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It's Duck night

ronbeaux
ronbeaux Posts: 988
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
ducks.jpg
<p />I brined these ducks last night in a mixture of water, sea salt, teriyaki, and herbs. Here they are coated with a poultry seasoning where they will rest in the fridge until later. I plan to cook them at 350 indirect till about 180 internal.[p]Sound right??

Comments

  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    ronbeaux,[p]From the info I have, duck doesn't need to go to 180. 165-175 should be o.k. if it was a whole bird you cut up. The last time I did duck, I thought I needed to get to 180, and by 175, it was really dry. The bone ends were red, which I found meant that the smoke had worked through to them. I could probably have pulled it at 165, because the juice was running clear.[p]Have a good drip pan, because ducks have a lot of fat to render out.[p]gdenby

  • Haggis
    Haggis Posts: 998
    ronbeaux,[p]I've never seen a duck cooked skinless. Have you done this before? How do they turn out?
  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
    ronbeaux,[p]Are you sure about the 180°? The hunters I know cook it a tad past medium rare. The meat is still rosy but the juices are not bloody.[p]~thirdeye~

    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
  • ronbeaux
    ronbeaux Posts: 988
    gdenby,
    Thanks! will do. These are wild and died of un-natural causes. They look pretty lean so I'll keep an eye on them.

  • ronbeaux,[p]I always go 140 on farm raised duck. Remove at 140 and serve at 145. I've read that that is safe.[p]Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    ronbeaux,[p] Click below... 180 is too much..
    [ul][li]Your Duck or Goose is cooked when??[/ul]
  • ronbeaux
    ronbeaux Posts: 988
    Haggis,
    Still collecting info, will let you and others know later.

  • ronbeaux
    ronbeaux Posts: 988
    thirdeye,
    This is a first for me. 180 came to mind as in leg/dark meat of a turkey or chicken. I'm thinking lower is better after reading responses.

  • ronbeaux
    ronbeaux Posts: 988
    Celtic Wolf,
    165 it is!! thanks. I got a bunch of them so I think I'll slow cook some later this weekend at around 250.

  • Marvin
    Marvin Posts: 515
    ronbeaux,
    Those look like wild ducks that have been skinned. If that is correct, brining was a good idea since there is little source for moisture. I would not cook them past 145. My take on it is that these will act like pheasant, which when skinned, are darn hard to cook so they don't dry out.[p] If, as I guess, they have very little or no fat, I would Egg them for 30-60 minutes to get whatever smoke flavor you wish, then wrap in foil with a little liquid (beer is good) and continue cooking (steaming) them in the Egg until you reach your temp. Let us know how you did them and how they came out.[p] If they do have a lot of fat - as in domestic duck - forget all this. Have fun.

  • ronbeaux
    ronbeaux Posts: 988
    Marvin,
    They are wild and I have no idea what kind since they are missing the feathers. Thanks for the info. They look pretty lean to me, especially with no skin. So far my plan is to cook and watch them to sneak up on perfect. If I have to wrap, then so be it. There is two votes for 145 so far.[p]I really appreciate all of the info from everyone! I'm going to have fun with this.

  • QBabe
    QBabe Posts: 2,275
    ronbeaux,[p]We've done duck breast a number of times and never more than 145° internal. It can dry out quickly and there is a fine line between melt in your mouth good and overdone. You have to watch them carefully. [p]We can't get them locally often, but have a friend who has a catering contact who gets them for us from their supplier. We've only got two breasts left now, so they're waiting for a "special" dinner.[p]Let us know how they turn out...[p]Tonia
    :~)