I have never really been exposed to any waterfowl hunting but I know that there are lots of you guys on here that love it so my question is do you actually go home and cook up those 3 or 4 ducks or geese?

It's commonplace (for me atleast) to get togather with friends and grill up some dove or quail or maybe fry up some backstrap but I don't see it with waterfowl.

Anyway, just bored and thought I would pose the question.

I personally believe that if you don't like the way it tastes, learn how to cook! I can make boot leather taste good. It's all in the marinade and how it is cooked. Way too many people over cook their meat and make it dry and tough. Most all wild game tastes better Medium Rare and is not unhealthy for you to eat.

I eat almost every duck I kill. I say almost because sometimes I give them away for share them with friends at a cook out or make poppers for others.


Most duck breast meat, aside from ducks that eat fish (ie. mergansers) and some that eat lots of saltwater/brackish water food (ie. late season hollywoods) will taste very good with little work.

I use soy sauce tabsco as a marinade and soak the breasts for about 2-4 hours... this is after a 12-24 hour soak in very salty water to draw out blood.

The the breast meat can be grilled with red/green peppers, potatoes, and onion and make great kabobs or just straight on the grill. Or cook in a skillet with small amount of olive oil and make an asian type dish (stir-fry).

Basically imo, you shouldn't be out shooting limits of ducks if you are just looking to mount one drake a season; unless you're donating the meat portion to hunters for the hungry.


(When I shoot geese I either let my dad cook it or give it to HH, I can't seem to cook them correctly yet.)

Yeah I eat every duck I shoot unless he's going on the wall. Grill them or dice the breasts and toss into a crock pot with cream of mushroom soup, potatoes, carrots, onions, etc.

Never shot a goose, though. Anyone have intel on goose fajitas? I've heard they're pretty good.

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I personally believe that if you don't like the way it tastes, learn how to cook!

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No truer statement exists. Many of the greatest dishes in the world came about after generations of trial and error with the least desirable cuts of meat.

Once again, I'm going to refer to Anthony Bourdain. He has a show on travel channel called No Reservations. Check it out, he constantly makes a very good point about "common folk" or "poor peoples" food. It's really a great show.



"If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective."
- Ted Nugent

as stated earlier, brine the meat in a salt water soak for 12-24 hours.

At the A&M/TU game this year i made bacon wrapped dove and duck and you could not tell a difference.

Bourdain eats a lot of nasty sh't on that show. Just because a chef says it tastes good, doesn't mean it does.

There is nothing but your imagination that could ever make a goose taste good.

Always eat them unless it's a mount or I freeze them for retriever training.

As for getting together and eating them w/ friends, duck hunting isn't quite as social an activity as dove or quail hunting.

As for geese, there's more than one kind of goose. Everyone who gets on here and says geese don't taste good needs to eat a specklebelly. And it's easy to cook a snow goose. It won't be as good as a pintail, but it can still be good.

[This message has been edited by RoseRichAg01 (edited 4/14/2010 9:53a).]

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There is nothing but your imagination that could ever make a goose taste good.

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I've heard the same said about bull nuts...



"If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective."
- Ted Nugent

duck and goose is great! Some may say its to livery or not good that just means more for me and the guys that like to eat duck and goose.

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I personally believe that if you don't like the way it tastes, learn how to cook!

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+1

I almost never eat the ducks I kill. And I am a rabid duck hunter who hunts most weekends that I can during the season.

Duck is a dark meat, that is very gamey tasting, and I just dont care for it. Most guys wont admit it, but their recipes for preparing duck consist of lots of ingredients that are there to mask the taste of the duck itself.

That being said, if I'm not going to take the bird to the taxidermist, I breast out my duck, vacuum seal it, and take it to my brother's fire station. The fireman love it (they will eat anything).

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Most guys wont admit it, but their recipes for preparing duck consist of lots of ingredients that are there to mask the taste of the duck itself.

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...there's the true answer.

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There is nothing but your imagination that could ever make a goose taste good.

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I used to have this mentality concerning geese, until I was introduced to goose summer sausage last year.

I could just about eat my weight in that stuff.

Come on IsleAg, you haven't lived til you eat a basket of freshly fried Mountain Oysters.

Maybe I am just East Texas Trailer Trash, but the only meat that I have tried and didn't like was Armadillo, tasted like BF Goodrich. I have had Aoudad, Javy and just about any other critter that walks in Texas and liked them all.

I brine goose breasts in salt water, then soak in buttermilk for a couple of hours, cut them into strips and then chicken fry them. They may not be quite as good as DQ steak fingers, but it's pretty good eating and the best way I've found to cook them.

I eat just about every bird I shoot. Stir fry, chicken fry, grill, fajitas, roast, etc.

I moved to the NW about 5 years ago. A lot of the guys I work with take all of their ducks and geese to a processor and have them made into pepperoni sticks or sausage. The processed stuff is mixed to where it's only about 1/3 duck or goose, so it's a good way to utilize your harvest if you really don't care for the taste of waterfowl.

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Most guys wont admit it, but their recipes for preparing duck consist of lots of ingredients that are there to mask the taste of the duck itself

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I would say that compeltely depends on the type of duck. Mallards and Teal have worlds of difference in taste and texture compared to a helldiver. You need to know what you are cooking, because duck is very good meat in of itself if you have the right breed.

...I'm thinking we should cross post this over on the "recommend a dog food" thread.

Coming from somebody that lives in Kansas, which is completely devoid of any decent food, I would think you would be the board expert on the various textures and flavors of dog food...

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Come on IsleAg, you haven't lived til you eat a basket of freshly fried Mountain Oysters.

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My friend, I have eaten plenty-o-basket of fresh calf fries. We had some family friends who own a feed lot in Oklahoma. We went up to visit every year when they castrated... sure do miss them days.



"If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective."
- Ted Nugent

We have corn fed beef. Lots of it. And pigs. That makes steak & bacon. ...or bacon wrapped steak. So I'm pretty good with that.


...but I will readily admit the Mexican food pickings are slim and when I cook at the house for friends I have to cook his & hers portions so all my friends don't cry about the food being too hot.

I do not brine, and I do not cover my duck/goose in massive amounts of seasoning. Salt, pepper, dust of flower, and chicken fry it... ALL OF IT, snow goose, speck, mallard, SPOONIE, all of them. Drain the oil, take the leavings add some flour to prepare a rue, touch of heavy cream, to complete the sauce and your good to go. The only prep I do is a quick wash after processing then into the vaccum bag. The key is do not overcook it, no one likes shoe leather. I've also been known to follow the recipe for an oven steak, only I replace the steak with goose!

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Drain the oil, take the leavings add some flour to prepare a roux

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fify



"If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective."
- Ted Nugent

Thanks Isle,

The French, I don't speak it.

Not a problem, if I hadn't gone to culinary school I certainly wouldn't know how to spell it.



"If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective."
- Ted Nugent

What kind of cooking do you specialize in?


And how for goodness sake do I keep pork medalions from drying out?

YES we eat every duck we kill unless it’s going to the Taxidermist. However, I am kind of a picky Duck Hunter in that I do not kill Divers. I do not care for the way they taste. I only kill puddle ducks. A lot of the people that hunt with me ask my why I don’t shoot at them and I just tell them that if they feel like shooting them that’s fine with me but I don’t prefer to eat them. You should see the looks I get when I don’t call at them or call off the shots when they are working us. Sarge gets a bit agitated at me too when they light in the Decoys and I don’t shoot at them. I guess I am kind of an elitist when it comes to duck hunting and others have told me so. But the way I look at it we have plenty of puddle ducks where we hunt so why kill divers when we could fill our limits with Mallards, Teal, Wood Ducks, Pin Tail, Widgeon and Gadwall. But I don’t look down on those who do kill them. Sometimes that’s all some people will see depending on where they are hunting. To each his own I guess.

Do any of you like duck sausage?

yes

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What kind of cooking do you specialize in?


And how for goodness sake do I keep pork medalions from drying out?

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I don't really specialize in anything. Being from Texas, my food tends to lean towards Latin and Cajun style food.

What cut of pork are you calling medallions? Pork shouldn't really dry out unless you're over cooking it. Trichinosis is the main thing people worry about with "under cooked" pork... which is a very outdated fear, as I understand it. I'm sure some good ol' Ags can explain more, but swine is cared for much more carefully than it used to be. Many restaurants are serving medium to medium rare pork. I never cook it past medium well. hth




"If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective."
- Ted Nugent

Once you learn how to cook duck meat, it can be really, really good.

You guys that brine soak the duck meat prior, is the 'prior' after thawing and before marinade?

Would there be any issues if I froze them in a brine solution? I plan on getting a food sealer soon, but I am curious.

Trident, I'll finish it for you.

"Duck down here and getcha some"

Can't believe no one jumped on that one.