BBQ TURKEY TAILS...i'm not kidding

this is just one of those things i absolutely could not pass up...and kinda glad i didn't.

TURKEY TAILS...

i mean, have you ever?!

would you ever?

could you ever?

I DID ! and i'd do it again. problem is, i have never, and might not ever, see these for sale again. i just couldn't pass them up. something so odd and so ugly will always catch my attention. lately i've been scaring myself (and others) with my quest for the odd, the ugly, the out of the ordinary...the..."are you REALLY gonna eat that?" type of foods.

let's just talk about these two nuggets of pure turkey goodness...

these two bites could possibly be the best bites of the whole turkey, could be because they are such a rare find and hard to obtain, but what ever, i found them delicious.

also, check out this funny little skeleton of the tail.

i find it so strange to think that ol' Tom's big huge turkey pride plume comes from this little fat nub. well, actually i have never thought about it at all.

just to clarify...i didn't set out to BBQ turkey tails. i was fixin' to grill up some legs and wings when i came across the tails. here's a great way to BBQ some turkey and keep it really moist, cooked all the way through, without charing the outside.

MOIST BBQ TURKEY(works really well w/BEEF RIBS too)

nothin' fancy, nothin' to it

you'll need a pretty big pot

i usually throw in 1 large onion

4 smashed cloves garlic

2 cut stalks celery

2 carrots cut

(the following is approx., i never measure)

1 T. tarragon

1 T. oregano

1 T. thyme

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

some cayenne

garlic salt

kosher salt

bring everything (meat included) to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.

turkey is about 1 - 1 1/2 hrs

beef ribs about 2 hrs.

basically season as you would some yummy broth, because after i remove the meat i like to reduce the liquid and use as a base to many other things. this last batch i had some beef ribs in as well and the broth reduced down to LIQUID GOLD.

when the meat is done (fork tender-not falling off the bone) remove from broth

i like to let it cool just a bit, then apply your favorite BBQ sauce (while warm) and let rest for a bit...i'm usually lighting the grill and preparing sides...

when the grill is very hot put meat on, close lid to infuse smokey-ness..continue to grill all sides of meat with good grill marks while closing lid between turns...might sound like intro to grilling 101, but that's how my grilling goes. you're not actually cooking the meat any more, you're just getting that grill flavor going. (hopefully your grill is well seasoned)

it ends up tasting like you grilled the meat through the whole cooking process, but it turns out really moist and you're insured it is cooked all the way through.

i know it's not rocket science, but the meat turns out perfect every time.