how2heroes » Grilled Pig Tails

Appetizers » Grilled Pig Tails

Give yourself about an hour and a half to prepare these guys and you're in for a tasty treat. Meaty and fatty (but Sydney Oland tells us that's where the taste is!) pig tails first get boiled for an hour with fragrant peppercorns, fennel seeds and cardamom pods. Then they hit the grill for 30-40 minutes. Toss with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve. They're juicy and crispy and have their own convenient built-in cartilage handles.

Print Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

4-6 peppercorns
2 tsp fennel seeds
5 cardamom pods, cracked
2-3 lbs pig tails
BBQ sauce of choice

Special Equipment

large stock pot
cleaver or large chef's knife
grill
tongs

How-to

Place pig tails, peppercorns, fennel seeds and cracked cardamom in a large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until tails are tender
Drain pig tails. (You can reserve the cooking liquid for another use - collard greens cooked in this liquid with a few chiles and rough chopped garlic is really succulent)
When tails are cool enough to handle, chop them into 2-3” pieces, using a large chef's knife or cleaver to cut through the bone
Preheat grill to medium-high and grill tails until crisp. Depending on the heat and your grill, this could take anywhere from 40-60 minutes. Be cautious of the fatty, boneless pieces. The fat tends to want to catch fire!
Once tails are crisp, toss in BBQ sauce to coat, and serve