Smoked Turkey Quesadilla

Directions

Have you ever thought about using smoked turkey in a quesadilla?

Smoked turkey adds a deeper, richer flavor to quesadillas that will satisfy your flavor buds! The turkey meat is tender and juicy which compliments the crispy, cheesy quesadillas.  Let me walk you through how I made these.

Start by firing up your smoker to 350 degrees.  I used some oak whiskey barrel chips for smoke and I added a deflector plate for indirect heat.  

Next, move inside and start prepping your turkey breast.  I used a turkey roast and after taking off the skin, I rubbed the roast down with some of The W Sauce’s Breakfast Sauce Too as a binder.  I followed that up with a good coating of Hey Grill, Hey’s Fiesta Rub.  You can use whatever you like, but I was looking for a southwest flavor here.  

Once the turkey breast is prepped and the smoker is up to temp, place the turkey on the smoker and let it cook for an hour to hour and a half, or until the internal temperature of the turkey is 165 degrees.

While the turkey is smoking away, let’s prepare our rice and salsa mixture.  The rice was simple. I grabbed a bag of Mexican rice from the store and prepared it according to the package directions.  

The black bean and corn salsa mix is what really kicked up the flavor of these quesadillas.  Take your cans of black beans, corn, and fire roasted diced tomatoes and empty them into a big bowl after draining.  To this we want to add our fresh chopped cilantro, grated cotija cheese, fresh lime juice and The W Sauce’s Breakfast Sauce Too.  This is where you can be creative and use as much of these ingredients as you like.  For me, I used about a tablespoon of the chopped cilantro, half of a lime, a cup of cotija cheese and half a cup of Breakfast Sauce Too.  I also added about a teaspoon of the seasoning I used on the turkey in the quesadilla filling as well.  Mix all of this together and put it in the fridge while we wait for the turkey to finish.

Once the turkey reaches 165 degrees internally, pull it off of the smoker and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.  After the rest is finished we want to slice into bite size pieces so that we can start assembling our quesadillas.  

For assembly, I used a large skillet on the cooktop, but you could use a griddle or whatever flat cooking surface you have available. Heat the pan to medium heat and place a flour tortilla down.  Cover the entire tortilla with your quesadilla cheese.  Then spoon the black bean and corn salsa mixture over half of the tortilla.  Next, place your turkey on top of the salsa.  Let that sit for about 30 seconds or until the cheese begins to melt, and then fold the tortilla over itself.  Flip from side to side until your tortilla is done to your liking.  I’m looking for a golden brown color and that cheese to be melting inside.  

Pull the quesadilla and cut it in half and then cut those halves in half and you’ve got yourself one tasty little dish.  

Pro Tip: If you like sour cream for dipping create a crème by taking a 1/2 cup of sour cream and mix in 2 tablespoons of The W Sauce’s Breakfast Sauce Too and a splash of lime for a delicious, creamy topping for your quesadilla.