Plucking ducks...any advice?

[fire370]

Eat those ducks no more than medium done. Medium rare is better. Either sear or grill the breast and throw legs in the crock pot if you want keep them for chicken noodles or what not. I almost never pluck a duck, only the occasional pintail.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

they dont have to be completely done like chicken ?

 

[fire370]

they dont have to be completely done like chicken ?

No they sure don't. I have hunted and raised ducks for lots of years and love it if it is cooked right. If it is cooked completely done, not even worth feeding to the dogs.

My wife is a country girl but was a very picky eater when we got together over 20 years ago. Duck, goose, fish, etc was strictly off limits to her. Steaks had to be well done too. Well, that quickly changed. She will eat fish if I trim it, duck and goose if it's no over cooked, steaks medium rare. Heck, she'd rather eat a couple of elk no instead of our raised beef.

True story, we went into a very upscale restaurant several years ago and she ordered duck. I tried to tell her not to but she did anyway. She took one bite, spit it out on the plate and proceeded to say, "this tastes like *****!!!" You could have heard a pin drop. Yep, that's my fiery redhead for you.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Thats awesome ! Would love to try elk too ! even as jerky would be nice. I am in the country too but not going to find that around here. I take my steaks (if i get one) med. rare too. thats where the flavor is but always thought duck would be like chicken and make you horrid sick if it wasnt done.

 

[enola]

I would eat wild game over domesticated meat any day. Venison, yum yum!

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Never had bambi before either (sigh) . I have a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Last fall I traded 10 of my meat chickens for a meat goat, both chickens and goat were butchered before they traded hands. I was amazed at how tasty goat is. I had thought that I'd be sick to death of goat before the freezer was empty and feeding it to the dogs, but now that I'm down to the last few cuts I'm trying to figure out where I'll get more.

 

[glib]

wild game is overrated. The best meat is domesticated, free range pastured meat that you butcher yourself. And the reason is that you have to find a deer or wild boar through brush, time elapses, and you do not have a chance to drain the blood. Not to mention all the pellets inside a pheasant. I had a fantastic boar stew a few months ago, and the guy admitted that he left the carcass 72 hours in a running stream to get the odd flavor out. With anything domestic, you take it to your processing area and can bleed it promptly.

 

[enola]

wild game is overrated. The best meat is domesticated, free range pastured meat that you butcher yourself. And the reason is that you have to find a deer or wild boar through brush, time elapses, and you do not have a chance to drain the blood. Not to mention all the pellets inside a pheasant. I had a fantastic boar stew a few months ago, and the guy admitted that he left the carcass  72 hours in a running stream to get the odd flavor out. With anything domestic, you take it to your processing area and can bleed it promptly.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I respect yours. However, properly killed, dressed, processed and cooked, wild game is not as you described.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Hi Enola !!!!! speaking of game, you ever eat squirrel ? My city family just watched my cat eat a chipmunk and they were fascinated ! it was funny watching them all lined up 7 boys (dad) with there eyes opened in wonder. They never seen a chipmunk, much less a cat swallow it whole.