Smoked turkey tails are so indulgent they’re like the pork belly of the bird. Here’s everything you know about how to smoke them.
Turkey tails are an underrated and often discarded part of the bird that actually offers a unique culinary experience. With their rich, meaty flavor and versatility, turkey tails deserve a place in your kitchen. Here are 9 delicious ways to make the most of this tasty cut of meat.
What Are Turkey Tails?
Turkey tails are the tailbone of the turkey, attached to a small piece of fatty, flavorful dark meat They are commonly removed and discarded during processing. However, turkey tails have a long history in Southern cuisine where they are prized for their bold taste
The meat on the turkey tail contains a high percentage of fat, giving it a tender and juicy quality when cooked. Many compare it to pork belly in texture. The skin crisps up nicely when smoked or fried too.
Boiling Turkey Tails
One of the simplest cooking methods for turkey tails is boiling. Simply cover the tails with water, season with your favorite herbs and spices, and gently simmer until fully cooked and tender. The low, moist heat from boiling makes the meat super tender while keeping all the juices locked in.
Boiled turkey tails pair nicely with vegetables grains and traditional Southern sides like collard greens. Try boiling them with aromatics like garlic, onions, and bay leaves for extra flavor.
Roasting Turkey Tails
Roasting turkey tails in the oven yields crispy, golden brown skin covering tender and succulent meat inside. Season them generously with spices or rubs before placing them on a sheet pan lined with foil or parchment paper.
Roast at 400°F, flipping halfway through, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. The high heat helps render the fat and crisp the skin beautifully. Chop up roasted turkey tails to add richness and depth to dishes like dirty rice, sandwiches, tacos and more.
Frying Turkey Tails
For an indulgent, crispy treat, fry up some turkey tails. After seasoning the tails, dredge them in an egg wash followed by flour, cornmeal or panko breadcrumbs. Deep fry at 350°F until golden brown and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
Fried turkey tails make a crave-worthy snack, appetizer or topping for Southern comfort food. Try them on top of greens, beans, mashed potatoes or mac and cheese.
Smoking Turkey Tails
Smoking brings out incredible flavors in turkey tails. Rub the tails with spices and brown sugar before cooking them slowly over indirect heat for 2-3 hours, until fork-tender. Apple, cherry, pecan and hickory wood chips infuse irresistible smoky notes.
Chop up smoked turkey tails to make carnitas-style tacos, pile them on sandwiches or enjoy them whole with your favorite barbecue sides.
Braising Turkey Tails
For fall-off-the-bone tender turkey tails, try braising them in broth or tomato sauce. Brown the seasoned tails first to develop flavor before adding your braising liquid of choice.
Cook covered at a low simmer until extremely tender. The braising liquid becomes a delicious sauce or gravy for serving. Mix braised turkey tails into bean dishes, pile them on cheesy grits or serve over creamy polenta.
Making Turkey Tail Stock
Simmer turkey tails in water with vegetables, herbs and spices to produce a rich and flavorful turkey stock perfect for soups, stews, gravies and more.
After straining, you can pick any remaining meat off the tails and use it for chicken salad sandwiches, turkey tetrazzini or turkey pot pie. Don’t let anything go to waste!
Grilling Turkey Tails
The high, dry heat of the grill helps render fat while imparting delicious char. Prepare an indirect fire with a cooler side to cook the tails low and slow. Use a sweet glaze or barbecue sauce near the end to caramelize the skin.
Chop up grilled turkey tails to top loaded baked potatoes, nachos or chili.
Turkey Tail Stir Fry
Turkey tails work great in flavorful stir fry recipes too. Simmer and shred the meat before tossing it with crisp veggies and a savory sauce in a hot wok. Turkey tails match well with classic stir fry flavors like ginger, garlic and hoisin sauce.
Serve turkey tail stir fry over rice noodles or steamed rice.
Creative Ways to Use Turkey Tails
Beyond traditional cooking methods, get creative with how you use turkey tails!
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Make unique turkey tail burgers by grinding and mixing the meat with spices.
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Chop smoked turkey tails and add to your favorite casserole or soup recipe for extra richness.
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Stuff peppers, squash or mushrooms with a mixture of turkey tail meat, veggies, cheese and grains.
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Simmer turkey tails into bean dishes like chili, ham and beans or hoppin’ john.
With their versatility and bold flavor, turkey tails can elevate so many dishes. Don’t toss them out – try these tasty recipe ideas and discover their delicious potential.
Turkey tails are a flavorful and versatile cut that deserves a place in your kitchen. Boil, roast, fry, smoke, braise or grill them to bring out their best qualities. You can also use turkey tails to make stock, stir fries, stuffed veggies and more. With so many possibilities, it’s time to start cooking up these underrated turkey parts. What will your first turkey tail dish be?
Cookin with Cowboy Charcoal
These turkey tails can be smoked up on any type of grill, but for today’s recipe, I used my PK Grill with Cowboy Charcoal hardwood briquets.
You want to set your grill up with an indirect heat zone to allow the tails to smoke slowly.
I find the briquettes add plenty of smoke flavor, but if you want you can also add 1-2 wood chunks. Cherry, pecan and oak all would work great.
Disclosure: I am a paid ambassador for Cowboy Charcoal.
How long to smoke them
After the first hour, you’ll see the fat start to rise to the surface and glisten.
By hour two, they really start to develop the dreamy mahogany color.
Then, about 30 minutes later, they should be perfect.
While they’re technically safe to eat at an internal temperature of 165F degrees, it’s important to render the fat as much as possible, I take them to 205-210f degrees.
You can technically remove them from the grill and eat them just like this, but I like to add one more layer to the skin by adding a glaze.
Place a small pot over the charcoal and add honey, soy sauce, dijon mustard and garlic. You can also add a couple dashes of hot sauce if you like.
Let this boil and thicken and then brush it all over the tails. Remove the pot from the grill, close the lid, and let the glaze set for about 10 minutes.
Turkey tails – and what to do with them.
FAQ
What do you do with a turkey tail?
If you shoot several turkeys a year, you can serve tails as appetizers to your adventurous friends. Another option is to toss the tail in with the bird’s legs or thighs when braising. That will render out the fat and impart flavor. At the very least, you can utilize it in stock.
What is turkey tail meat used for?
While many recipes I found online involved using turkey tails to flavor beans and rice, collard greens, or stews some recipes used the turkey tail as the main course. I encourage you to try them roasted, smoked, slow-cooked, and marinated.
What do turkey tails taste like?
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Fatty and rich:The primary flavor characteristic is its high fat content, making it quite rich and juicy.
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Dark meat-like:Taste profile is often compared to darker cuts of turkey meat with a slightly stronger flavor.
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Gamey nuance:Some people may detect a subtle gamey taste due to the bird’s natural flavor.
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Not widely consumed:In most parts of the US, turkey tails are not commonly eaten due to their texture and fat content, although some cultures may utilize them.