Yet Another Look at Cooking Buffies

L

Larry Eckart

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Guys and Dani,
Carl has started a movement: ducks formerly thought to be unenjoyable on the table are actually worthy to be shared and enjoyed as a feature meal.

Here?s another look at cooking buffies.

I was fortunate to get two buffies Saturday on the opening day of our second split in South Carolina.

After drawing them, I hung them outside for three days in the unusual forty degree weather of Hilton Head Island. Then breasted them, leaving the skin on.

I soaked them in butter milk (regular milk and lemon) for a few hours, patted them dry and set them out to room temperature.

Then I covered them in olive oil and grilled on high for about two minutes per side to a inner temperature of 135 degrees, which is considered the sweet spot for wild game. Off the grill I sprinkled kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

That?s it.

View attachment IMG_1895.jpeg

As you see in the photo, the meat is red, not brown. This is medium rare. As I?ve said before, I think the main culprit in bad tasting ducks is overcooking. Get a Thermopop meat thermometer. Cook your game to 135 degrees. You will become a better chef. These were tender and terrific, juicy like a good steak, even without a sauce or marinade.

I know. I know. ?Buffies and all divers taste like fish.? So goes the old saw. Good. Keep saying it. Pass it on to others.

That will leave more of these cute little suckers for the rest of us to enjoy both in the marsh and on the table.

One caution. Several guys on a Michigan duck site gave the opinion that the number of buffies was down significantly in that state. Our little butterball friends have been the day saver for many of us in recent years. Here?s hoping they don?t follow the trend of scaup, once thought to be of such numbers never to be threatened.

Do you really need to shoot six even if you can?

Larry
 
Larry,
Thanks I will have to give this a try.

The lack of buffies up north might just mean they are down here. I e honestly never seen so many this early in the year as we have right now.
 
OK, so now I am really going to shoot some on Saturday.... I have been passing them up for two years now, mostly....
 
It does make sense that they would taste decent with proper cooking.

I have a local log pond I am new to hunting. Its also in the new part of the state that's not known for duck hunting. Anyways, these are local birds and fun to hunt. The problem is the mallards and honkers have a greasy stink I have never experienced before.

I think you can get funky tastes with any species. I have seen this with bears. When this happens I believe proper meat care makes a huge difference.

I recently received a cooking lesson from a friend. He salt brines and then freezes. He then gave me a pressure cooker. I think he can make about anything taste amazing.
 
bufflehead numbers here in the Rhode Island saltwater spots I frequent have been quite low. Too bad, because I have no qualms about eating them.

Avoiding overcooking them has been a challenge, so perhaps this thread will be inspiration to improving my culinary skills.

Thanks.
 
Buddy said:
these are local birds and fun to hunt. The problem is the mallards and honkers have a greasy stink I have never experienced before.

.
Click to expand...


as the saying goes- you are what you eat

at least that is what i tell the blackbirds that keep going to the cat food bowl that's out for the barn cats
 
Buddy said:
It does make sense that they would taste decent with proper cooking.

I have a local log pond I am new to hunting. Its also in the new part of the state that's not known for duck hunting. Anyways, these are local birds and fun to hunt. The problem is the mallards and honkers have a greasy stink I have never experienced before.

I think you can get funky tastes with any species. I have seen this with bears. When this happens I believe proper meat care makes a huge difference.

I recently received a cooking lesson from a friend. He salt brines and then freezes. He then gave me a pressure cooker. I think he can make about anything taste amazing.
Click to expand...

I think you can get into this problem with any species with high myoglobin content in the muscles...as your reference of bears illustrates.

I have had the same problem with early season local mallards on the Bays de Noc, but only in specific spots, like your experience. I attribute it to a diet that includes high numbers invasive Quagga sp. mussels. Mallards along the Great Lakes used to feed on dead alewife from die offs...Yuuuum, they were a challenge to cook! Remove every speck of fat and brine these birds for 24hours prior cooking. As Craig stated earlier this is the universal secret to improving the meat's consistency, moisture content, and taste. Just make sure you use a standardized salt, brown sugar, water ration, scaled-down to duck meat weights. Coarsely ground allspice berries, white pepper and black pepper corns, a bay leaf and minced ginger add significantly to the background flavor medley.
 
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I don't often shoot them (or woodcock) because they are so small but I find bufflehead breasts blackened rare taste just fine without the extra soaking procedures. That said I place them on their backs or gut them as soon as retrieved.

I haven't plucked a duck in years but I cook puddleduck breasts the same way. Look for an Anthony Bordain show where he shows a couple hunters in Arkansas how to cook duck breasts.
 
Resurrecting this, but I saw somewhere on here that buffies are good as schnitzel, and I can verify that I cooked 5 birds tonight as schnitzel and they were devoured. Much better than roasting the things.

Andrea and the kids ate them without complaints. Even I was skeptical but darn they were delicious
 
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