Strain the cooking liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Use a spoon to push as much of the chile sauce through the strainer as possible.
Add the sauce and meat back to the crock pot and cook on low for 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Salsa Verde:

Preheat oven broiler on low. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Peel tomatillos, remove cores, and cut in half lengthwise. Place tomatillos, cut side down, on the sheet pan.
Cut the stems off the jalapenos. Cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane. If you want a spicier salsa, you can leave the seeds and membrane.
Cut the onion half into quarters. Place cut jalapenos, onion quarters, and garlic cloves (unpeeled) on the sheet pan.
Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and use your hands to coat them.
Place the sheet pan in the oven, about 6-8 inches from the broiler. Broil for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops of the vegetables are lightly browned and blistered.
Let the vegetables cool until they are cool enough to handle. Roughly chop the vegetables and add them to a blender. Pour the juice left on the sheet pan into the blender as well.
Add cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, and salt to the blender. Pulse until the desired consistency is achieved.
Store in a glass jar in the fridge until ready to use. This recipe makes a little more than 2 cups of salsa so you can keep the extra to use for something else!

Assembly:

Warm tortillas. To each tortilla, add shredded meat and salsa verde. Top with diced onions and chopped cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. Enjoy!

Freezing Instructions:

If you have meat leftover, it freezes well! Place meat with enough sauce to cover the meat in a freezer-zippered bag or vacuum bag. Squeeze the air out and freeze flat on a sheet pan. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw and reheat using the boil-in-bag method (if stored in a heat-safe bag) or reheat in a pan on the stove.

Equipments used:

Notes

I only had 4 sandhill crane drumsticks to work with for this recipe. But, you can fit more in the crockpot to make the sauce go further. You can also use the whole leg (drumstick + thigh) instead of just the drumstick.
Dried whole chiles provide a much deeper flavor than standard chili powder. This recipe uses a mix of cascabel chiles, pasilla chiles, and smoky morita chipotles. The combination of the three makes these tacos super flavorful with a very mild heat. You can use other varieties of chiles to change the flavor profile or use what you have available to you.
I like to have wild game stock on hand for braising but you can also use beef broth or beef stock if you don't have any on hand.
Corn tortillas are my favorite for this style of tacos because the flavor and texture complement the meat well. But you can also use flour tortillas or your favorite taco shell.
I like to use a Dutch oven to sear the meat and prepare the chile sauce all in one cooking vessel. But, you can also use a cast iron skillet or other large skillet.
This recipe uses a crock pot to braise the meat. You can use another type of slow cooker or a Dutch oven. For faster cooking, you can use a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 155kcal (8%) Carbohydrates 14g (5%) Protein 10g (20%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 4g Cholesterol 24mg (8%) Sodium 146mg (6%) Potassium 211mg (6%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 308IU (6%) Vitamin C 6mg (7%) Calcium 31mg (3%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12tacos

Amount Per Serving

Calories 155 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	155kcal	8%
Carbohydrates	14g	5%
Protein	10g	20%
Fat	7g	11%
Saturated Fat	2g	10%
Polyunsaturated Fat	1g	6%
Monounsaturated Fat	4g	20%
Cholesterol	24mg	8%
Sodium	146mg	6%
Potassium	211mg	4%
Fiber	2g	8%
Sugar	2g	4%
Vitamin A	308IU	6%
Vitamin C	6mg	7%
Calcium	31mg	3%
Iron	1mg	6%