Now that the duck hunt is on, I was wondering what is your favorite way to cook them. My family has only had duck 2 or 3 times and we find we never like them. So I thought to ask all of you and put it to the test.
Thanks,
Rabid Fisher
[signature]
Good luck, I laugh when people tell me they have a "can't fail recipe".
Duck is the worst tasting meat I have ever had. I have tried marinades, frying, dutch oven, plucked, skinned.
I will hunt them if someone is willing to eat them. If I had to eat them I would try to make them into jerkey. I did try that, and it wasn't too bad.
Let us know if you find the "right" recipe.
[signature]
I jerky 90% of mine. They are really not bad that way, heck my kids gobble it up like it is going out of style. One thing to keep in mind is the type of duck you harvest. If you are taking divers and trying to eat them then you are not going to like it much.
No matter what I do I alway let the breast or chunks sit in condensed milk for at least overnight 24 hours is better, this is even before putting them in a marinade. The milk will be pinkish red after 12 hours. Drain it and rinse the meat then pat dry.
Two recipies I have found that work well after soaking in condensed milk are:
Make a zesty Italian dressing, make it a little more condensed than directed. Put duck breast in that and let marinade 24-48 hours. pull breast from container and wrap with 2-3 pieces thick bacon and secur with a couple toothpicks. Cook on grill or oven until the bacon is done. The duck will be medium to medium rare. Do not overcook.
Another one:
Cream Cheese
Garlic Powder
Canned whole halapeneos or peppercinis, split and seeded.
Bacon
Cut duck brest into 1 inch squares, pound flat. Take cream cheese, the fattening kind, and garlic powder and mix together to form a paste. Put a dollop on center of duck, roll and the roll into split seeded pepper. Wrap in bacon, securing with toothpick or kebob. Grill until bacon is well done.
Try cutting the breast meat into large cubes and use it jambalaya in substitution for the other meats used. Also ground and used in chili is not bad when mixed with the burger.
There are others but the real key to turning duck palatable is to soak in a mixture to draw out the blood. I have found that condensed milk does a great job. A cure of table salt, brown sugar, soy sauge and a fresh squeezed orange for 24 hours will help as well.
Stay away from divers. Shoot Malards, Teal and Widgeon. The only divers I would think of eating are Ringnecks and Canvasbacks and those are pretty rare up here.
[signature]
I have friends that are Thai and give all mine to them. They cook them up in some kind of sauce with veggies and noodles. They taste good when they make them. When I make it they taste like liver with feathers. I don't know how they cook them and don't care, as long as I get a little of the finnished product.
So, I guess my advice is find someone that can cook Thai food. I've also had them in Korea and they are good that way too. It's called (apologizies to my Korean friends) oliegogi, or something like that.
IFG
Ok, ok. You want the best damb duck recipe in the world, here it is.(No it does not involve "eating the shingle").
Start as IFG said and let them soak overnight in buttermilk or atleast very salted water. Rinse with cold water and pat dry. Make a mix of batter with flour, bread crumbs, parmasean cheese, and garlic, onion, and cajun seasoning. Cut the breasts at a 45 degree angle width wise and run them in an egg wash. Coat them very heavily(sometimes even dip them twice in egg and batter) and put them in hot oil till all of the blood runs out. Don't cook too long or they get tough very fast.
Now the kicker. Make a 50/50 mix of ketchup and pancake syrup and dip the battered pieces in it. I have had numerous people say how horrible duck is and then change their mind after trying it this way.
Try and cut off all blood shot meat. It leaves a nasty spot in the flavor. Try this method and i think you will like it. Let me know if you try it. Or anyone else for that matter.[cool]
[signature]