Re: First post - Second duck - Will it last?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
walks with deer
wow of you want to prep all the meat like that i will put you infront of deer... great job!!!@
Thank you! And please tell that to my wife! She's generally a vegetarian - to her full credit she tried the duck tonight - but is having a hard time getting over the idea of "farm" to table. I tried to conceal the cleaning part as much as possible but it seems she saw enough to be good after one bite, however, my mother in law really enjoyed it... Go figure, lol...
I would absolutely love to get in front of a deer. Similar to duck hunting this season I don't really know where to start, but I'm slowly acquiring information. A deer seems a bit overwhelming at this stage but I plan to get there.
It seems to me that if a guy is going to put in as much effort as is required to hunt the animal, then he ought to put some into cooking it.
Re: First post - Second duck - Will it last?
Good on you, nice attitude. Steve!
Re: First post - Second duck - Will it last?
Congrats man. I normally pluck the feathers and then BBQ the ducks.
Re: First post - Second duck - Will it last?
Your cleaning/plucking job looks so professional I would have never guessed that bird came from the wild! Beautiful looking drake mallard to boot,,,,,the KING of ducks! lol
Re: First post - Second duck - Will it last?
Re: First post - Second duck - Will it last?
The first thing that caught my eye when I looked at this post was "plucking job" that I would do credit to a chef. Nice job. The finished duck looks perfectly done also and I am an avid coffee drinker do maybe I'll try the rub.
Re: First post - Second duck - Will it last?
Good job, hunting, plucking, cleaning and cooking. Next time save the gizzard too.
So after showing that coffee rub you have to post the recipe!!
What part of the country?
Re: First post - Second duck - Will it last?
This advice is a bit late for your second duck.
So, for your third and others.
Ducks (waterfowl) and upland gamebirds are so much better if you age them for a while.
This is something that most current hunters did not learn from their Elders.
It's time to revive this lost knowledge.
So much less goose jerky and sausage would be made if people aged them first. ;)
Birds experience rigor mortis just like big game.
Let the duck rest at least a few days (3-5) minimum before eating.
You will be very pleasantly surprised at how much more tender the meat becomes.
Hearts, gizzard and liver from most waterfowl are great eating.
Save up a bunch and the potential uses expands exponentially.
Re: First post - Second duck - Will it last?
Wow Gents - all the plucking compliments are a bit humbling because I don't really know what I'm doing. I watched a few videos and took my time, you guys are too kind.
Walking Buffalo - I actually did notice a difference in the same duck letting half of it sit in the fridge for five days. I wasn't sure if it was in my head but I found it more tender and that it tasted a bit better. Thanks for confirming this and, from my very limited experience, it seemed to make a difference.
For those that asked, I got the recipe from The Meateater Fish and Game Cookbook (Steven Rinella). It's the one he uses for duck nacho's but he says in there you'll like it so much you'll want to try it without nacho's, which is what I did:
Rub:
2lbs duck breasts (skin on)
1 tablespoon of ground coffee beans
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Checker the skin (don't go into the meat) and add the rub. Cook it skin side down to render the fat from the skin then flip it, cover it, and cook it to 127 degrees for medium rare or 130-135 degrees for medium. Slice it thin and it's delicious!
Located in the lower mainland for those that asked. Also, always looking for property somewhere else in the province... Open to anywhere.