Advice needed Duck

BGEChicago · December 2018

Hey guys,

I want to try a duck in the BGE, full disclosure, never tried but thought it was egg-worthy. I found these guys selling them: http://www.mapleleaffarms.com/prod-whole-duck-orange-sauce Is this a good brand/ suggestions on buying and cooking would buying would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Greg

gdenby · December 2018

They produce good ducks. Side note, almost all ducks sold in the US come from 2 Indiana producers, Maple Leaf, and Culver. Because ducks are not so hardy as chickens, they tend to be well treated and fed. This means the meat will be tender, and there will be lots of fat.

Typically, I make slices in the skin to improve rendering, and make sure I have a big pan to catch the drippings. If there are gobs of fat in the body cavity, I cut those away, and render to produce fat for frying.

The skin takes smoke strongly, so I go light on the wood, maybe a chunk of peach or mulberry. If you are going to use their orange sauce, you might want to put some orange sections inside the body. The acid will help cut the fattiness that the meat can have.

Sea2Ski · December 2018

I love duck. No advice for buying. For cooking, make sure you have a good drip pan to catch the liquid gold. Personally one small chunk of cherry for smoke. I lightly score the skin to allow fat to render out. Do not cut into meat if you can help it. Also, make sure to cut skin at the thigh/hip joint so fat does not pool there. Finally, toss cut potato’s in some of that captured duck fat and cook at 400-425.
..and use it for eggs the next morning
...and veggies that following night...

BGEChicago · December 2018

Thanks @gdenby I never realized that fact. I actually bought this one today at the grocery store, it's drying in the fridge for tomorrow night. sure enough, it's from Indiana! Thanks to everyone for the comments!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/m7/nz5kge8fsdn8.jpg

alaskanassasin · December 2018

gdenby said:

They produce good ducks. Side note, almost all ducks sold in the US come from 2 Indiana producers, Maple Leaf, and Culver. Because ducks are not so hardy as chickens, they tend to be well treated and fed. This means the meat will be tender, and there will be lots of fat.

Typically, I make slices in the skin to improve rendering, and make sure I have a big pan to catch the drippings. If there are gobs of fat in the body cavity, I cut those away, and render to produce fat for frying.

The skin takes smoke strongly, so I go light on the wood, maybe a chunk of peach or mulberry. If you are going to use their orange sauce, you might want to put some orange sections inside the body. The acid will help cut the fattiness that the meat can have.

Not trying to argue here but I raise chickens as Peking ducks and the ducks a bullet proof. As far as hardy my chickens hide in the shed when it’s raining hard, windy as crap, super cold or won’t even leave the coup in snow.
The Peking however love hard rains, wind is no bother, they hate the heat lamp in the winter, tromp through snow and will dive into a partially frozen pond.

gdenby · December 2018

Hardy was maybe not the best word. Maybe delicate, and dumb. If they found a way out of the cage, down the creek they went. The chickens just hung around, and raided the garden. For whatever reason, the mallards got broken legs easier than the domestics. And there was a hawk (or two) that would stoop on the ducks, but never got the chickens.

A few years later, I mentioned to a friend about how few wild ducks there were in the river, and he said they were sort of like canaries in a coal mine. Pollution wiped them out easy.

Advice needed Duck

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