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UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 6:48 am  Reply with quote
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Gentlemen, as well all know, duck hunting gets in your blood. There's nothing like a flock of greenheads dumping in your dekes to get your adrenaline going. I have been doing it since I was 7, so about 15 years now. Laughing I wish. Anyway, although I absolutely love duck hunting, they pale as table fare vs. all the upland birds I shoot, especially chukar and quail. For that reason alone, I just haven't been duck hunting much the last couple years. What to do? I would like to duck hunt more, but I won't kill something I won't eat. And when I have the choice between eating a duck or a chukar, the chukar wins hands down. Confused

Advice?
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pudelpointer
PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 7:03 am  Reply with quote
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Take your mallard breasts and brown them in olive oil. Then take McCormick hunter sauce gravy and mix with a cup of wine.Slice duck breast onto texas toast and cover with the gravy. If you don't want to shoot more ducks after that you don't have any taste buds.
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Haiwee
PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 8:09 am  Reply with quote
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My favorite recipe is to fillet the breasts (teal tastes the best, I think), cut them into bite-sized chunks, dip them in an egg mixture and then bread them in either corn meal or flour with lots of herbs and spices in it. I use oregano, thyme, pepper garlic salt and some creole seasoning. Then deep fry them in hot peanut oil for just a couple of minutes on each side. Don't overcook. Dip the nuggets in bleu cheese dressing or ranch dressing. Yummy!

I used to think of spoonies as a "junk duck," but with this recipe even spoonies taste great. A single canvassback prepared this way will feed three people. I do agree, however, that nothing beats chukar. It may be because they're so darned hard to hunt -- perhaps the effort required to bag even one or two translates into a deeper anticipation once they are placed on the grill.
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wildweasel
PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 9:19 am  Reply with quote
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If you can clean them up nice and freeze them, you may be able to give them away....

http://www.secondharvest.org/

Ducks unlimited's web site has a bunch of nice duck recipies too....and they may know who you can give extra ducks to if you shoot too many.

http://www.ducks.org/Hunting/SportingChefRecipes/133/SportingChefRecipes.html
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Terry Imai
PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 12:34 pm  Reply with quote
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Totally agree with the above post. My order in favorite birds are: sprig, green-wing teal, hen mallard, drake mallard and widgeon. The rest of the birds, I prefer not shooting unless my hunting partners will take them home for consumption. Two other items that you probably need to do when enjoying a duck dinner is to marinate your ducks breast (or if whole, breast down) in white wine for two days prior to eating. The other thing is to cook the duck at medium rare at the most. If the birds are medum or more, you have shoe leather/liver. Some people are concerned with various diseases that birds may collect but I feel that since they can fly, they must be somewhat healthy when compared to feed lot animals. Also, don't break the breast skin but ducks do get a whitish worm that may appear (has only happen just a few times in 25 years) just under the skin. You can see the rippling on the skin and I've been told you can still eat them but those couple of birds have gone to the trash.
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Mod 97
PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 1:55 pm  Reply with quote
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Not every meal you cook needs to be the best meal you've ever eaten.

That said, what methods of preparation are you using?

As mentioned, there are tons of recipes out there and if you don't like the taste of duck, cover it up. (Think seasonings and marinades) Duck and Goose Cookery (a cookbook by DU) has a wide variety of recipes that can be used to enhance or cover the taste.

If you shoot enough of them, grind em up and make sausage - 30-50% pork + seasonings. The lady that makes mine uses 7# of game to 3# of pork. Works great . . . Italian, Brats, Breakfast, Chorizo . . . and then use them in Chilli, Soups, Pizza, grill em up, etc.

NR

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UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 9:53 pm  Reply with quote
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Thanks for the replies. The sausage idea is excellent, and giving them away frozen makes sense too. I cook duck a variety of ways, including slicing breaded breast meet and frying them to med. rare with mango orange chutney. Tasty to be sure, but still a far cry from white meat upland birds. I guess they've spoiled me.

Regardless, I'll get after ducks a few times this year if I can, and see what damage I can do. I need an excuse to reload some bismuth for my Lefever 16 anyway. And besides, I need a new pair of waders, a sneakboat, and a new damascus duck gun would be nice too....
Very Happy
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Jeff Mulliken
PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:58 am  Reply with quote
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Find a copy of the story "The Great Duck Misunderstanding" by Russel Chatham. It was in Grays in the 70's. Read it 2X.

It's not about cooking but you can learn more about cooking a duck in that short story than all the cookbooks I own....and I collect cook books.

Jeff
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UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:15 am  Reply with quote
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Thank you Jeff, I will. It sounds intriguing.
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UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:20 am  Reply with quote
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Wildweasel, I just clicked on your link about donating to a food bank. What a fantastic idea! Very Happy
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Flawaterfowler
PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:27 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 02 Jun 2007
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

A good tasting bird begins with proper field care. This is especially important here in Florida where you can be hunting in a long-sleeved T shirt in January -- if it is warm out be sure that you gut and pluck the bird's breast as soon as possible and get it on ice... cant tell you how many times people say they dont like duck when the birds have been stewing in their juices in the field all day - of course its gonna taste nasty...

I do the marinating bit on many of the species we get down here (no wild mallards like points west and north of uus) especially with divers such as Ringnecks, scaup, and Redheads.

That said, a well cooked teal (either species) or wood duck is one of life's great culinary treasures. The key to cooking a duck properly is to ABSOLUTELY make sure that you do not overcook it -- it not only toughens the bird, but also gives them that distinct "livery" taste that many people dislike.

On small birds like teal I like to pluck the breast, "Breast" the bird (but keeping the ribs on - makes the meat savory) and then lightly season with S&P, maybe some herbs such as thyme, or maybe soy sauce. Get a grill HOT and brown the skin over the flame, then finish cooking over indirect heat. Again, DO NOT overcook your little treasures - after all it cost about $10,000 per pound ! Very Happy Cook those little suckers rare/med rare - if theyre grey when you finish, youve ruined them...

I also keep the livers (and scrounge them from my hunting buddies) to cook as well. If its a good puddle duck Ill also skin the rest of the carcass, remove the feet, etc. and then use the bones and scrap meat to make duck stock - delicious.

You can also make confit with your duck meat. Wonderful stuff, but dont tell your doctor about it or he'll give you a loooong lecture about ... well, just dont tell your Dr ( I know this from experience )

For some reason most ducks go well with asian spices. Polynesian kebabs are yummy.

Then again if you dont like duck - just leave 'em be for us poor slobs down here who dont have the joys of Chuckars, Huns, Pheasants, Grouse, etc etc etc etc.
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XVI'er
PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 4:47 am  Reply with quote
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Uncle Dan Fan, Have you ever tried smoked duck? This can be one of the most delicious ways of cooking your duck.

Now you didn't say which species of duck you hunt, but I try and shoot only puddle ducks here in TX. They don't cheat and eat a lot of fish like some of the divers do! Embarassed
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UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 6:24 am  Reply with quote
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That's a great idea. I have a nice electric canister smoker that would be worth a try. I only eat puddle ducks too (mostly mallards and widgeon), but in Washington, on the wet west side of the state (west of the Cascade Mountains), the ducks tend to be gamier than on the east side (the drier desert side), where they eat a lot of corn and are milder. Regardless, my whole point is that duck is still duck no matter how you cook it, compared to white meat upland birds. Having said that, I will try a combination of suggestions above to give it a go this year. I do miss whistling wings and talking to susies. I also need a sneak boat, new waders, etc. Joy oh joy Smile

Speaking of which, I also saw a Remington 1900 damascus 12b in very solid condition last weekend for about $350. I'm sorely tempted. I want to start reloading bismuth anyway.
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XVI'er
PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 12:50 pm  Reply with quote
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There you go, my brother! Use wood like apple or alder. Oak is OK, too. The best in my opinion is pecan. Hickory, beech, aspen and mesquite are good as well. I use a rub on the ducks which includes brown sugar, garlic, cayenne pepper, and Worcester powder. Oil the ducks first with EVOO ( extra virgin olive oil ) and then do the rub. Make sure the smoker temp is no higher than 210 degrees F. Make sure to soak your wood if it's dry. Smoking time varies but should be about two hours in the smoker, then finish in a hot 450 degree oven. Check meat when pan juices turn to light pink. Duck should be served slightly rare.

On the other hand, you could invite me ducking with you and I would be more than happy to prepare the birds for the table. Wink Wink Wink
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UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 6:37 am  Reply with quote
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Quote:
On the other hand, you could invite me ducking with you and I would be more than happy to prepare the birds for the table.


Be careful what you wish for, it could happen! I have to warn you though, the ducks up here are vicious man eaters. If you don't take them out with the first or second shot, I make no guarantees for your safety. Razz
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