Anyone Cook Duck?

[Dusty Stevens]

If you take the duck breast, cut it into strips, marinate it for a few days, wrap it with bacon and jalapeno, grill it, throw away the duck meat and eat the bacon and jalapeno its pretty good stuff. Here in the duck capital of the world we do it that way or in gumbo.

 

[Ringostar]

I’ve done them in the oven with orange juice in the pan and orange chunks in the cavity. That comes out good, however I prefer to smoke them. I did one recently in the smoker. Brine it overnight, then smoke with pecan wood. It’s amazing!

 

[DirtySteve]

Bring a pot of water, soy, honey, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and salt to a boil. Ladle the boiling soy mixture over the skin until it looks cooked. The object is to flavor and remove the natural oils from the skin so it gets really crispy. You'll see the skin blister along the way. Then put it on a drying rack, preferably with a fan on it for an hour or three. While it's drying. Reduce the liquid until it is thickened to an oil like consistency. When the duck is dry, roast it in a covered roasting pan either in the oven or a grill. Slice it against the grain and make sure some of the crispy skin goes with each serving. Drizzle or dip in the reduction. Enjoy.

This is close to what I had done...

I think mine was slightly under cooked not enough to be off putting though. I ate a leg and served the breast meat to my wife and neighbor. My neighbor seem to enjoy her portion.. She is a petite 70 plus year old lady that eats wild game all most exclusively.. She is one hard working lady taking care of 18 Fjord horses...

 

[ronsatspokane]

First pluck and put the fearthers in a bag do not disgard. next place duck in oven at 350 bake 1 hour. when done throw duck to your dogs and eat the feathers

Lol. This sounds like the easiest recipe.

 

[nmkid]

I seemed to notice that a bunch of ingredients is used to make the duck taste good. So, are you tasting the duck or the spices? Reminds me of an old hunting buddy in Wyoming that used to say that antelope tasted better than elk! I asked how he cooked the antelope...The list of spices he used was as long as my leg!!

 

[wkdickinson]

Don't make the mistake of thinking that wild duck and domestic duck are anywhere near the same. Their similarities end with the "quack" and the name duck. My Dad loved to duck hunt, consequently we ate LOTS of ducks when I was a kid. My mother was a very good cook except when it came to venison and wild duck, both of which she roasted until they were as tough as leather and tasted like dry liver. I always blamed my hatred of wild duck on the way my mother cooked them. But I too love to hunt ducks and I am a very accomplished cook. I have tried cooking wild duck in every way possible and ultimately they still always taste like wild duck - yuck!

On the other hand "tame" duck is a completely different story. Rendering the fat is one of keys, so low and slow to start with, then finish them hot to get a really crispy skin. There are lots of great recipes around, that are easy and turn out great - seriously good eating.

 

[Sniper338]

Domestic duck and wild duck is two way different ducks.

If domestic store bought, its clean meat, its not the nasty bloody and infused with seagrass and taste like hell wild duck.

Cut into strips, Marinate in italian dressing for a day, roll it up in bacon cream cheese and jalepeno. Put on scurrs and grill it.

A whole duck with fat still on it good, season it up, inside and out, a stick of butter inside then stuff with sauerkraut. Bake real low and slow for like 6 hours. When the juices run clear.. meat pulls off, the fat, butter and sauerkraut juice makes a hell of a sauce/dip for the meat.

Also the only wsy i like wild duck... but you gotta prep wild duck more and get bloodout of it, otherwise its like liver...


But the domestic white meat duck is nothing like wild bloodshot duck meat. Two big big different ducks.

If yall aint never had good duck meat youve hnever had it made good.

Grilled duck with an apricot jam glaze is badass too. Glaze is good on quail and all.

Chicken fried lion even better than duck though. Never look at a house cat the same again.

 

[Knotwild]

Domestic duck and wild duck is two way different ducks.

If domestic store bought, its clean meat, its not the nasty bloody and infused with seagrass and taste like hell wild duck.

A whole duck with fat still on it good, season it up, inside and out, a stick of butter inside then stuff with sauerkraut. Bake real low and slow for like 6 hours. When the juices run clear.. meat pulls off, the fat, butter and sauerkraut juice makes a hell of a sauce/dip for the meat.

But the domestic white meat duck is nothing like wild bloodshot duck meat. Two big big different ducks.

If yall aint never had good duck meat youve hnever had it made good.

Grilled duck with an apricot jam glaze is badass too. Glaze is good on quail and all.

Chicken fried lion even better than duck though. Never look at a house cat the same again.

Different species of wild ducks eat different kinds of food. Most of the wild ones we take are taken over flooded corn fields - corn fed. Some species you just don't eat, like mergansers. Try some widgeon. Beautiful larger wild duck usually with abundant white fat. I do brine my ducks for a day or so because steel 2's and 4's flying supersonic do cause bleeding.

 

[autoparts]

Cut to bite size nuggets take duck and a pepper chino wrap in BACON grill to medium.

 

[Sniper338]

Different species of wild ducks eat different kinds of food. Most of the wild ones we take are taken over flooded corn fields - corn fed. Some species you just don't eat, like mergansers. Try some widgeon. Beautiful larger wild duck usually with abundant white fat. I do brine my ducks for a day or so because steel 2's and 4's flying supersonic do cause bleeding.

Ive ate duck. I used to own an airboat and 15 dozen decoys.

 

[DaveTooley]

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cassoulet-107409

 

[DaveTooley]

After reading the bread thread I got to thinking about fresh pasta.
Duck Ragu with fresh pappardelle pasta. Nice bottle of wine, fresh bread, candles.
Tonight might be the night!!!!

 

[Kurz]

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cassoulet-107409

I have to chuckle since the minute I read this topic, the first thing that came to my mind was Cassoulet. Dave is right, this method works incredibly well with wild birds of almost any specie.

Growing up near the Mississippi Flyway, the opportunity to hunt ducks was always a seasonal treat. But we also hunted pheasant, chukar, quail and dove so we generally had a selection of wild birds in the freezer to work with. Turkeys were reserved for holidays. Obviously, when we got down to the last few birds, we had to find some way to use up what was left. The answer was Cassoulet!

My fortune was growing up around 2 grandmothers and 9 aunts who all raised large farm families and knew how to cook. Cassoulet came easy except for the name since middle America at the time was not very accepting of anything which smacked of the elitist French style of cooking. But as is often the case, we just called it 'casserole'. What I recall were the seemingly infinite variations applied to this theme. Most were never the same and all were wonderful.

Try it, you'll like it!

 

[Kurz]

After reading the bread thread I got to thinking about fresh pasta.
Duck Ragu with fresh pappardelle pasta. Nice bottle of wine, fresh bread, candles.
Tonight might be the night!!!!

This has to stop as this is still morning and I'm ready for dinner!

Being raised on a farm, we generally had wild pheasants as a staple. One of my grandfathers had a small smokehouse which was usually occupied with hams but we added some pheasant to on occasion... Enter Smoked Pheasant Tetrazzini!

https://3cedarsretrievers.com/sample-page/pheasant-or-chukar-tetrazzini/

Enjoy!

 

[jrm850]

This has to stop as this is still morning and I'm ready for dinner!

Being raised on a farm, we generally had wild pheasants as a staple. One of my grandfathers had a small smokehouse which was usually occupied with hams but we added some pheasant to on occasion... Enter Smoked Pheasant Tetrazzini!

https://3cedarsretrievers.com/sample-page/pheasant-or-chukar-tetrazzini/

Enjoy!

That recipe just got bookmarked. We just started doing tower shoots where I work so we have Pheasant now, just no experience cooking them. (N. Florida)

 

[JSH]

Wood ducks,gadwall and teal are at the top of my list. I will let a bunch of mallards land just to get a chance at the other three I mention.

Canada goose breast, I can make come out almost like prime rib. Also boned out all the leg and thigh meat, some I would grind and had several ways I would use it.

Most bad water fowl has been poorly taken care of and over cooked. I gut them ASAP, I have even packed snow in goose cavities after gutting.

Antelope was brought up. Depends what part of the country it came from. Lots of sage, I will soak in milk over night, changing it at least once. Makes a beak of a difference. Western Kansas, grain and alfalfa fed, better than venison.

 

[helmut in the bush]

I too am not a fan of the iron, liver tasting wild duck breast, love to hunt them though.

 

[Coonman300]

We shoot a fair amount of wood ducks and tried several different ways. To me, I like to pluck the breast and then filet the meat off the breast bone. I pluck instead of skin the breast so the skin/fat will cover one side of meat. I season and marinate exactly like a steak. For me that’s some Lawreys seasoned salt and some Moore’s (like Dales but not as salty.). Let that sit for an hour or so and cook on a hot grill for 2-3 minutes a side. Needs to be rare...no more than med rare. My wife makes a black cherry sauce that is sweet and serve with that and wild rice. My favorite way. Never cared for it cooked in the oven. Good luck.

 

[Delfuego]

You guys are f'in up. If you can cook a steak, you can cook a duck breast. For the other parts look up duck confit. If you over-do it will taste bad, be tough and you won't buy it again.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Yes to the steak like duck above.

Also, slice the breasts into strips and coat with your favorite fajita seasonings.
Cook your peppers and onions first, then remove from cast iron skillet.
Add a touch of oil and cook the strips like you would cook your beef.
Serve with flour tortillas, Spanish rice and some beans.
Nom, nom.