MUSCOVY MEAT!!!!

[coffeepheasant]

I incubated and hatched some muscovies last year.. I raised 8 kept 4 for breeding and processed and ate the rest myself. THEY WERE AMAZING like smaller geese with less fat. I am now obsessed with them and am trying to start a muscovy meat production. If anyone is interested in some meat.. has got any advice... i would be happy to hear it
kind regards will.

 

[Totalcolour]

So, I posted everything on the wrong thread!

So, here it is - with all the steps to making tender Muscovy breast

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/643526/free-cornish-x-worth-it/50#post_8705734

Plated

 

[jdywntr]

Yup. They are delicious. I had 5 + 1 mule (1 hen 5 drakes

), kept a pair, processed the rest a few months back. Delicious. I just realized a few days ago that I only have 1 breast and 5 leg/thighs left!!!!

My hen is sitting on 14 eggs now but I still have to wait for those to grow. No meat for me for a while.

 

[FCLady]

We love it too! The first year we had 3 hens and one drake. This year we have 9 hens... Pretty self-reliant animals. Easy to care for, they forage most of their own food. We skin them and take the breast and legs where the most of the meat is. We tried to train ours to go in at night but that really doesn't work well. We have to herd them in their coop at night to keep them safe. Even tho they free range throughout the day, they typically lay eggs in their coop. That makes me feel better about letting them set on their eggs for a month!!

 

[coffeepheasant]

I currently have 5 eggs in the incubator and a muscovy hen that is sitting on 15 eggs underneath my stables..... I haven't managed to control were they lay I can't wait to have some more duckilings and some more meat !!!! I was also wondering if anyone has ever heard of muscovy meat for sale...????
coffee pheasant

 

[Totalcolour]

Another group who loves them! We started 3 years ago and we now have 22 birds. We will be selling 3 drakes this weekend since we have five and the incubator is full. We can't do natural brooding, since we lost over a dozen ducklings to hawks last year.

We sell all the large drakes - we have a pretty good market here. We sell them live (no mess for us ) and the drakes we are selling for $35 and the hens $20. Hens don't sell as well, so they usually go into our freezer. Himself in planning on hatching about a hundred this year!

These are some we have bred
http://idk.serveftp.net/Ducks/

 

[Totalcolour]

So, himself learned how to sex day olds. Now he's planning on raising the males for sale since they bring more. I guess he'll take the female babies to the auction. That way we won't have to spend so much raising a bunch of babies that won't sell as adults.

 

[Totalcolour]

I was also wondering if anyone has ever heard of muscovy meat for sale...????
coffee pheasant

You can buy it on D'Artagnan, and it's pricey!

http://www.dartagnan.com/51188/Muscovy-Duck.html

 

[cukooformarans]

We've got a hen that just hatched out 19. They will be a week old Sunday morning, so far she hasn't lost any. I also have 2 other ducks sitting and one chicken hen that stole a muscovy nest and is sitting on 15 herself. However, we processed a young drake last year and I really messed it up-it was chewy as a rubber tire. I am having a hard time convincing hubby to go for trying another ... but I HAVE TO have a fool-proof recipe the next time or we will probably never process another ... (I'm trying to convince him that it just takes practice ...lol) Any of you with a really fabulous recipe that may help me convince him that he may like them??

That's funny about them not going in at night ... mine almost always go into their pen at night and lay in the morning before I let them out ... but we have had to herd them a few times ... lol

 

[Totalcolour]

However, we processed a young drake last year and I really messed it up-it was chewy as a rubber tire. I am having a hard time convincing hubby to go for trying another ... but I HAVE TO have a fool-proof recipe the next time or we will probably never process another ... (I'm trying to convince him that it just takes practice ...lol) Any of you with a really fabulous recipe that may help me convince him that he may like them??. . .

Okay, yes, I make foolproof Muscovy EVERY time. The thing is, I have a Sous-Vide (water bath) and cook the breasts at 138 f for about 10 hours. I know that sounds like a long time, but the meat comes out medium rare, and tender as the finest filet.

The way to do it is to vacu-seal the breast with a tiny bit of seasoning. Then cook it in a water bath, ( a slow cooker works too on the lowest setting). It needs at least 4 hours to break down the muscles into tender meat.

I am planning on cooking duck breast tomorrow - I will take photos and post them here, so you can see how juicy they look, even if you won't be able to test the tenderness for yourself.

{If you ever have the chance to get a water bath machine, I'd really recommend it. You can take the cheapest (tastiest) cuts of meat and turn them into something really tender and quite spectacular. Those tough Muscovies would be a thing of the past. Actually, you can use a slow cooker if you can get the temp down really low, or use your oven, but make sure the meat is fully submerged in the water.}