Tough Meat

[jaketheeggman]

I bought 4 muscovy ducks for butchering. I butchered one the other day. I cooked it in the oven with the temp at 350 F. I really liked the taste but the meat was tough. Is there anywhay i can cook it so the meat is less tough???

Help would be greatly appricated


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5 leghorns, 3 silkies, 3 muscovy ducks, 12 leghorn chicks coming, 3 tirtles, cat

 

[PolloAdoro]

Did you let the meat rest for a few days before cooking it up? I found that putting your meat in a brine ( saltwater solution) really makes it tender and juicy.

 

[pascopol]

Muscovy meat is very lean and gamey. Marinating might help, also placing bacon strips on the top while roasting.

Basting may help also.

But the flavor is worth trying, pick up young birds, otherwise probably no effort will make them tender, or perhaps there are other "tricks" to make them tender and juicy.

My next duck "project" is to mate Muscovy drake to a Mallard derivative meat type hen (Pekin , Silver Appleyard).

Resulting "mules" are suppose to be the the ultimate meat ducks.

 

[FenDruadin]

Letting the meat "rest" at cool temperatures (not freezing) for a day or two gives the rigor mortis time to loosen up, resulting in more tender meat. Also, harvesting the ducks while young is a good idea, and finally, as already mentioned, brining.

Good luck. I find the process of butchering my own meat to be a strong inducement toward vegetarianism, so I have decided to buy all my meat from local growers I trust and let them handle the unpleasant parts.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

I have cooked lots of duck. There is difference between buying animal in store and raising your own. One is the animals that get butchered in the store never exercise so their muscles are not used and in turn they are tenderer.
To make it tender is fairly simple. Cook it at low temperature in oven with foil covering pan well so meat does not get dry for hours. That always works and your meat should fall off bird eventually. I like to add things like onion soup mix to broth or curry and celery for another type of flavor. Chicken boulion cubes added to broth help give meat good flavor too.
Put the oven on 300 degrees make sure water almost covers bird in pan and flavor how you want then wrap pan tightly with foil and bake for 4 hours. It should be tender.

 

[greenriver]

Quote:
Yep, brine it, in fact I recommend a brine for all chicken and turkey and pork.

 

[Talihofarms]

You gonna love the Mule or Moulards. Muscovy are a lean duck not close to Pekin. Like others have said the age and how they were raised will be a factor on meat quality. Also free ranged are a little tougher. But more flavor. Low and slow cooking and or brine.






just my.02


Good Luck

 

[duckfat]

How old were these ducks? Did they have their caruncles? Adult voices?

We process our muscovy ducklings between 12 and 16 weeks, depending on market. Personally I cut up my birds, prefering to saute the breasts, and saute and crockpot the legs. When cooked whole in the oven, I find the legs do not become as tender as I would like.

You may find more suggestions if you move this post over to the meat bird section.

 

[KansasKid]

When i could duck meat i cut it in strips and soak it in salt water for a few days changing the water as needed then i dump it out and soak it in some type of marinade for a day then i take water chestnuts and rap the strips around it then rap bacon around that and grill it, its the best thing i believe i have ever ate-

 

[AhBee01]

We butcher our own, and breast them out. We soak the breasts for a day or so in salt water before the freezer. I grill mine like I would a piece of steak. I have also cut them into bite size pieces and tossed in olive oil and seasonings, then stir fried them on my grill in a grill pan, serve on flat bread with cucumber sauce, it is so tender and juicy and the best gyro meat ever! LOL!!!! I tried roasting whole and just didn't care for it, it was like tough roast beef on bones!