Guys,
The thread below about a duck recipe got me thinking. All the suggestions sound yummy and I have had several of them.
But if you think about it, the goal of many duck recipes is to hide the taste of the duck.
Does wild duck really taste that bad or is it our cooking methods most of the time?
The longer you cook wild duck the gamier it will taste and the tougher it becomes.
Rare to medium rare is the key no matter what the seasoning. Rare to medium rare differs according to the size of your bird and whether it is breasted or cooked whole.
Here is the missing tool most of us never think about: a digital meat thermometer. We spend a boat load of $$$ on our gear and then settle for hocus pocus when we cook what we are blessed to bring home.
And we blame a bad tasting bird on the bird. Mmm. Perhaps not!
Thermoworks makes an inexpensive digital thermometer called a "Thermopop." It costs $30. That tool will change many opinions about the taste of wild duck.
135 internal degrees seems to be the magic temp. No matter how you cook, or what seasoning you use or how big or small your bird is, cook it to 135 degrees. Let it rest for 5 minutes and you will have a great tasting bird.
If you are grilling breasts 135 internal degrees does not take long at all!
Here are some basic tips from The Grilling Guys website that says the same thing.
"Depending on the kind of duck you are cooking, the times will vary. We suggest you cook the duck until the internal temperature reaches 135F. You can test with a meat thermometer, or if you have an instant read thermometer. Our suggestion is that it’s better to have the duck come out rarer, because you can always put the bird back in the oven if it’s not cooked enough. If you overcook it, it will taste gamey. The meat should look like a rare steak, (not raw), with the juices running red when you cut into it. - See more at: http://thegrillinguys.com/roasted-wild-duck-teal/#sthash.jFoaAYJr.dpuf"
Here's to the wild taste of wild duck!
Larry
The thread below about a duck recipe got me thinking. All the suggestions sound yummy and I have had several of them.
But if you think about it, the goal of many duck recipes is to hide the taste of the duck.
Does wild duck really taste that bad or is it our cooking methods most of the time?
The longer you cook wild duck the gamier it will taste and the tougher it becomes.
Rare to medium rare is the key no matter what the seasoning. Rare to medium rare differs according to the size of your bird and whether it is breasted or cooked whole.
Here is the missing tool most of us never think about: a digital meat thermometer. We spend a boat load of $$$ on our gear and then settle for hocus pocus when we cook what we are blessed to bring home.
And we blame a bad tasting bird on the bird. Mmm. Perhaps not!
Thermoworks makes an inexpensive digital thermometer called a "Thermopop." It costs $30. That tool will change many opinions about the taste of wild duck.
135 internal degrees seems to be the magic temp. No matter how you cook, or what seasoning you use or how big or small your bird is, cook it to 135 degrees. Let it rest for 5 minutes and you will have a great tasting bird.
If you are grilling breasts 135 internal degrees does not take long at all!
Here are some basic tips from The Grilling Guys website that says the same thing.
"Depending on the kind of duck you are cooking, the times will vary. We suggest you cook the duck until the internal temperature reaches 135F. You can test with a meat thermometer, or if you have an instant read thermometer. Our suggestion is that it’s better to have the duck come out rarer, because you can always put the bird back in the oven if it’s not cooked enough. If you overcook it, it will taste gamey. The meat should look like a rare steak, (not raw), with the juices running red when you cut into it. - See more at: http://thegrillinguys.com/roasted-wild-duck-teal/#sthash.jFoaAYJr.dpuf"
Here's to the wild taste of wild duck!
Larry
