Mesquite Grilled Ground Chili Garlic Oil Turkey Tails (燒烤豆科灌木蒜油辣椒醬火雞尾, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Syun3 Jau4 Laat6 Ziu1 Zoeng3 Fo2 Gai1 Mei5)

Turkey tails are not the usual part of the turkey most people buy at their local supermarket, even though they are relatively inexpensive and available. If you’ve ever been to a Chinese delicatessen in the USA, turkey tails are a staple, often poached in soy sauce. So, they aren’t as uncommon as you think (you probably just never knew to look for them!). This is my grilled version of a Chinese delicatessen classic using ground chili garlic oil (which is made in Thailand!). You can, of course, use any other sauce if you can’t get ground chili garlic oil at your local Asian market.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

6	6	Fresh turkey tails (火雞尾, fo2 gai1 mei5)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Jack Hua brand Ground Chili Garlic Oil (蒜油辣椒醬, syun3 jau4 laat6 ziu1 zoeng3) or equivalent
½ cup	125 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
½ cup	125 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

Equipment

		Garlic press
		Tongs and an oil coated paper towel
22.5 in.	57 cm.	Covered charcoal or gas grill (or larger)

Instructions

Jack Hua Brand Ground Chili Garlic Oil
(蒜油辣椒醬, syun3 jau4 laat6 ziu1 zoeng3)

1. Prepare the turkey tails by removing any excess fat and remaining yellow skin. Ideally all the yellow skin was removed during the vendor’s turkey cleaning process, but some always remains and will prevent the marinade from penetrating the skin. Use your fingers and rub any remaining yellow skin from the turkey under cold running water.
2. Marinate the turkey in a covered container up to 48 hours, turning every 24 hours, in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, Jack Hua brand Ground Chili Garlic Oil or equivalent, soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Prepare the charcoal or gas grill for indirect cooking following the manufacturer’s instructions. Light the charcoal or preheat the gas grill accordingly. Soak the mesquite wood for smoking (pecan also goes well with this dish) for one hour if desired. I use dry and not soaked wood.
4. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the lighted coals on one half of the grill. The side of the grill with the coals (the “hot” side) will be used to grill the turkey and the side without the coals (the “cool” side) will be used for cooking the turkey. For a gas grill, follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to which burners to leave on for indirect cooking. Clean the grill grate and then, using tongs and a paper towel coated with oil, lubricate the grate to prevent the turkey from sticking. Put the smoking wood onto the coals or as per the instructions for the gas grill.
5. Place the turkey on the cool side of the grill and cook for 5-6 minutes covered. Uncover the grill and flip the turkey over. Put the turkey back onto the cool side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
6. Uncover the grill and place the turkey tails on the hot side of the grill until the skin browns for 1-2 minutes. Turn the turkey tails over to brown for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the turkey from the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. The temperature of your fire and previous experience with your grill will determine the total cooking time for the turkey.