Duck meat flavor!!

[scoopy]

Hi All!

Got a few Questions for you duck hunters out there!

I finally got out for my second time last weekend and managed to shoot a nice little Mallard on Kirkland Island in Ladner. This was the first bird I have ever harvested so I only took one, just in case I did not like the taste. I jumped in the boat and headed back to the 2 road boat launch, packed up the boat and went home. I breasted out the Mallard Drake and set up a frying pan with some onions, diced the breast and threw it in. Added a few spices and seasonings took it to the table. I tried it and found it to be horrible!! It smelled quite bad, and the taste was enough to put me off, but I shot it, so I finished it. Is it possible that I got a stinky over gamey bird? I love bird hunting, but won't continue if I don't like the taste. Do other birds taste better?
Help!

Matt

[Dirty]

Did you soak the meat in salted water? I heard that helps.

[pnbrock]

You Can Soak Them In The Finest Red Wine And They Still Taste Like Crap!however Have Had As Pepperoni Would Not Have Believed It Was Duck.

[longshot]

Watch how much salt, or it'll taste like salt water! If it stinks fishy, you got yourself a fish duck. What we do is soak it in plain cold water and just keep rinsing it with clean water to take as much blood out as possible. No salt or anything. Just a good washing/rinsing out.

It shouldn't stink like anything the moment you first cut it out. Maybe a "little" wild. THATS IT.

longshot jr.

[Marc]

Where was the bird shot? Was the chest and gut hit bad where the stomach juices might have soaked into the meat? Did the meat smell strong before you cooked it?

Some people just don't like the flavor of duck. Mallard is probably one of the mildest flavored dabbler ducks so unless you got a fishy one it's more then likely not going to get any better then what it was.

You may want to get someone who's done a bit of duck hunting and knows how to cook them to do some up for you so you can try it cooked the right way. Then get them to show you how to do it if you like it.

[870]

I find that the more you cook it the more the swamp taste comes out. try cooking it medium well

[f350ps]

Kirkland Island eh? You must have friends in high places. K

[kastles]

The best tasting duck I have had so far has been marinated in olive oil and heavy on the montreal steakspice overnight. Then BBQ'ed to a medium rare.

A duck was the first animal I had to gut and I found it had a stink when I opened it up but that was just what the inside of a animal(and probably us) smells like. When I ate that duck it was the same as all others since. I have also read somewhere on the great web that if you find duck to gamey to marrinade it in vinegar for a couple days. Try google duck recipes

kastles

[naes]

I had duck and geese for the first time at Christmas dinner. I did them up as bacon wrapped Appy's that I found in another thread posted by "Crazy Farmer" It was great All my family tried it and 2/3rds went back for seconds and thirds. The duck was more flavorful and tender the goose was a little tougher (not bad) but had less flavor.
If you go out again I would recommend trying this method.
The Thread was "Smoked roasted boneless Wooduck stuffed with chestnuts, wild rice and apples," Which was originally posted by Ian F.

[Steeleco]

I went out with Dutchie and Elkhound for my first ever duck hunt on Thursday. I was fortunate to bring home one duck. Cooked it up this morning for me and Buckwheat to try. We've never had duck before, but that one won't be the last. It cut and felt like cooking liver, but damn that was good.

All I need now is my own field to hunt on!!!! Next I've gotta try goose!!