How to Bake Turkey Tails
Turkey tails are full of fat and full of flavor, so make them extra crispy when baking in the oven. These little gems are sold as turkey tail packages at many grocery stores. Marinating the tails before you bake them makes the bundles of fat even more flavorful. Baking the tails on a wire rack enables some of the fat to drip off, which keeps the skin from being soggy. Enjoy your turkey tails with a large serving of white or brown rice to soak up the fat.
Prepare a side dish of baked turkey tails for your holiday table. (Image: acceptfoto/iStock/Getty Images)Step 1
Prepare a marinade for turkey tails by mixing the distilled white vinegar, soy sauce, dark brown sugar, granulated garlic, ground black pepper and a sliced small onion in a bowl. Stir to thoroughly combine.
Step 2
Rinse 2 to 3 lbs. of turkey tails, and pat them dry with paper towels.
Step 3
Place the turkey tails in the bowl of marinade for 45 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes.
Step 4
Drain the turkey tails and the onions through a colander for 10 minutes.
Step 5
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 6
Line the baking sheet with the foil, and place the wire rack over the sheet.
Step 7
Spray the rack with nonstick pan spray.
Step 8
Place the turkey tails, bottom side down, on the wire rack, leaving about ½ inch around each tail. Wrap the onions in a small piece of heavy-duty foil, and seal to close.
Step 9
Bake the tails and the onions in the oven for about an hour, or until themeat is cooked done and the skins are crispy.
Step 10
Prepare a sauce for the turkey tails by combining the distilled white vinegar, soy sauce, chopped yellow onions, chopped green onions, hot pepper flakes and grape tomatoes in a large glass bowl.
Step 11
Remove the cooked turkey tails from the oven, placing them in the bowl of sauce.
Things You'll Need
Large bowl
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 small onion, sliced
2 to 3 lbs. turkey tails
Paper towels
Colander
Rimmed baking sheet
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Wire baking rack
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped yellow onions
2 tbsp. chopped green onions
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
5 grape tomatoes, halved
Tip
Serve immediately with rice and the side of baked onions.
Put the oven on broil at the very end of the baking time if you want the skin extra crispy and slightly burnt.
Leave the hot pepper out of the sauce if you do not want it spicy.
