BBQ Turkey Sliders

We've been trying to get better about "no-waste" cooking in our house and really utilizing every part of the animal / vegetable as well as doing a better job about not letting leftovers go to waste. The holidays are always a challenge in this arena, no doubt. We go to so many social gatherings where there is way too much food and before we know it our fridge is in constant leftover rotation! We've been having a hard time keeping up, so if there is something that we know we are not going to be able to eat, we pack it up with a few forks, plates, napkins and a couple bottles of water and drop it off to the first homeless person we see. The look of a home-cooked meal to someone hungry living on the streets warms my heart and is a constant reminder that everyone is human and everyone deserves a meal.

We hosted our 3rd annual Friendsgiving at our house. And this year we incorporated a cooking competition to the mix! Our friends are pretty damn good cooks and when there are prizes at stake, everyone goes all out!  There was no criteria, it didn't have to be a Thanksgiving dish and we awarded the 2 best dishes by popular vote. We had everything from abondigas soup and pulled pork mac n cheese to loaded mashed potatoes and baked corn casserole. The people (our friends) have spoken! And one of the two winning dishes was the hubby's BBQ Turkey Sliders! So, we figured we'd share the recipe with you! Please enjoy!

Ingredients:

10-12 lb turkey, broken down into pieces (drum, leg, breast etc)

6 tablespoons BBQ spices (we made our own with fresh garlic, onion, rosemary, paprika, cayenne, brown sugar, salt and pepper.r

1 cup BBQ Sauce (our current favorite is Salt Lick from Austin, TX) or here is a great recipe

1/2 cup red wine (preferably a dry red)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 head  cabbage, shredded

2-3 green apples, julienned

3/4 cup mayo

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup diced  fresh cranberries

Potato Slider Buns

Cheddar or Gruyere Cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

TURKEY: Break down a whole turkey into pieces (drum, breast, leg, etc).  Roast in a pan with oil for 30 minutes.  Remove pieces and place in a slow cooker on low with BBQ spices (either a spice mix or combination of rosemary, garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne, brown sugar, salt and pepper).  Cook for 3 hours on low and remove white meat pieces.  Cook for another hour and then turn slow cooker off and remove the remaining turkey pieces.  Once turkey pieces cool, remove skin and cut the meat into pieces (for best texture cut into ½” pieces against the grain).

NOTE: This is where we can get no waste. If you have turkey leftovers, shred the meat and proceed with the following instructions. 

BBQ SAUCE: Remove the liquid from the slow cooker and put in a pan with red wine, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar and cook down until reduces by ½ (30-40 minutes).  Add in a BBQ sauce of your choice and continue to cook until the sauce thickens up to the consistency of BBQ sauce.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add turkey back to slow cooker to heat back up.

COLESLAW: Shred one head of cabbage, 2-3 green apples, julienned, mayo, greek yogurt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar,  honey, diced cranberries (fresh is recommended, but dried will work as well) and salt and pepper to taste.

ASSEMBLE: Slice potato rolls in half.  Add slice of gruyere or cheddar cheese, BBQ turkey and top with coleslaw and top bun.

ENJOY!