Chorizo is one of those love it-or-hate-it foods. My aunt used to make tacos with half chorizo, half ground beef and the red grease would run out the back of the tortilla and down your arm as you shoved the taco in your mouth. It was glorious. Obviously, I’m in the love it camp, but chorizo is also one of those “can’t have it all the time” foods. Then I discovered Diestel Turkey Ranch has a turkey chorizo in their lineup. If you’re someone who doesn’t eat pork, you can now find out what you’ve been missing.
Diestel’s chorizo is the red, Mexican style variety. It’s gluten-free and low in fat, with something like 2 grams of fat per 2 oz. serving. For chorizo that’s practically nothing. Obviously with only 2 grams of fat, you won’t get the grease running down your arm, but hey, you’ll be able to have chorizo a lot more often. The flavor is really good, you honestly can’t tell it’s turkey. As it should, it’s got a bit of a vinegary bite, but it’s not overwhelming.
When cooking, this chorizo does give up a decent amount of liquid, but it eventually simmers away. Because of the red color, it can be tough to tell when it’s cooked through, so I did use a thermometer to make sure we got to 165F. And that’s all there is to it. Once you’ve cooked it up, tacos are the obvious choice. I like to go taqueria style with corn tortillas and top it with onion, cilantro and cotija cheese. Add radish slices if you’ve got ’em, and of course, salsa. At breakfast, there’s nothing like chorizo and egg tacos.
In a non-stick skillet, cook turkey chorizo until it reaches 165F, about 8-10 minutes.
Toast the tortillas over an open flame, until charred in spots.
To assemble tacos, arrange 3 tortillas on each plate and top with ~ 2 T. of turkey chorizo. Top with cheese, onion, radish slices and cilantro, if using
Serve with slices of lime.
Assembling tacos isn't rocket science, so consider this a general guide to chorizo tacos and adjust to your taste.