Meat duck eatin' question

[Genipher]

Just wondering if, when it's time for our meat ducks to go to that Great Pond in the Sky, can we eat one the same day we've processed it or does it HAVE to set in the fridge for a day or 2?

 

[NatJ]

Just wondering if, when it's time for our meat ducks to go to that Great Pond in the Sky, can we eat one the same day we've processed it or does it HAVE to set in the fridge for a day or 2?View attachment 3783060

My understanding is that for all animals, if you cook it while it is stiff (rigor mortis) it will be tough, compared with cooking it when it is not stiff.

So that means either cooking it immediately (before it has time to stiffen up), or letting it age until it loosens up again (a few days), or eating tough meat (edible but may not be pleasant to chew.)

So it does not "HAVE" to sit in the fridge before you cook it, but you might like it better if it does. Cooking it immediately can be awkward to manage: if you butcher several, then clean up and put some into the fridge, the one you want to cook is probably stiff by that point. But you won't know for sure until you try to wiggle a joint and see. You might be fast enough, or do things in a different order than I would, so it might work for you.