Turkey Tails...Braised and Roasted

TURKEY TAILS...

it might be the last thing over the fence, but...

it's the best bite on the bird.

they're so delicious and so easy to prepare, but extremely hard to find more than one at a time...

and that ONE is usually attached to your Thanksgiving bird.

 back in Sept. '09 i posted about BBQ Turkey Tails...  well, i'm still eatin' tails and i thought i'd share this easy way to prepare them without going out in the cold and lighting the grill.  they're boiled, (or "braised" if ya want to get fancy) for a few hours while you're hanging around the house and roasted 'til they get plump, golden, sticky with glaze and absolutely unctuous !...i find this way they are even more succulent and delicious.  they are addicting...really.  i get all my friends and family to join the Turkey Tail Club.  some just can't wrap their head around the idea.  too bad, they aren't in the club!  some people are amazed and some are on the fence...no pun intended.  mostly it's just fun for me to watch the person, their reaction and see if they ask for another.

come on..you're a bit curious aren't you?...

i'm not kidding...if you can get a hold of some of these babies please try them.  the conversation alone is worth the small effort...besides you'll end up with some delicious broth if all else fails.

and they're CHEAP!!!

TURKEY TAILS...Braised (boiled) and Roasted

WHERE TO FIND THESE LITTLE NUGGETS???

 i'm lucky to have a store here in So. Cal called Gelson's that serves fresh roasted turkey everyday at the deli.  they, for some odd reason, keep the tails and package them up and put them up for grabs in the poultry section, about 6 per package runs about $1.50...i'm always curious...who the heck knows about these tails?  is there someone else out there that loves these things as much as i do?...if your market sells fresh roasted turkey, go ahead and ask what they do with the tails.  maybe some lucky guy in the back gets the best bite everyday...maybe he'll share.  otherwise, just ask your butcher where you might find some...if anything, both of you will get a good laugh out of it.

PREPARATION

short version...boil them in good flavorful stock for 3 hours, marinade for a few hours, then glaze and roast 'til sticky and golden brown.

more explicit directions...start these like you would any good stock or broth.  i'm always making stock with a roasted chicken carcass from Costco so i throw it all into the pot with a quartered large onion, a few celery stalks, a couple of carrots, 4-5 smashed garlic cloves, bay leaf, Mexican oregano, fresh rosemary sprig, a dash of cayenne, a tsp of cumin and some fresh ground pepper.  water to cover by an inch or 2...or better...throw in some homemade stock from the freezer or a can or 2 of store bought stock and water to cover.

NOTE...remember...your end product is not only the turkey tails but a delicious broth as well.

bring to a boil, then down to a slow simmer for about 3 hours.  check your liquid level a few time to make sure they are covered.

after about 3 hours, remove the tails from the pot.  strain your lovely broth and save for a rainy day.

NOTE...here's an odd thing.  sometimes there is a little feather membrane piece that is protruding from the top of the tail.  pull these out while they are warm...don't freak out.  there not always there and if they are it's 1 or 2 at most.

let the tails cool.  while cooling,  smother them in your favorite marinade/glaze.  the one i like best is by Soy-vay.  the Hoisin Garlic Sauce, but any tasty marinade/glaze will do.  you want them to rest and soak up the flavor.  anywhere from 1-3 hours is fine...i leave my in the fridge sometimes over night.

preheat oven to 370 F

place tails on aluminum covered (easy clean up) cookie sheet or roasting pan.  put in the oven and keep an eye on them.  you'll need to turn them and glaze them to get good and sticky.  time varies, but i have found about 30-40 minutes in total works well.

EATING A TURKEY TAIL

they not only look odd, but they ARE odd.  

this is one of those "GO FOR IT" instances where you just have to take in a huge bite to get the whole unctuous effect.  there's no nibbling here.  you need to bite the whole side off one side of the tail bone.  i wish i could demonstrate...it's kinda hard to explain.

another way to go is to remove each side off the bone with a knife, but still you must stick a whole side in your mouth...i promise you.

i'll stop now...geez, this is one of my longer posts.  i just get so excited about the strangest things.

so...ask yourself...

are you willing to join "THE TURKEY TAIL CLUB" ??? !!!