Easy Duck Recipes?

[Southern Sportsman]

To be perfectly honest, I've never much cared for duck. I have typically had it wrapped in bacon and grilled either by itself or as a "duck popper" with pepper and cream cheese. I don't hate it like that, but don't particularly like it either. I'm really wanting to try some different recipes and hope to find a couple I actually like so I will eat more of what I kill. I'm fortunate to hunt a spot where we kill a respectable number of ducks each year and we give a lot away, but I would love to utilize more for myself.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

Just added that to my Christmas list. It may have some in it, but I would love to find a good duck crackpot recipe.

 

[TAFKAP]

This was the first duck I've ever cooked�..it was store-bought. When the recipe is done, boil down the steam water & you'll have a lot of duck fat to keep for future use. That stuff is delicious.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alto ... ecipe.html

And the Duck, Duck, Goose book is an excellent read. It teaches a lot about waterfowl in general, more than just being a collection of recipes.

 

[JimFromTN]

Wild ducks should not be cooked like farm raised ducks. They are all together totally different and do not taste even remotely similar.

Smoked duck and duck sausage are good. I have a friend who has his processor make duck summer sausage which is quite good. I have smoked duck on my charcoal grill which has turned out well and I have ground it and made my own sausage which works as well. You just have to remember to add fat.

Duck and sausage gumbo is always good.

If you like to experiment, completely debone the duck and tenderize it with a mallet. Take the meat and cut it up and use it in various dishes you would use beef or lamb for. I have made shepards pie with it and it turned out great. I have also made gyros with it. Flour and season it and fry it and add to a mushroom gravy and serve over noodles.

 

[TAFKAP]

Wild ducks should not be cooked like farm raised ducks. They are all together totally different and do not taste even remotely similar.

Smoked duck and duck sausage are good. I have a friend who has his processor make duck summer sausage which is quite good. I have smoked duck on my charcoal grill which has turned out well and I have ground it and made my own sausage which works as well. You just have to remember to add fat.

Duck and sausage gumbo is always good.

If you like to experiment, completely debone the duck and tenderize it with a mallet. Take the meat and cut it up and use it in various dishes you would use beef or lamb for. I have made shepards pie with it and it turned out great. I have also made gyros with it. Flour and season it and fry it and add to a mushroom gravy and serve over noodles.

I disagree. The problem with duck as most people are accustomed is that it's always boneless, skinless breast meat. The ability to properly sear a skin-on duck breast is a lost art, and leaner wild ducks are much easier to sear. They have less fat, and will cook better than a big ol' domestic Pekin that's been fed corn all its life.

The trick to searing a duck breast is cooking it skin-side down long enough (and at the right temp) to render out the fat in about the same time as it takes the skin to brown and crisp.

Try ordering a copy of Duck, Duck, Goose. It gives a ton of information in butchery, preparation, and the science behind cooking waterfowl. Plus, it goes into depth about the various species and their proper culinary applications. It's as much of a "how & why" book as it is "do & don't". But except for a few species, domestic & wild duck can be interchanged.

 

[JimFromTN]

Yes, wild ducks can be cooked exactly like a farm raised duck if you like the flavor of garbage. A flavor that even your dog would have a hard time dealing with. I double dog dare you to cook a wild duck the way you cooked your first farm raised duck. I guarantee you that it won't be even remotely close to being as good. The flavor of the meat is completely different because wild ducks don't eat the same thing as farm raised ducks, they fly unlike farm raised ducks, and wild ducks does not have the same fat content as a farm raised duck especially in resident early season ducks. Wood ducks in September have little to no fat. I have plucked my fair share of ducks to the point where I felt like I would never be able to use my fingers again due to the carpel tunnel and I have cooked them using farm raised duck recipes only to be disappointed. I have been duck hunting for 30 years and I completely understand where Southern Sportsman is coming from and I am simply sharing my experience.

Southern Sportsman does not really even like bacon wrapped duck and duck poppers. I hate to tell you this Southern Sportsman but there is probably no crock pot recipe that you would like if you don't really care for bacon flavored duck.

 

[TAFKAP]

To each his own, I guess. While I've never eaten a merganser, it's been described to me as tasting like a stray dog rolled up in wet carpet. But a December woodie or mallard is excellent eating.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

Southern Sportsman does not really even like bacon wrapped duck and duck poppers. I hate to tell you this Southern Sportsman but there is probably no crock pot recipe that you would like if you don't really care for bacon flavored duck.

Its not that I dont like the poppers, i've just been unimpressed by them given the prep work involved. I think part of the problem has been overcooking though.

 

[TAFKAP]

To each his own, I guess. While I've never eaten a merganser, it's been described to me as tasting like a stray dog rolled up in wet carpet. But a December woodie or mallard is excellent eating.

I did a Merganser stir fry with wings and legs that tasted just fine.

I remember that....I think it's testament to proper preparation & understanding of the critter you're cooking, rather than a blanket dismissal of something.

 

[waterman]

we wax and pluck the breast, fry them skin side down til skin is crispy, flip and fry til med rare. absolutely fabulous! overcook it and might as well throw it out. another way we do is like liver and onions with beef bouillon gravy. slice breast into medallions, pan fry in butter, remove from pan. add onions and cook till soft, add cup of beef broth and flour slurry. bring to boil then add duck back into gravy and serve over rice will make myself sick on the stuff! good luck

 

[Southern Sportsman]

X

To each his own, I guess. While I've never eaten a merganser, it's been described to me as tasting like a stray dog rolled up in wet carpet. But a December woodie or mallard is excellent eating.

I did a Merganser stir fry with wings and legs that tasted just fine.

I remember that....I think it's testament to proper preparation & understanding of the critter you're cooking, rather than a blanket dismissal of something.

A blanket dismissal of duck meat is my experience with 98% of duck hunters. I don't know why duck hunters fail so miserably when it comes to cooking. They spend thousands of dollars, often tens of thousands of dollars, annually to kill ducks and they don't know how/ can't cook their way out of a paper bag, have no interest in learning anything about cooking ducks and are, in fact, entirely dismissive of any suggestion that there are proper and improper ways to cook duck that include poppers. I don't know what it is. I like duck hunting, but I ain't so good at it, don't have a boat or a dog, many places to duck hunt (mostly divers where I do hunt), and only go a handful of times after deer season, but, duck hunters have such a bad attitude about eating ducks that it kind of makes me hate duck hunters and mainstream duck hunting culture at large which does nothing to promote the culinary aspects of waterfowling. You know how you have at least one friend who has a bratty child who is a spoiled rotten, picky eater -always gets his way, refuses to eat anything but a short list of food and throws a temper tantrum when the food options don't cater to his or her short list? "Johnny is coming over but he only eats Oscar Myer hot dogs, ketchum and potato chips"..... duck hunters are that bratty kid. :cry:

I'm glad I'm trying to venture out and make myself cook duck a few different ways. I dont want to be a bratty kid anymore.

 

[TAFKAP]

[ You know how you have at least one friend who has a bratty child who is a spoiled rotten, picky eater -always gets his way, refuses to eat anything but a short list of food and throws a temper tantrum when the food options don't cater to his or her short list? "Johnny is coming over but he only eats Oscar Myer hot dogs, ketchum and potato chips"..... duck hunters are that bratty kid. :cry:

That seems to be the prevalent notion beyond waterfowl.

1) Soaking meat in salty water
2) Soaking meat in milk
3) Kraft Zesty Italian
4) Bacon-wrapped anything
5) Poppers
6) Dale's/Soy Sauce/Worchestershire Sauce/Allegro
7) Crock Pot
8) Cream of __________
9) Fried _______ <----now don't get me wrong, because fried meat is delicious. But frying backstrap is unforgivable

 

[Southern Sportsman]

I'm taking baby steps. Trying a version of this recipe tonight:
http://www.mackspw.com/content--name-Re ... ck-Breasts

This weekend I am going to try searing a few to medium rare, skin on and making some sort of sweet reduction sauce to pair with it. Also plan on trying the duck with onion and gravey over rice listed above.

 

[BamaProud]

Some people just don't like duck. I love it, grew up hunting the Mobile Delta...and yea we cooked duck many of the same ways people cook farm raised ducks. My Mom was always experimenting. it surely never tasted like garbage. I frequently order duck(farm raised) in restaurants and I don't think they are superior to wild ducks.

I don't think we ever "breasted" a single duck. A simple oven roasted whole duck with any of a dozen types of sauce made from the drippings is delicious.

...some types of wild ducks have different flavors, but nothing we ever ate was awful. We even deep fried coots on occasion (pul-due's we called them)

 

[TheLBLman]

To each his own, I guess.

I concur.

Best recipe I've ever tried was one my Grandfather came up with back in the Great Depression (when he was quite possibly a market hunter).

His secret recipe called for beginning with a very large, deep-sided, well-seasoned iron skillet.

Of course, next, a single whole duck (with or without the skin). The duck need not be marinaded nor have had anything else done to it other than feathers & entrails removed, and the recipe works just as well simply with breasted birds, including coots & mergansers.

On low heat, melt about a stick of butter in the big iron skillet, and just keep it warm until you have everything ready for the real cooking. You can roll the duck in a little flour or meal if you like before proceeding to next step.

Next, collect enough fresh cattle manure to line the skillet about an inch deep. (Alfalfa-fed cattle will provide the most pleasantly aromatic cooking experience and produce the best flavor.) Place the duck (whole or part) in the skillet, then place the whole (uncovered) skillet in the oven (at about 375 degrees) until the duck appears quite browned and "almost" done.

Remove skillet from oven, and place on hot burner. "Put the heat" to that duck, turn a couple times, and be sure everything in the pan is bubbling and popping. Throw the duck to the dogs, and dine on what's left in the pan ---- best-tasting way to cook a duck, and works great on even coots & mergansers.

Salt & pepper to taste.

 

[TAFKAP]

 

[Grandslam11]

I just made my first ever duck last night and it was great. I got the ducks home and breasted them out and cleaned them off real good. I then soaked them in salt water for a few hours. I drained the water and then soaked them in worchestire sauce, soy sauce, and some steak rub over night. Got them out last night, wrapped them in bacon and threw them on the grill. They were delicious. I let them grill on high heat until the bacon looked right and pulled them off. They were about medium rare and were perfect. Hope this helps.