Calling Oregon and other duck owners

[kizanne]

So for the most part my and hubby don't like any of the duck we have tasted. It is always very dark and greasy. While we like dark and light chicken meat, greasy food turns our stomach.


SO...... As I read more about ducks I would love to give them a go for their many fine qualities. However, I'm looking for the lightest meat duck less fat duck that can be bred / bought.

Those with experience please let me know about the different varieties of duck you have raised and eaten.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Duck meat is simply not light. It is dark and rich. If you don't like dark meat, then duck is not going to be your family's favorite.

For white meat, I recommend Cornish Cross chickens, double breasted white turkeys, and rabbits. Rabbit meat is super delicious. It's white meat, all of it, and very mild flavored with a lovely texture

If you do cook duck, it should not be greasy. It is best cooked in a rack to elevate it out of the melted fat. Then save the rendered fat to make duck fries, which are the best french fries in the entire world.

But if your family does not like the dark meat, then it is a waste of your time to raise ducks for meat. Raise what you like to eat.

 

[Oregon Blues]

If you decide that you still want to try ducks, and you don't like the fat, then don't get Pekins. They really pack the fat on.

My Blue Swedish have been relatively lean and the appleyards are lower fat. Or try Muscovy; they are going to be as lean as you can get duck meat and are slightly more beef-like than other domestic ducks, (But, they really will not trick you into thinking you are eating beef, no matter what the Muscovy breeders claim. It is still duck)

None of them are completely lean. You are going to have some fat with any duck.

 

[Grassman 52]

I raise Muscovy and Pekins and cook both whole roasted on a rotisserie - I have found both ducks to be very lean when cooked elevated and turned.

 

[kizanne]

Thanks for the reply. I do like dark chicken meat. We both do. I don't like cornish they are too bland for my taste.

I think a lean duck might be worth a try.

The only duck I've eaten has come from the store and it has just seemed very fatty. If the Muscovy is lean but dark that is probably what I should try. We even have them wild around here.

Never tried rotisserie duck either that might help alot as we have only done roast like a turkey and frankly that was at other people's house so don't know if they basted or what.

 

[kizanne]

Well as luck would have it. A somewhat local person had 2 ducks come up lame and was looking for someone to humanly put them down. I volunteered. The lady was so nice. We ended up with a Rouen and a Magpie so I can try two different kinds. One did have a tendon or something messed up in its leg and they both had broken ribs so they were probably in pain.

In addition as a bonus we came home with 6 silkies that she also gave us. My daughter has been wanting silkies ever since i got chickens so of course those are pets and not food. Plus I think these might be bantam silkie if that exists. well I mean we will try the extra roosters cause this was straight run and I won't let the boys get to be too many and harass the girls.

All in all it was a great but unexpected day for us and now we have duck resting in the fridge to try this week.

Some notes for anyone else contempating ducks. My hubby said they'd have to taste out of this world to make up for the extra difficulty cleaning. Their skin was alot tougher and their connecting tissue was tougher and they were young not old ducks. They also didn't have as much meat as you would expect but I think it was because they were young and not Pekins either.

I'll update the taste when we eat them. Very excited as there was not any fat on them practically at all.