# Best & Worst Tasting Ducks + Your Favorite Recipes



## jessssand (Aug 2, 2021)

Hello waterfowl hunters!! I am getting excited for the upcoming waterfowl season and was curious what everyone's favorite type of duck is, and what types they avoid? Then if you're willing to share your favorite recipe that would be awesome.

I myself always love a good roasted mallard. Here's a recipe I used last year: Kentuckyaki Roasted Duck Under a Brick

This last year up at Scofield after my deer hunt I had a few extra days and I brought my shotgun and I shot two mergansers.. I had never taken a merganser and should have googled how they table fared before, but I cooked up the breasts one of my go-to camp ways by cooking some bacon then pan searing the breasts in the bacon oil, and wow those mergansers are not good, and I will be passing them up from now on. I definitely learned they were not good the hard way, but I choked them down since I had taken them and I try to never be wasteful with game I take!

Any comments on your favorite type of duck and your favorite recipes are much appreciated. Good luck this season!!!

PS Here is a pic of the two mergansers-- they are gorgeous birds, but not great table faring.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Best:
1- Canvasback
2- Pintail
3- GWT & Scaup 
4- Mallard

Worst:
1- Shoveler, Merganser, Goldeneye and Gadwall all tie for the worst.


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## MooseMeat (Dec 27, 2017)

Pintail
Mallard
Teal

the rest of the puddlers are about the same. Except spoons. They are below divers with the mergs


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## OverTheEdge (Sep 12, 2013)

Greenwinged Teal
Pintail


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## Ray (May 10, 2018)

GWT
Mallard

I make teriyaki duck steak bowls, breast it out, cook it medium rare, slice and put on a bed of vegetables and rice, lightly drizzle teriyaki sauce. It’s simple and delicious.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Give ducks to the Son-in-Law and don't have to mess around with the prep and cleaning. He makes some kind of concoction and gives me some. Not bad. I'll have to ask him what he does.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

OverTheEdge said:


> Greenwinged Teal
> Pintail
> 
> View attachment 149072


A couple of years ago.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

I have to laugh every time I see a tale about how 'nasty' mergs are for table fair. Like any food, it's all in the preperation and presentation. I have most deffinitely eaten mergs and will do so again. The recipe is very simple and I have converted several folks who almost needed a gun pointed at their heads to get them to try it. They all ate seconds until it was all gone.

PS: Our favorite is Teal above all others.

Here is the recipe:


Dubob's Duck Nuggets said:


> *Duck Nuggets**
> 
> Ingredients
> 
> ...


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## jessssand (Aug 2, 2021)

dubob said:


> I have to laugh every time I see a tale about how 'nasty' mergs are for table fair. Like any food, it's all in the preperation and presentation. I have most deffinitely eaten mergs and will do so again. The recipe is very simple and I have converted several folks who almost needed a gun pointed at their heads to get them to try it. They all ate seconds until it was all gone.
> 
> PS: Our favorite is Teal above all others.
> 
> Here is the recipe:


I am not to proud to admit that my preparation might not have been top notch when I prepared them! I will for sure give your recipe a try! Thanks for the share!


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## jessssand (Aug 2, 2021)

OverTheEdge said:


> Greenwinged Teal
> Pintail
> 
> View attachment 149072


That picture and that mustache are epic!!!


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

OverTheEdge said:


> View attachment 149072


I've heard about flash freezing; now I've seen flash cooking!!!


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

GWT hands down! I can carry or sled a limit out super easy as opposed to lugging out a limit of mallards…although shooting a limit of greenheads is VERY satisfying.

Our favorite method is to pound the breast flat, spread a layer of cream cheese, add a roasted jalapeño slice, roll up, and then roll a slice of bacon around the whole thing and pin it with a toothpick. Cook medium rare on the grill, and you’re set. My kids request it!

You can also marinade the breast beforehand, but I don’t find it really necessary.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

Remember Opinions are all subjective. 

Best to Least Best Based on my experience. 

It also comes down to what the duck has been eating. 

As will be mentioned in the list, Field ducks taste a hell of a lot better than river ducks.

Canvasback (10/10)
Field Mallards (10/10)
Pintail (10/10)
Redhead (9/10)
Green Wing Teal (9/10)
Ruddy Duck (8/10)
Widgeon (8/10)
Coot (8/10)
Gadwall (7/10)
Blue Wing Teal (7/10)
Cinnamon Teal (7/10)
Ringneck Duck (6/10)
River Mallards (5/10)
Buffelheads (5/10)
Lesser Scaup (5/10)
Common Goldeneye (1/10)
Common Merganser (1/10)
Barrows Goldeneye (1/10)
As far as recipes, most people mess up duck. Medium rare is the ticket when cooking. 

Hank Shaw has many wonderful recipes for ducks, but some of his ingredients can require a trip to a store and some stores do not carry all of them. 









Duck Recipes - Recipes for Wild Ducks and Geese | Hank Shaw


Hank Shaw's collection of nearly 100 duck recipes, all tested and reviewed. You'll find duck recipes for both domestic ducks and wild ducks, plus geese.




honest-food.net





If you have the time and can obtain the ingredients, these recipes are the bees knees for ducks and geese. 

Now, if you do not have the time or the ingredients to go the Hank Shaw route, then this is what I do.

Sausage

I shoot a fair amount of goldeneye(s) in winter and the worst part isn't the flavor, it is the iron skin. Goldeneyes are heavily armored ducks and if you keep the skin or fat on, then you are going to have a bad time. What I generally do is remove the breast and leg meat and freeze it. In the fall, when I make Deer or Antelope Sausage or Brats - I just mix in the goldeneyes with the game meat. If you mix the sausage mixture thoroughly, you will not notice that duck in the sausage. If you don't mix it thoroughly, you will get patches of liver tasting meat, which is not bad in my opinion. I use Walton's seasoning for all sausage making. They send you enough to make 25 lbs in one batch. Which is a chore, if you attempt to make that much at one time. I generally cut the measurements into fifths and do 5 lbs at a time, because in my opinion it goes faster and it is easy to control the quality when you do not have industrial equipment. I run a 50/50 blend of pork shoulder fat and game meat for sausage. 
I prefer Maple or Hot with breakfast sausage
https://www.waltonsinc.com/maple-flavored-pork-sausage-seasoning
https://www.waltonsinc.com/h-110-c-hot-pork-sausage-seasoning

With Bratwurst I prefer Sheboygan, Habenaro, or Jalapeno seasoning
https://www.waltonsinc.com/sheboygan-style-bratwurst-seasoning
https://www.waltonsinc.com/habanero-bratwurst
https://www.waltonsinc.com/jalapeno-bratwurst-seasoning


Jerky

For Jerky, the duck must be at least 5/10. Nothing worse that a smoker or oven that smells of Goldeneye or Merganser. I cut thin muscle cuts and use waltons seasoning. I haven't made Jerky for a few years, but it is an option none the less. Walton's also makes great seasoning for it. I know it seems like this is an advertizement for walton's, but you can get other seasonings at sportsmans and they will work just fine. I generally just prefer to order online and have had great success with Waltons. 
For Jerky Seasonings - I like Spicy
https://www.waltonsinc.com/sweet-chipotle-jerky-seasoning
https://www.waltonsinc.com/cajun-jerky-seasoning


Pan Frying

This can work for all species of ducks. I cut the breast as thin with a knife, then marinade in Lowry's Teriyaki. Olive oil and flash fry the ducks in shot oil. You can also brine (Salt/Sugar/Water and a touch of apple cider vinegar) the duck meat in salt/sugar water before marinading, but I don't think it is necessary. This is a very simple method that yields great results. 
Flying Liver and Onions

If you are camping and do not have access to a grocery store, this could be money. I would not recommend with anything below 5/10. Slice the duck like Liver and put in brine or salt water or Add Oil to pan and heat, Add Onions and cook until translucent, then rise duck meat and fry to brown all sides. Serve with Ketchup.
Giblets / Gravy

Too many people waste specifically duck hearts. You can skewer them like kabobs or you can make a Giblet gravy, which goes really well on top of mashed potatoes. Butter fry the giblets and then add water and flour to make the gravy. Its simple and a good way to use more of the duck. Which is giving you more bang for your buck, because the shotgun shells are not cheap. 
Stock

Any duck 7/10 and above make really good stock. After you have taken the meat that you want off of the duck. Cook the bones in water to make stock. It is a really good way to add some homemade ingredients, because once again duck hunting is not cheap and you might as well get bang for your buck.
Grilling

Some people can do steaks, but I prefer Jalapeno poppers with duck. Just make sure you do not cook it too long. Duck poppers are great, but like most recipes do not use below 5/10 ducks. I slice and marinate the duck breast in Lowry's Teriyaki before using them in poppers. I also wrap bacon around the popper to try and keep in the moisture and who doesn't like Bacon.
Baking

Cubed Duck Meat marinaded in the Lowry's Teritaki and wrapped in Bacon. Bake at 350 until Medium Rare. It is also good and once again no ducks under 5/10 should be used.

Just remember to not overcook duck meat and you should be good to go


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## pollo70 (Aug 15, 2016)

I sampled some Colusa duck at a Doug Miller "RIP" outdoor show many moons ago it was the best duck I ever had.


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## jessssand (Aug 2, 2021)

MuscleWhitefish said:


> Remember Opinions are all subjective.
> 
> Best to Least Best Based on my experience.
> 
> ...


I really appreciate the time you took to share the info and recipes!! I will have to give some reports back in a few months after I start trying all of them.

Super interesting to me you have coot ranked 8/10. I have never personally eaten coot, and like most just assume they do not taste good because someone told me so (They probably haven't eaten coot either haha) What recipes do you use with coot? I was just watching a mini series on the meateater youtube page called 'Duck Camp Dinners' and they made a coot gumbo on there that looked fantastic.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

Reading about all the different ducks being listed and some of the reports about taste, I was reminded of another thing that can be done with duck/goose meat that will completely camouflage the taste such that nobody will be able to tell it's made from waterfowl. This will work for ANY bird that can be legally take during waterfowl season. And, YES, that includes mergs & coots. You will need a meat grinder for either recipe. Take any & all the pure meat parts that you think is worth using from the waterfowl species making sure there isn’t any fat or skin included. Run the meat thru your meat grinder. I prefer a fine grind as opposed to a course grind. Put a little bit of your favorite cooking oil in a frying pan and cook the meat to well done. When it is completely cooked, use it in your favorite chili or taco meat recipe. I have served up duck/goose chili for years at potluck dinners and nobody has ever figured out it was made with duck/goose meat.

Another cooking method that eliminates most, if not all, of that ‘wild’ duck flavor is to pressure can the meat. I do the whole breast when canning, but it can be ground up first if you prefer. The whole breast will shred like well done pot roast when you take it out of the canning jar and you can add your favorite BBQ Sauce to the meat and have some of the best BBQ sandwiches you’ll ever eat.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Another grinder suggestion is to make Summer sausage and Bologna, it uses a lot of duck meat to stuff the casings. I just buy the LEM seasoning packets, add in some pork fat and put them in my smoker. Everyone enjoys them!


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> Another grinder suggestion is to make Summer sausage and Bologna, it uses a lot of duck meat to stuff the casings. I just buy the LEM seasoning packets, add in some pork fat and put them in my smoker. Everyone enjoys them!


I have used Davis Custom Meats in Weber County for some of the best duck/goose salami I have ever eaten. Too darn lazy to make it myself - know what I mean Vern?


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## Ray (May 10, 2018)

How many do you have to take in for the salami?


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Ray said:


> How many do you have to take in for the salami?


I think that answer would be alot...unless you just want a little.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

Ray said:


> How many do you have to take in for the salami?


I have taken in as little as 20 lbs and as many as 60 lbs. Most of the meat was goose as I make a couple trips a year for 3-day goose shoots and almost always limit every day. I haven't taken in any since 2019 when they charged $4/lb for the finished product weight. It makes great gifts and I never had a single person tell me they wouldn't take more in the future. They provide the needed fat, but I had to supply some additional pork meat, usually in the form of pork country (boneless) ribs.


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## Brandondubya (May 24, 2020)

I've gotten some weird looks hauling coot off the WMA. I know that they get a bad rap, but I would encourage people to give them a shot (get it🥁). It's not the best tasting meat I've ever had, but I've managed to pull off a few great meals out of coot.
The key is to remove the skin and brine the bird overnight, changing the water if it gets too bloody. After that, you can cook it any way you want, but I prefer to braise it and do a shredded BBQ.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

Brandondubya said:


> I've gotten some weird looks hauling coot off the WMA. I know that they get a bad rap, but I would encourage people to give them a shot (get it🥁). It's not the best tasting meat I've ever had, but I've managed to pull off a few great meals out of coot.
> The key is to remove the skin and brine the bird overnight, changing the water if it gets too bloody. After that, you can cook it any way you want, but I prefer to braise it and do a shredded BBQ.


Grinding and cooking as I mentioned above also gets rid of all the blood juices from the meat; they just boil away. Sloppy Joe's anybody? 😁


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

I like Shaw's Roast Duck with Fried Hominy:


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

jessssand said:


> I really appreciate the time you took to share the info and recipes!! I will have to give some reports back in a few months after I start trying all of them.
> 
> Super interesting to me you have coot ranked 8/10. I have never personally eaten coot, and like most just assume they do not taste good because someone told me so (They probably haven't eaten coot either haha) What recipes do you use with coot? I was just watching a mini series on the meateater youtube page called 'Duck Camp Dinners' and they made a coot gumbo on there that looked fantastic.


Cook doesn't taste any different than wigeon. 

Especially when you shoot them in the same area _cough_ Public shooting grounds _cough_

The only thing about coots is they are not a sporting species to go after, they very rarely fly into the decoys. 

It is a bunch of water swatting or dog retrieve practice. 

Anything you can do for a widgeon, you can do with a coot. 

I would be scared to overcook the duck, the way they cook it in duck camp dinners. 

I prefer keeping them all medium rare and a recipe like that would be over cooking.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

paddler said:


> I like Shaw's Roast Duck with Fried Hominy:
> 
> View attachment 149120
> View attachment 149121


Shaw does have the best recipes. His book Duck, Duck, Goose is worth getting if you kill a lot of ducks and like to cook.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

MuscleWhitefish said:


> Shaw does have the best recipes. His book Duck, Duck, Goose is worth getting if you kill a lot of ducks and like to cook.


I have it and have been recommending it for years. Even if you don't kill a lot of ducks, it's a great read about the care and processing of waterfowl, different species and table qualities, and how it varies depending on terroir. It's more than a cookbook.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

MuscleWhitefish said:


> The only thing about coots is they are not a sporting species to go after, they very rarely fly into the decoys.
> 
> It is a bunch of water swatting or dog retrieve practice.


I would say this is generally true, but if you want a shot at some "sporting coots", hint opening morning. I've never seen so many scared sh*tless coots flying around. I mean, can't blame them - the first 30 minutes was as if WWIII had just broken out!

Last year was the 1st opening day I'd hunted in 10 years. Kinda sad I'm going to miss the spectacle this year. 🙁


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

All my waterfowl gets made into jerky now!


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## jessssand (Aug 2, 2021)

paddler said:


> I have it and have been recommending it for years. Even if you don't kill a lot of ducks, it's a great read about the care and processing of waterfowl, different species and table qualities, and how it varies depending on terroir. It's more than a cookbook.


Just placed my order for 'Duck Duck Goose'! My favorite part of hunting is the fact I can harvest my own meat, clean/care for it and make a delicious meal. There's something about being self-sufficient and providing for myself/family that I love. I am excited to add more delicious recipes to my arsenal.

Thanks to all for the good recommendations on here. I am super pumped for the book to come!


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## jessssand (Aug 2, 2021)

CPAjeff said:


> All my waterfowl gets made into jerky now!


Do you jerky the duck on your own??


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

jessssand said:


> Do you jerky the duck on your own??


Yes. Slice it thin, marinate it, and throw it on the Traeger! See here: Goose Jerky


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

Jerky can be done in any of several types of smoking devices, in a dehydrator, or in your oven. I have done all three and all three were good to excellent depending on the marinade or curing spices used. One of my all-time favorites is ground pheasant meat (flat ribbon; not round sticks) mixed with Hi-Mountain Jerky cure and finished in the oven.

The very BEST tasting duck/goose jerky marinade I ever used was one that diverfreak posted on 'The Refuge' over 10 years ago. This was excellent out of my Bradley smoker and my dehydrator. Take your pick as to cooking method. Here's a link to that recipe: 

DiverFreak's Waterfowl Jerky Recipe | Refuge Forums


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## PHall (Oct 12, 2013)

Duck Duck goose is great, Buck Buck Moose is also very good, and there are some recipies I cross over from Venison to Duck, especially some of the skewers. Steve Rinella's Meateater Cookbook also has some great duck recipies, specifically the red curry duck. I now save all my duck legs for this curry, its a game changer for folks who may not be keen on duck, it 100% changed my girlfriends opinion on eating waterfowl. I also use his pastrami recipe for any goose breasts, but also duck breasts to use some up if the freezer is getting full. Its a crowd pleaser around the holidays on a charcuterie board.
I also have taken to making a lot of my duck into asian food. The flavors work very well. Learn to make a good marinade with some fish sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, a little sake, and orange juice. I'll then just stir fry veggies and add the duck, serve with noodles or rice.

One trick to helping the flavor is soaking as others have mentioned. Salted cold water, soak the breasts changing the water until it runs clear will help remove the flavor for those who are averse to it.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

PHall said:


> I also use his pastrami recipe for any goose breasts, but also duck breasts to use some up if the freezer is getting full.


Just corning duck a/o goose breast will produce some of the very best sandwich meat as well, but going the extra little bit to turn it into pastrami works even better. My gun club members just love the corned duck/goose meat.


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## bthewilde (Feb 8, 2018)

My favorite duck recipe is to brine them, then marinate them in some chicken broth, jerky it, and give it to my doggo. He loves it!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

There are dozens, perhaps thousands, of duck recipes right here on the UWN Recipe section.

I'm not making this up, the UWN has a Recipe section......and a search engine.








duck gumbo

















teal n rice dressing








Mallard liver for breakfast.








Mallard liver for lunch!








Crabapples are great with any gamebird.








crabapple stuffed mallard








apple dressing








bluebill mallard and a gaddy with apple dressing


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Then there's cured n smoked duck






















































the best


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Ray said:


> How many do you have to take in for the salami?


24 breasted out ducks or 11 whole ducks


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

Goob’s smoked duck recipe is my go to


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

35whelen said:


> Goob’s smoked duck recipe is my go to


Thanks. I think my favorite is duck gumbo using the legs and thighs from any puddle duck.








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