S W E E T A N D S M O K Y G R I L L E D D U C K MINNESOTA

S W E E T
A N D
S M O K Y
G R I L L E D
D U C K
MINNESOTA CONSERVATION
VOI.ONTEER
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irst time I h u n t e d
s, I h a d m o r e e n -
m t h a n c o m m o n sense. Having
m e f r o m a family of n o n h u n t e r s , I
was 30 years old the first time I stood
on the shores of a m a r s h y lake with a
d u c k - h u n t i n g friend, scanning the
skies for birds. My f r i e n d called a
small flock within range, and gave the
signal to shoot. Being unversed in the
f i n e a r t of i d e n t i f y i n g b i r d s o n t h e
w i n g , I p i c k e d a p o o r first t a r g e t : a
merganser.
A f t e r t h e s m o k e c l e a r e d , we
waded out and retrieved our birds.
M y f r i e n d l o o k e d at t h e b e a u t i f u l
BY T E R E S A
PHOTOGRAPHY
MARRONE
BY B I L L
LI N
D N
E R
creature I held in my hand and shook
his h e a d . " Y o u c a n ' t eat t h a t , " h e
laughed. " M e r g a n s e r s are fish-eating
ducks, and taste terrible."
Well, I was new to this business of duck
hunting, but 1 decided I could not just
throw the bird in the weeds. I had shot it;
and, by gum, I was going to eat it too.
The next day I boned the merganser
and immersed the meat in a concoction
of b r a n d y , herbs, a n d olive oil. T h a t
evening I cooked it in bacon drippings
with sliced onions. Though you wouldn't
find it in a three-star restaurant, the dish
was surprisingly good.
Since then, I've gotten better at wing
identification—and at cooking ducks.
W h a t follows are some of my tips for
preparing delectable ducks.
rinincj
Z) u c/t
Y
ears ago d u c k s w e r e a l m o s t
always soaked in s a l t w a t e r
after cleaning. The salt was
intended to "take out the blood"
and remove some o f t h e w i l d taste.
M o d e r n cooks have discovered t h a t
whole milk actually works better for
t h i s purpose, and t h e lactic acid in
m i l k helps t e n d e r i z e t h e meat.
In recent years, h o w e v e r , s a l t w a t e r
has f o u n d its w a y back i n t o t h e
k i t c h e n — b u t n o t f o r t h e o l d reasons. S a v v y c o o k s t o d a y use a saltw a t e r soak t o a d d m o i s t u r e a n d succulence t o chicken, t u r k e y , and
o t h e r lean meats, i n c l u d i n g duck.
T h i s t e c h n i q u e is c a l l e d b r i n i n g .
N O T ALL EQUAL. W h e n it comes to
cooking, not all ducks are created equal.
The bird's diet has a big impact on the
flavor of the meat. Dabblers (such as
mallards, wood ducks, and teal) are considered better table fare than divers, such
as bluebills (scaup). However, the canvasback is a diver and one of the besttasting ducks.
If I were cooking for s o m e o n e w h o
h a d never eaten wild d u c k , m y first
choice would be mild, sweet teal; my
s e c o n d w o u l d be w o o d d u c k . O t h e r
excellent choices: mallard, canvasback,
gadwall, pintail, and redhead.
Age of the d u c k , especially divers,
affects eating quality. Younger birds are
m o r e tender and milder tasting than
old specimens. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , age is
Sweet and Smoky Grilled Duck
(page 4 9 ) calls f o r b r i n i n g i n apple
juice. Consider b r i n i n g an o p t i o n for
m o s t d u c k recipes, t h o u g h I w o u l d
n e v e r b r i n e m e a t t o be c o o k e d i n a
crockpot—especially if I planned t o
cook it in sauerkraut!
To brine a duck, in a ceramic bowl,
s t a i n l e s s - s t e e l p o t , o r f o o d - s a f e plast i c c o n t a i n e r , m i x */4 c u p c o a r s e
kosher salt ( d o n ' t s u b s t i t u t e iodized
salt) per q u a r t o f w a t e r . S t i r u n t i l
salt dissolves. Add o t h e r seasonings,
i n c l u d i n g b r o w n sugar or maple
s y r u p , as d e s i r e d . M a k e s u r e m i x t u r e
c o m p l e t e l y c o v e r s t h e m e a t . Place a
ceramic plate a t o p t h e d u c k t o keep i t
submerged. Refrigerate for 2 t o 4
hours.
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MINNESOTA CONSERVATION VOLUNTEER
SERVES 2 TO 4
PREP TIME: 3Vz HOURS
1 or 2 whole ducks, skin on, halved, washed
4 cups apple juice
4 cups cold water
'A cup coarse kosher salt
'A teaspoon Tabasco or substitute
'A cup orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves,
or 1 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
2 teaspoons paprika
'A teaspoon cracked black pepper
Equipment: covered kettle-type grill, metal baking pan, few handfuls of fruitwood chips
soaked in water, charcoal (genuine hardwood preferred).
1. Combine apple juice, water, kosher salt, and Tabasco in large ceramic bowl or stainlesssteel pot. Stir until salt dissolves. Add duck halves and weigh down with ceramic plate.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Near the end of brining time, prepare medium-sized fire by arranging charcoal in two banks
at sides of grill. Place metal pan between banks and fill with water. Light coals and let them burn
until covered with ash.
3. When coals are ready, remove duck from brine and pat dry. Discard brine. Drain wood
chips and toss half onto coals. Place grill grate over coals and arrange duck halves, skin side
up, on grate over water pan (not coals). Cover grill and cook 30 minutes (20 minutes for
small ducks). Then add remainder of wood chips to coals and move the ducks around,
keeping skin side up. Cover and cook another 30 minutes (15 for small ducks).
4. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients in small bowl.
5. At the end of the second cooking time, turn ducks skin side down and brush with orange
juice mixture. Cover and cook, turning and basting every 5 minutes, for 20 minutes longer.
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER
2003
49
D U C K BREAST A LA R I T Z
SERVES 2
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES
2 boneless, skinless duck breast halves, about
3 ounces each
'A cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
'A cup crushed buttery crackers such as Ritz
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Garlic salt, salt blend, or plain salt
1 ounce Gruyere, blue, or aged Swiss cheese,
sliced or coarsely crumbled
1. Heat oven to 375 F. With sharp knife tip,
lightly score duck with parallel lines 'A inch
apart, then score in the other direction to
create a grid. Place each half between sheets
of plastic wrap and pound gently with meat
mallet until meat is even in thickness, about
'A inch.
2. Coat with flour. Dip into egg, then into
crushed crackers.
3. In large oven-safe skillet, melt butter in
oil over medium-high heat. When butter
stops foaming, quickly add coated meat in
single layer. Reduce heat slightly and cook
about V/i minutes. Turn pieces with tongs.
Salt lightly and cook about 30 seconds.
4. Top with cheese and bake 5 minutes (4
minutes for small duck pieces). Serve
immediately.
f
Teresa Marrone,
Minneapolis,
is
author of D r e s s i n g a n d C o o k i n g
Wild Game and other cookbooks. She
is writing a cookbook on wild edibles
to be published next spring.
impossible to judge on the wing, but
once you have t h e bird in h a n d , you
may be able to j u d g e its relative age.
Younger ducks may not have full adult
plumage. A young bird may have more
p i n f e a t h e r s later in t h e season t h a n
adults of the species, and its breastbone
may be a bit softer at the pointed tip.
While you're inspecting your ducks,
note the fat content as well. A layer of fat
over the breast keeps the meat moist
d u r i n g r o a s t i n g . If t h e d u c k is welle n d o w e d with fat, t h e skin over t h e
breast will look thick and have a yellowish cast; if the skin appears dark and thin,
the duck is lean. A quick note: The fat of
bluebills (scaup) and goldeneyes may be
strong-tasting, so these ducks are often
s k i n n e d . In M i n n e s o t a , we have t h e
opportunity to harvest ducks just as they
are beginning their long migration, so
they will probably have more fat than a
duck taken in, say, Arkansas.
C H O I C E C U T S . D u c k needs to be
properly prepared to be palatable. Choice
cuts, such as breast meat, are best when
cooked quickly and served medium-rare.
A slow braise is better for tenderizing
tough portions—legs, thighs, and wings.
This brings up the difficulty in cooking w h o l e ducks. M e d i u m - r a r e d u c k
breast is an E p i c u r e a n ' s delight; m e dium-rare duck thighs are another matter entirely. This p r o b l e m has t h r e e
s o l u t i o n s : 1) C o o k t h e d u c k w h o l e ,
using relatively low heat and long cooking time. 2) Cut and cook breast meat
apart from thighs, drumsticks, and
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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER
2003
51
D U C K BURGERS
SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES
15 ounces boneless, skinless duck meat,
chilled and cut into 1-inch pieces (12
ounces if using breast meat only)
4 ounces thick bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
'A small onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
'A teaspoon salt
Pinch ofblack pepper
Ground Beef variation:
10 ounces boneless, skinless duck meat,
chilled and cut into 1-inch pieces (8
ounces if using breast meat only)
8 ounces ground beef (80 to 85 percent lean
works well)
'A small onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
'A teaspoon ground black pepper
1. Fit grinder with fine-cutting plate. Grind
duck first, add bacon pieces (if using), then
onion (to push through bits of meat).
2. In mixing bowl, combine meat mixture
with salt, pepper, and ground beef (if using).
Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands.
Shape into four patties. Grill, broil, or pan-fry
until just done, about 4 minutes per side.
Serve on buns with regular hamburger fixings.
wings. 3) Cut up parts and braise all.
U n f o r t u n a t e l y , m a n y duck h u n t e r s
have another solution: Pull out the breast
meat and discard the rest of the duck.
This is wanton waste. As these recipes
show, all parts of the duck have a place in
the kitchen.
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A UNIVERSAL FIX. Slow cooking in
liquid (braising) produces moist, tender
duck. Use a crockpot or a covered pot
on the stovetop or in the oven. Place a
duck or two, cut up like chicken, into a
pot with orange juice, a bit of chopped
o n i o n , a n d a few herbs. Eight h o u r s
later, you'll have meltingly tender duck
in a delicious sauce.
The citric acid in orange juice mellows the duck's aggressive flavor, and
MINNESOTA CONSERVATION VOLUNTEER
also h e l p s t e n d e r i z e t h e m e a t .
S a u e r k r a u t p e r f o r m s s i m i l a r magic.
Cover ducks with drained sauerkraut,
a d d a few slices of o n i o n a n d a few
tablespoons of b r o w n sugar (or halfcup of barbecue sauce), and braise.
EVERY LAST SCRAP. W h e n cutting
up a whole duck, save the backbone and
any parts too bony to cook. Place into a
large pot and cover with at least 1 inch
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2003
of water. Add a few carrots, celery stalks
and leaves, quartered o n i o n , bay leaf,
and whole black peppercorns. Heat just
to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer
f o r a b o u t t w o h o u r s , s k i m m i n g any
f o a m f r e q u e n t l y at first. Strain stock,
cool quickly, a n d skim fat f r o m t o p .
Store in refrigerator for up to three days.
For longer storage, freeze in convenient
portions. Use for soups or in any recipe
calling for chicken broth. #
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