Crispy Grilled Pig's Tails Recipe

Well-simmered tails crisp up on the grill.

By
Chichi Wang
Chichi Wang: Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Chichi Wang

Chichi Wang wrote a variety of columns for Serious Eats including The Butcher's Cuts, in addition to other stories. Born in Shanghai and raised in New Mexico, Chichi took her degree in philosophy but decided that writing about food would be more fun than writing about Plato.

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Updated Nov. 03, 2022
Two pig's tails on the grill.

Serious Eats / J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Why This Recipe Works

  • A few hours of simmering does the bulk of the work.
  • Grilled pig's tails give you crispy skin and tender meat that's marbled with just a trace amount of fat.

Grilled pig's tails give you crispy skin and tender meat that's marbled with just a trace amount of fat. What more could you ask for in a pig part?

The method is simple. Simmer until tender, then toss them on the grill. You want to use half a chimney of charcoal that's spread evenly across the coal grate, so that you don't get too many flare-ups when the pork fat drips down into the grill. Serve with a sauce of some kind, or just freshly ground black pepper and salt.

May 2012

Recipe Details

Crispy Grilled Pig's Tails Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 2 hrs 20 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings

Well-simmered tails crisp up on the grill.

Ingredients

  • 6 pig's tails (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)

  • 2 quarts stock, low-sodium store-bought or homemade chicken broth (or water)

  • Kosher salt

  • Olive oil

Directions

  1. Place tails in a Dutch oven and cover with stock or water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cover and cook until tender, about 2 hours, adding extra liquid as needed. Let tails cool, then remove tails from stock and set stock aside for another use. Season tails with salt.

  2. Light one half chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Brush tails with a little olive oil. Grill, turning every few minutes until the skin is crispy and the meat is brown, 15-20 minutes. Remove from grill and serve with your choice of garnishes and seasonings.

Special Equipment

Dutch oven, grill

Notes

You can also grill tongue, trotters, ears, snouts, and hocks using this method.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
394 Calories
36g Fat
0g Carbs
16g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 394
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 36g 46%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Cholesterol 122mg 41%
Sodium 298mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 16g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 23mg 2%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 148mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)