Spicy/Sweet Troll Tails (or Pig Tails If You Are Not a Troll Hunter)

This is an old family recipe passed down from my Great Grand Mother Guurtje Heemskerk (b1869). She was a famous Dutch Troll Hunter (even though some thought her sons were part Troll themselves). In this version I am using Pig Tails as they were available at my local butcher. :-)

These are perfect snacks for that spooky Halloween dinner party and it comes with a great story! The original recipe did not call for any spice but I evolved it to include spicy pepper flakes since I like things hot. I love the combination of Spicy and Sweet and it is also Sticky and Messy which are the hallmarks of a great dish!

• 3 Lbs of Pig Tails cut in 4 inch lengths
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 5 Onions Sliced
• 5 Beets Sliced
• Dried Scorpion Peppers (for less heat use your preferred Pepper)
• Coarse Sea Salt
• Pickling Spice (in cloth bag)

• Slice the onions into discs
• Slice the beets into discs (I accidently bought pre-cooked beets so there was less color transferred to the dish I was hoping for some red highlights)
• Place a couple of tablespoons of pickling spice in some cheesecloth and tie it up (this makes it so the spices can be easily removed from the finished dish)
• Chop up the fried peppers (warning wear gloves and do not touch your eyes or any other tender body part!)

Get a roasting pan that will hold the tails and allow you to cover them with water (my pan was too small but it was the only one I had)

• Start with a layer of onions
• add a layer of the pig tails
• add a layer of brown sugar
• add a layer of beets
• sprinkle the pepper flakes & a bit of coarse sea salt
• place the spice packed in the middle of the pan
• add a second layer of onions
• add a second layer of pig tails
• add a second layer of brown sugar
• add a second layer of beets
• sprinkle more of the pepper flakes & a bit of coarse sea salt

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Cover all Ingredients with water, wait till it soaks in and add a bit more water to fill it up.
• Cover the pan with tin foil to keep the steam in the pan.
• Bake for 3.5 Hours or until tails are fork tender and remove from the oven.
• Drain the liquid and the onions into a cooking pot.
• Place the tails on an un-covered baking tray
• Put them back in the oven at 425 for 10 minutes to brown them, turning them halfway through.
• Boil the Liquid on the stove top for 10 minutes on Medium / High until reduced by half.

Place the tails in a shallow bowl sticking the tips out to make it look scary! Pour some of the reduced liquid over top the dish. Fill a small bowl with some extra sauce as a dipping bowl

Add an orange hot pepper as a "Pumpkin"-ish Garnish.

Enjoy gnawing on the bones of the tails as you tell ghost stories!

Happy Halloween!