The Best Tasting Duck?

[katharinad]

As I've said it is a personal taste thing. There is just no way of saying one is suburb over the other. My father was a chef, and they perfect their cooking technique for one duck. Then they cook a different type and they don't like it as much. They have to perfect their technique for the other type before they will like it. I remember my father constantly playing with techniques. I know he cooked wild ducks differently then farm raised ones. You see all the confusion it can cause. I have very large ducks, because A) I don't want my dogs to mess with them, and B) I wanted a German breed. Something from my home country.

I know it sound crazy, but I don't care. I truly love my Saxony ducks. They are so laid back and fit right in with my dogs. In the evening they all lay on the deck doing nothing. That is 4 dogs and 9 ducks. Occasionally the cat joins in too. He is an image with two of our younger ducks while the dogs where playing crazy.

 

[sourland]

I vote for muscovy/mallard derived breed X as my first choice. Young muscovy as my second choice- don't even think about eating an old drake. Wild mallard as my third choice and mallard derived domestics as my fourth choice. Mallards are the only wild ducks that I have eaten so I can't comment on the other wild breeds.

 

[pascopol]

Try Muscovy drake Pekin hen cross (mules) The best duck meat on earth.
Raised comercially by thousands in Asia, and in Europe.

Has the best qualities of both: Silent (quackless), fast growing, males and females same size, meaty and meat is not as greasy as Pekin's and not as "gamey" and lean as Muscovy.

Total deluxe super duper GOURMEE meat. Ask famous chefs, they know.

 

[gettinaclue]

Thanks everyone for the input!

 

[Jennsbirds]

I've heard (can't confirm) cayuga tastes 'beefy' but I'd like confirmation.

Are you guys sure old duck tastes bad?

 

[SD Bird Lady]

This thread is from 2010. But I think as animals age they tend to taste stronger and the meat is tougher so it needs to be prepared as a wild game bird would. A slow moist cooking method.

 

[DxSOR25]

im told anconas taste great... similar to pekin but many say better because of the less fat. anyone ever tried it/

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I will be hopefully trying Cayuga next year after I build up my flock a bit. I am excited,but have alreay been scolded for my plan to skin them from the old timers in my family. However, these same people didn't know there were black ducks so I don't think they realize how "unclean" a plucked black duck looks. I am also skining my chickens and piecing them out as that is about the only I prepare it ( usually don't have time to roast a whole bird)....also not appreciated by the old school family members. I guess I just won't share with them haha

 

[Jennsbirds]

I will be hopefully trying Cayuga next year after I build up my flock a bit. I am excited,but have alreay been scolded for my plan to skin them from the old timers in my family. However, these same people didn't know there were black ducks so I don't think they realize how "unclean" a plucked black duck looks. I am also skining my chickens and piecing them out as that is about the only I prepare it ( usually don't have time to roast a whole bird)....also not appreciated by the old school family members. I guess I just won't share with them haha

More duck for you. Yum.

 

[Quack Addict]

Ducks, like any other animal, will taste differently depending on what they eat. Just like one beef steer feed corn will taste different from a free range steer raised on grasses. Grain fed domestic ducks tend to be the best table fare. Of those, pekins are the breed chosen for meat production based on rapid growth, and good flavor when harvested at less than full adult stages. In wild ducks the best eating in my opinion is Wood Duck. This is because their diet of almost entirely acorns gives the meat an outstanding flavor. Next choice in wild duck would be mallard but the flavor can be off if the ducks have been eating a good deal of aquatic stuff instead of grains. When ducks eat primarily aquatic plants the meat takes on a flavor much like beef liver and I'm not a fan of liver. My meat ducks are all pekins raised on grains only and harvested young. They are also heavy layers so you get the benefit of lots of eggs both for consumption and keeping the flock going. Hope this helps.