# Roasted Whole Duck



## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

So, I've read on here that some people don't like duck, that they taste like mud, or they save up all their ducks and make jerky after the season, etc, etc. Fact is, all ducks don't taste alike. Some deserve special treatment, notably Canvasback and Pintail. There is probably less variability in taste in these species than others. I have mentioned Hank Shaw's book, "Duck, Duck, Goose" a few times here. His recipe for roast duck is awesome.

First, you need a duck. Cans are open water ducks, so most are shot from boats. They taste better if shot from a canoe and with a double gun, but those are discussions for another time:









Shaw talks about the need to hang your ducks. I left this one out in the cold for several days before cleaning and plucking. This evening I took it out of the fridge to let it come up to room temperature. I roasted it in my gas grill, after coating it with olive oil, salting an peppering it. Roasting outside prevents smoking up the house. I used a medium sized cast iron skillet and simply put it in the preheated (hot) grill for 22 minutes, then onto a cutting board and covered it with foil to let it rest. After carving, I plated it with fried hominy, steamed broccoli and topped it with red currant jelly sauce. See Shaw's recipe for details.

In my mind, these ducks are a delicacy, they should ideally be prepared with great care and savored. This one was very tender, probably a result of aging and cooking it to medium rare:


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

I usually skin mine the night I kill them and fry in a skillet the next day, salt rub with olive oil and butter. I think next time I will age it and try it out! Maybe it won’t turn out as good as yours since mine will be boat shot Cans..


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## Wasatch Wings (Sep 29, 2015)

Looks absolutely delicious! Think I’ll give it a try next time.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

goosefreak said:


> I usually skin mine the night I kill them and fry in a skillet the next day, salt rub with olive oil and butter. I think next time I will age it and try it out! Maybe it won't turn out as good as yours since mine will be boat shot Cans..


Even if you breast them you should leave the skin on. To quote Shaw, "...it is a sin against God and nature to waste the skin of a duck." 
Crosshatch the skin before cooking, it's like wrapping them in bacon:


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

paddler said:


> goosefreak said:
> 
> 
> > I usually skin mine the night I kill them and fry in a skillet the next day, salt rub with olive oil and butter. I think next time I will age it and try it out! Maybe it won't turn out as good as yours since mine will be boat shot Cans..
> ...


I do leave the skin on and cross hitch. I want to pluck whole one time and stuff with garlic and onion and put it in the smoker.. just to try.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

No denying there is no finer eating duck than a big grain fed Pinny, plucked, and oven roasted whole, covered with a slice of orange and a slice of onion. But, let's not forget his little brother, the Teal. I personally will place a well prepared Teal right up there with the king Pintail when it's time to eat.

Duck needs to be be slow roasted whole, covered, and allowed to braze at low heat in it's own delicate fat for at least three hours. A slice of orange and a slice of onion across it breast is all the seasoning you need(well, of course, salt and pepper).

Each adult is served a whole duck with a generous portion of that rich duck fat sauce from the pan, and whatever sides you like(I like wild rice). Keeping in mind, the duck is your dinner, you start your meal with the legs. Nothing in this world is more yummy than those little morsels on the ducks legs. Next, the breasts. Never sliced, they must be pulled apart and slathered with the sauce...wow. It's time for some heavy Red wine and a little laughter and conversation. And last but not least, you turn that nearly consumed bird over and fork out those two little tidbits from the back.

That's how I was raised up...


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Hard to beat the flavor of a Canvasback. I won't even cook another species of duck in the same pan with a Can. No way! As far as hanging ducks for a couple of days, I do it with all my ducks. I never come right home and start cutting into them.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

What wine does Hank Shaw suggest??


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

Oh man. Looks great. I roasted a Susie a few weeks ago. Breast was a little pink but over all done. Seared the skin before putting in the oven. Even we’ll dobe parts tasted like a duck I’d buy from Walmart. 
Canvas back looks amazing. Good job


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

JerryH said:


> What wine does Hank Shaw suggest??


Not sure what Hank suggests, but Stella Rosa Red is pretty good for an inexpensive wine.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

Fowlmouth said:


> Not sure what Hank suggests, but Stella Rosa Red is pretty good for an inexpensive wine.


Um not sure on a blend.

I'm betting on a nice boxed Kirkland Signature Cab Sauvignon. OP knows I'm fishin


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## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

How do you guys handle plucking? I started rolling them around in a pot of boiling water for a minute but I often rip skin off. Now I'm reading I should dunk them over and over for 2-3 minutes until the body is soaked. You guys ever trying putting a couple drops of dish detergent in the water?

Also I don't gut until plucking, so that might be 24-48 hours of aging, pluck, then clean.

P.S. found a great way to hang them is to run a piece of bank line through the top of the dog's carrier and then hook my game carrier to it with the ducks. Keeps them out of sight and keeps the dog and any stray cats out of them.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

A well done duck is overdone. Again it's a crime against nature. I try to cook mine just on the rare side of medium rare. Sometimes I undershoot and they're right at rare in spots but that's okay. Think of them like a steak.

And of course, Kirkland Signature Cabernet is the way to go. $13 for a 3 litre box, which is four bottles. No tax. Last time I came home, my wife actually asked how much I spent. She never does that. I had to explain that I was actually making money. But I'm stocked up for quite a while.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

The slippery slope from corks to synthetic cork to screw caps to a box is hard to watch. Next step is a aluminum paddles and a E-bike lol


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

First duck I ever killed in my life was a Canvas Back. I was 13 or 14... my dad took me with a guy duck hunting. I used a double barrel .410 and took a "way too **** far" shot and the duck somehow ran into my pellets. 

I quit duck hunting long ago. I just could never find any form of recipe that made ducks palatable. And when I gave up taxidermy, there was no reason to kill things I wasn't going to use. Spicy Chili was the only thing that ever came close to making duck taste good.

But, I salute those of you who stick with it, some of those cooked quackers look good anyway. 8)


-DallanC


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## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

DallanC said:


> Spicy Chili was the only thing that ever came close to making duck taste good.


Not to take away from an obviously quality thread on duck preparation but if you absolutely have to cook mallard and don't want to put a lot of trouble into it, breast it out and use the breasts in Zatarain's dirty rice. It is actually pretty good and only takes you like 20 minutes prep time.


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## ReadyToHunt (Jan 31, 2019)

First off, looks amazing! Second, you can call me a sinner cause I have eaten lots of duck with no skin. One thing I like to do is make duck fajitas. I cut the breast into thin strips, this helps keep moist and also helps you find any of those pellets that may be hiding. Onion, pepper, fajita seasoning, serve it with tortillas and any other topping you may like. It delicious! Should have taken a picture, just made some Saturday night. I will definitely be hanging some birds.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

JerryH said:


> The slippery slope from corks to synthetic cork to screw caps to a box is hard to watch. Next step is a aluminum paddles and a E-bike lol


I could have used a steel paddle today, or maybe a couple of ice axes.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

JerryH said:


> The slippery slope from corks to synthetic cork to screw caps to a box is hard to watch. Next step is a aluminum paddles and a E-bike lol


I LOL'd this.
I grew up on ducks. My dads favorite passion. He didn't drink but maybe if he had and I had shared a little I could look at a duck today and eat it.
There was a day when I could charge meals on an expense account. I kept thinking if I ordered duck at a fancy restaurant I could find a recipe I liked. Nope sorry never happened. 
At least you guys are not feeding them to the dogs.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

middlefork said:


> At least you guys are not feeding them to the dogs.


Only the gadwalls...


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> Only the gadwalls...


Crab bait.;-)


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

Some thoughts on aging-I age all my ducks a minimum of 10 days, and as long as 14 or more. They only get better and better as they age. If I'm not doing whole birds, I will rough pluck the breasts and legs, then cut up both sides of the rib cage with a pair of game shears, cut through the wing/wishbones, and lift the whole breast off the bird still on the bone and with the skin on. Then I cut the legs off, cut the feet off, and put everything on a wire rack over a baking sheet in the fridge, cover it with a dry dish towel, and let them sit until they're ready. You can process a whole limit of ducks in about 30 minutes this way, it's quick and easy. 

I've hung whole birds in the garage many times, both guts in and guts out. In the market hunting days whole birds were regularly shipped from the GSL marshes back east packed in barrels of salt, it was a matter of debate at the time if it was preferable to pack them heads up or heads down. Heads up seemed to be favored as that kept blood from draining out the nose and mouth. I don't have a problem hanging birds guts in if the intestines aren't perforated, but I will pull the guts out if I suspect they're even nicked. 

If you guys haven't tried aging your birds, I really recommend it, you will love it!


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## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

That's pretty brilliant. I'll definitely do that next time instead of breasting out.


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## gander311 (Dec 23, 2008)

Pumpgunner said:


> Some thoughts on aging-I age all my ducks a minimum of 10 days, and as long as 14 or more. They only get better and better as they age. If I'm not doing whole birds, I will rough pluck the breasts and legs, then cut up both sides of the rib cage with a pair of game shears, cut through the wing/wishbones, and lift the whole breast off the bird still on the bone and with the skin on. Then I cut the legs off, cut the feet off, and put everything on a wire rack over a baking sheet in the fridge, cover it with a dry dish towel, and let them sit until they're ready. You can process a whole limit of ducks in about 30 minutes this way, it's quick and easy.


If you think about it next time you do this, would you mind snapping some pirctures to share? I like the sounds of it if I'm understanding correctly.

I tried plucking some whole birds last year, and it took me forever, and I still wasn't happy with the result, but your approach sounds like a good "in-between".


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

gander311 said:


> If you think about it next time you do this, would you mind snapping some pirctures to share? I like the sounds of it if I'm understanding correctly.
> 
> I tried plucking some whole birds last year, and it took me forever, and I still wasn't happy with the result, but your approach sounds like a good "in-between".


I will, hopefully will have some ducks to demonstrate on soon!


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## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

gander311 said:


> I tried plucking some whole birds last year, and it took me forever, and I still wasn't happy with the result, but your approach sounds like a good "in-between".


Trying to pluck a fresh bird with no treatment is next to impossible. If I'm plucking a fresh duck I'll always give it a dunking in hot water first. Dunk over and over for 2-3 minutes until it's soaked through to the skin. Some people put 2-3 drops of dish detergent in the water to help cut through the oil in the duck's feathers but that makes me squeamish.

I've screwed it up a few times but after finding out the water should be hot but not boiling and that you need to dunk instead of letting them stay in the water it seems to be working. Here's an article from Field and Stream.

https://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/the-wild-chef/two-ways-to-pluck-a-duck/


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## Whiskey H0und (Aug 26, 2016)

Pumpgunner said:


> Some thoughts on aging-I age all my ducks a minimum of 10 days, and as long as 14 or more. They only get better and better as they age. If I'm not doing whole birds, I will rough pluck the breasts and legs, then cut up both sides of the rib cage with a pair of game shears, cut through the wing/wishbones, and lift the whole breast off the bird still on the bone and with the skin on. Then I cut the legs off, cut the feet off, and put everything on a wire rack over a baking sheet in the fridge, cover it with a dry dish towel, and let them sit until they're ready. You can process a whole limit of ducks in about 30 minutes this way, it's quick and easy.
> 
> I'


Never thought about the game shears and taking the entire rib cage. That's will be a game changer. I have been taking both breasts off with the skin attached. I start from under the wing and work my way across to the other wing. Season the inside and fold it in half to let it marinate for a couple of day's in the fridge. Fry it with lard skin side down. It's been a good recipe and not too hard.


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## sketch21 (Jul 11, 2013)

Pumpgunner said:


> Some thoughts on aging-I age all my ducks a minimum of 10 days, and as long as 14 or more. They only get better and better as they age. If I'm not doing whole birds, I will rough pluck the breasts and legs, then cut up both sides of the rib cage with a pair of game shears, cut through the wing/wishbones, and lift the whole breast off the bird still on the bone and with the skin on. Then I cut the legs off, cut the feet off, and put everything on a wire rack over a baking sheet in the fridge, cover it with a dry dish towel, and let them sit until they're ready. You can process a whole limit of ducks in about 30 minutes this way, it's quick and easy.
> 
> I've hung whole birds in the garage many times, both guts in and guts out. In the market hunting days whole birds were regularly shipped from the GSL marshes back east packed in barrels of salt, it was a matter of debate at the time if it was preferable to pack them heads up or heads down. Heads up seemed to be favored as that kept blood from draining out the nose and mouth. I don't have a problem hanging birds guts in if the intestines aren't perforated, but I will pull the guts out if I suspect they're even nicked.
> 
> If you guys haven't tried aging your birds, I really recommend it, you will love it!


Question: How long should I age my ducks outside with this weeks current temps? I have a fat mallard that's been hanging (guts in) in the shade since Sunday night. The wife seems to think this bird is no longer edible for humans. I think it's still good, but what do you guys think?


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

sketch21 said:


> Question: How long should I age my ducks outside with this weeks current temps? I have a fat mallard that's been hanging (guts in) in the shade since Sunday night. The wife seems to think this bird is no longer edible for humans. I think it's still good, but what do you guys think?


If the meat is cold and doesn't smell like $hit, then you're probably okay. ;-)


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

If it's been getting above 40 degrees where you have your duck hanging then I would probably put it in the fridge. Above 40 degrees is the danger zone where bacteria can grow and propagate, so you have to be careful about temps.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

I wouldn't hang/age anything with this weeks temps. Unless you prefer rotten food.


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