Wild Duck
My men are going on their annual family duck hunt. In the unlikely event they actually bag any ducks, does anyone have an edible foolproof way to cook them? Our rule is that we eat what they shoot so I have tried a lot of ways to make duck palatable but have yet to find anything anyone wants to have seconds of.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
15 Comments:
try alton brown's duck a la o'range
nightmoon at 1:00PM on 12/29/08
@ ocarol, MMmm...I LOVE duck; wild or tame...you're SO lucky
The first rule in my home is to ensure ALL feathers are removed. If it is game and not professionally cleaned it can ruin the bird. For those little tiny ones that don't come out with tweezers or fingernails; I suggest using your kitchen (crémé brulée) torch to singe them off!
Check the weight of the bird. You usually want 1/2 bird per serving. As a general size; roast at 375 degrees for approximately 1 hour. But you know the rule; once the juices run clear!
I coat the bird with vegetable oil (not much though; duck has lots of tasty fat!) just to allow your seasoning to stick. My favourite wild-bird seasoning consists of:
• bayleaf
• marjoram
• peppercorns
• thyme
• rosemary
**I blend these guys up in my spice blender or morder-and-pestol (spelling?) and then just rub in the inside of the bird and outside.
Line the bottom of your roasting pan with some random various veggies (ie- carrots, onions, celery, parsnips) and use it as your roasting rack! This will also flavour the drippings. After the bird is ready use the yummi bits to make your gravy. You can even blend the veggies to add thickness and to avoid flour-y gravy.
I love wild duck with a nicely seasoned wild-rosemary rice. It's really easy to overcook the bird so keep an eye on it : ) Good Luck! I hope it turns out!
hungrychristel at 1:05PM on 12/29/08
Send them to me, I will use them all up gladly.
simon at 1:07PM on 12/29/08
@hungrychristel~mortar and pestle
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 1:40PM on 12/29/08
Just had one yesterday. Marinaded it overnight in sesame oil,soy sauce,ginger,garlic,red pepper flakes and 5 spice powder. Cooked it in a small crock pot for about 5 hours. Took all the meat off the bones and made duck fried rice. Yeah it was good.
chazmo at 2:13PM on 12/29/08
Thanks carolrsfMISSESTEXAS...Elton taught you well ha ha
hungrychristel at 2:30PM on 12/29/08
hahaha
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 2:40PM on 12/29/08
I know this is not a way for you to cook them, but my uncle brings the duck that he has hunted to a local Chinese restaurant. They prepare it about 5 or 6 different ways, including sweet and sour duck, and duck lo mein. It is delicious and a great way for the duck not to go to waste if you have a surplus!
ciaobella6 at 3:46PM on 12/29/08
@ciaobella! That is genius! If they come home with the limit (which would be 50 ducks and I am not holding my breath) the Chinese solution sounds like a winner to me!
@hungrychristel, if they show up with a couple of ducks yours looks like the best bet.
Thank you both!
ocarol at 6:08PM on 12/29/08
Duck GUMBO!!!! To die for.
lemons at 6:18PM on 12/29/08
My friend in Texas who is a huge hunter, and his wife a really great "cooker of game", is going to call me with a recipe later tonight. I have had awesome duck at their house.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 6:25PM on 12/29/08
@carolrsfMISSESTEXAS, I was a Texan in Florida for 10 years and finally returned to the promised land where chicken friend steak is the size of a large dinner plate and Mexican food is TEX MEX! It's good to be home. Thank you for inquiring about the duck for me.
@lemons I am going to search for a recipe for duck gumbo as we speak!
ocarol at 8:36PM on 12/29/08
We had the mot beautiful roast duck for Christmas. We rubbed the skin and stuffed it with garlic, herbs (rosemary, bay leaves, thyme), spices and honey, roasted it in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours draining the fat every half hour, rested it for another 30 minutes and served it covered in a gorgeous sauce made with 3/4 bottle of Italian red wine, a handful of plums (that had been soaking in the wine overnight), butter, honey, mixed spice, salt and pepper...it was simply stunning.
HappyMuncher at 10:17AM on 12/30/08
Ciaobella: Do you live in Sacramento? I know Simon's and Frank Fat's will do this for hunters here. I would love to know which restaurant your uncle brings them to!
As for the original question, I cook wild ducks and geese probably 50 days a year (yes, I am something of a marsh rat), and have tons of recipes here.
What you do with ducks depends on their condition: Fat ducks that aren't shot up get roasted, skinny ducks get braised, shot-up ducks are for rillettes, carnitas, sausage, etc. Unless you have a beautiful, fat duck (which you'll want to roast), break down the birds so you can cook the breasts medium rare (with a few exceptions, you want ducks to be pink, not gray or brown.) and braise the legs and wings.
And don't forget the livers make excellent ravioli filling and the hearts a tasty, if unusal, stir-fry. And the carcasses make fantastic duck stock or broth.
HunterAnglerGardenerCook at 11:17AM on 12/30/08
@ocarol~How awesome that we share the same name AND the Promised Land. I'm in Maryland but I will be back. People just don't understand! Until they experience it, that is. My father and my husband are both converts from the NE.
YEA TEXAS!
Oh sorry, topic. Here's the recipe from John, finally.
I've had this at their house and it is soo good. What he doesn't say is to remove the meat from the bones when time to serve.
Where in TX are you?
Sherry Duck
1. 1 quart of dry sherry
2. ½ cup vegetable oil
3. 2 cups water
4. ¼ cup butter
5. 1 teaspoon cayene pepper
6. 2 teaspoons white pepper
7. 2 table spoons parsley flakes
8. 8 ounces onion juice
9. 8 wild ducks (preferrably on carcass and skinned)(DO NOT use diving ducks as they will be greasy and smell fishy)(Use “puddle ducks” – mallards, gadwalls, widgeons, teal) Can also use geese or venison.
10. 8 bay leaves
11. 2 large or 4 medium onions
12. Season salt to taste
Combine first eight ingredients in large sauce pan and heat. Insert one bay leaf and ¼ of onion into body cavity of each duck. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Place ducks breast down in roast pan and pour ½ of sauce pan ingredients over ducks. Cover and bake at 350 degrees until tender (about 2 hours.) Reheat remaining sherry sauce and pour over ducks and let stand in fridge overnight. Reheat 30 minutes and serve with wild rice.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 11:09PM on 01/01/09