# I don’t like the taste of waterfowl!



## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

How many folks do you know that say this, or are you one of them? I'm here to tell you that you can change that with just a little time, money, and effort. I'll start with ducks first.
This process uses the breast meat only, so yes, there is going to be a minimal amount of unused meat from the bird. Breast out the birds and diligently remove ALL fat and skin from the breast meat. Also, place close attention to wound channels through the meat by slicing them open and removing any feather residue and/or shot pellets. And finally, scrape or clean off any blood clots from the meat. Place the breast meat in a smoker for between 2 and 3 hours. There is no need to brine the meat first, but I always soak my breast meat in salt water overnight to remove as much blood as I can. The amount of smoker time will depend on your taste requirements and the type or smoker you are using.
I use a Bradley smoker and do not turn on the heating element. The only heat is that generated by the smoke generator. Your Lil/Big Chief smoker will do just as good for this job.
After the meat has a good smoke on it, I then pack the whole, smoked breasts into canning jars. Generally, I use pint jars and they typically hold about 5 whole breast pieces in each jar. If you are processing teal or smaller duck species, you may get 7 to 10 pieces into one pint jar. I then pressure can the meat following the instructions for my Presto pressure canner.
I process goose meat a little differently. For the smoking part, I cut the goose breast into 5 chunks before smoking. After the meat is smoked, I run the meat through my meat grinder (course grind) and then pack the ground meat into the canning jars. The canning process is the same as for duck meat.
The duck breast meat will come out of the canning process with a texture similar to a done to perfection pot roast. The meat will flake apart with almost no effort and there is no telltale duck flavor left in the meat. Nobody will be able to tell you it is duck meat by taste alone. One of my favorite ways to eat it is as a BBQ sandwich. I like to have it on a bun, but bread works just as well. Place some of your favorite BBQ sauce on both halves of the bun/bread. I'm partial to Sweet Baby Ray's sauce but any sauce can be used to good effect. Shred the breast meat from one breast piece and place it evenly on one half of the bun/bread. Place the second piece of bun/bread on top of the meat. Wrap the sandwich in a paper towel and place it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. When done, add a slice or two of your favorite dill pickle (there is none better than Claussens IMHO) and welcome to the very best BBQ sandwich you'll enjoy this year.
As for the ground goose meat, you can use that in a variety of ways. Use the meat in tacos or your favorite chili recipe. I just love it in omelets with cheese, peppers, and onions.
If your wife and kids have been turning up their noses at waterfowl forever, you are going to be having them beg you to go get some more of those delicious eating birds if you follow my suggestions. And you will never, ever have to throw out freezer burned meat again. Canned meat will last for years on a pantry shelf with absolutely no degradation in flavor or quality.
And the things you can do with fish meat is a huge plus, but that's another story. :mrgreen:


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I got a Smoke Vault for Christmas and I have already smoked a deer roast, 2 whole mallards, a bunch of duck breasts and a turkey. I couldn't agree more dubob, smoked is the way to go with all kinds of different meats, especially waterfowl.


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