Get creative with leftovers and serve your biggest fans this perfect leftover smoked turkey sandwich! Make ahead and be the hero of the campsite or tailgating party!
Do you ever sit around wondering what to do with all those leftovers? Especially with smoked turkey – there’s usually a ton. And I love a cold turkey sandwich as much as the next person, but something else has to pop out at me.
Lucky you! I have on of those amazing 15 minutes to good to be true recipes. And this is one of them. And its a fun spin on all that leftover turkey you are about to have on hand.
These sandwiches are the perfect take on portable food and are a great recipe to use up leftover smoked turkey Whether you are setting up a weekend campsite, tailgating at your favorite asphalt jungle or kicking it in your own backyard, these are crowd-pleasing goodness every time.
Why are these smoked sandwiches everyone’s favorite?
Well, layers of smoked turkey tossed in your favorite barbecue sauce and layered with thick slices of colby jack, for one. Two, because we all love crazy good uses for any of the pounds of turkey I have left. And three, we all just love a good hot sandwich around here.
What’s best about this is you can change the flavor easy! Use different barbecue sauces, like Apple Habanero to heat things up or try the Chipotle blends for added smoke goodness. No matter who your crowd is, there’s a solution for it!
How to prep the hot turkey sandwiches ahead of time.
For tailgating or camping, follow the recipe, for the bbq coated smoked turkey. However, if using more than 8 hours in the future, wrap the turkey without stuffing the sandwich tightly in foil to be reheated over the grill or campfire.
You will want to make sure there is an extra sauce in there so it doesn’t get dry while it reheats.
If preparing within 5 to 7 hours, fill the sandwiches as instructed and wrap in foil to reheat (and melt the cheese) over the grill or fire.
Need some more game day inspiration to get you going? Check out the archives!
After I smoke my turkey, I remove any leftovers from the bone and discard the skin and bones. You can also save the bones for an amazing homemade stock or freeze the bones until you make that stock later on.
Chop up all the meat into bite-sized portions. I usually chop the dark mean and slice the white meat. This makes grabbing meat for quick cold sandwiches or salad toppers easy.
To keep the turkey fresh, I store the turkey in a sealed airtight container for up to 4 days.
Here are a few ideas for what to make with leftover turkey
- Use turkey instead of chicken for this amazing White Chili
- Same with this these delicious breakfast chilaquiles
- Or pile it on a fun pull-apart bread for the next football game
- Lastly, it goes great with nachos – like these that are wonderful with a quick mango salsa.
If you’ve tried this delicious recipe, or any other recipe on GirlCarnivore.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below. I get inspired by your feedback and comments! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram @girlcarnivore as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
Leftover Smoked Turkey Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 lbs smoked turkey leftovers picked over and chopped
- 1 onion minced
- 1 red pepper stemmed, seeded and minced
- 1 – 2 cups your favorite Head Country Bar-B-Que Sauce
- 6 hoagie rolls
- 9 slices colby jack cheese
- fresh arugula for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, heat the turkey through.
- Remove from pan and saute the onion and pepper until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the turkey back to the pan and toss it all with the Head Country Bar-b-Cue sauce.
- Meanwhile, split and toast the rolls.
- Fill each roll evenly with the turkey mixture.
- Cut the cheese into strips and cover each layering up as desired.
- Place the sandwiches onto a baking sheet and toast once again, until the cheese is melted, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh arugula for serving.
- See notes on tailgating or campfire prep for this recipe
Notes
To make this recipe for campfire or tailgating:
- mix the turkey with the sauteed veggies and sauce ahead of time and chill.
- Stuff each hoagie roll with the filling and top with cheese.
- Wrap in foil tightly for transport.
- Grill over coals, in foil, until the leftover smoked turkey sandwich is heated through and the cheese is melted.
- Use the foil wrapper to keep hands clean while enjoying!
Nutrition
Claire Watson says
Great use of my leftover smoked turkey. Good flavor. My bread started to burn after 2 minutes of broiling yet sandwiches weren’t hot through and through. I wonder if baking for a bit before broiling very briefly might have worked better?
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Kita says
Hey Hey Claire, yeah, broiling will blacken that bread! I head my filling through in the cast iron before I put it in the bread, so that it’s warmed before it goes into the rolls. The last moment in the broiler is just to melt the cheese on top.
Cheers,