Guys, right now I have my duck breasts marinating in a red wine / balsamic vinegar (and several other ingredient) marinade. How should I cook these things? I was going to do a bacon/cream cheese popper kinda thing, but what would you guys recommend? My concern with the bacon option is cooking duck until the bacon is done might over cook the duck. How should I do it and what should I do? I've never cooked duck before. Also, from what I understand, duck can be eaten fairly rare. Is that how you would recommend it?

Not sure if I should grill it, oven cook it or stove top cook it.

As always, help is appreciated.

Sear in hot skillet, med rare, and make fajitas

You'll be fine. The bacon will cook faster since it is on the outside and will get to optimal temp without overcooking the duck. Just cook on lower heat and rotate the skewer around frequently.

Here's my go-to duck recipe, aside from grilling. Been doing it for years and it's never failed.

Fillet breast from three ducks. Gadwall works great but divers and spoonies work, too.

Dice the breasts. Throw in a crock pot with three cans of cream anything soup such as mushroom, celery, poblano, again, it doesn't matter. Mix 'em up if you prefer.

Cut up celery, onion, carrot and potatoes and throw it in crock pot. Add seasoning to taste. Want to make it spicy? Add red pepper or diced jalapeo.

Cook all day, stirring on occasion. Add water for a soupier end result. Or perhaps another can of cream of whatever soup for a thicker stew.

Serve in a bowl with sourdough bread and I've found that a Shiner Bock or two makes it whole.

Trust me, you can't lose with this duck recipe.

I'll take cans of vegetable soup to canada dice and spice duck add to soup in crock. Poof duck stew immediately when you get home from the evening shoot

As said, just grilled is good. Go with a good coating of vegetable oil in addition to any marinade.

If bacon wrapped, I build a hot fire on one side of the Weber. If it starts to flare too much, just spin the grate around 180* so they don't burn.

I try to breast most of the dabblers out with skin on, the duck fat is awesome. salt and pepper generously. Searing hot skillet for 4-5min skin side down, 1-2min other side. Tastes like a good steak.

If I don't have skin on, I'll pound them a little, season with Montreal steak or just s&p, dredge in some flour and fry.

Butterfly breast and marinate in Caribbean jerk seasoning overnight. Add a spoon ful of mango chutney and a slice of cream cheese to the middle. Fold breast over. Wrap with bacon. Secure and grill over hot fire. Delicious

If I only have a couple breasts I like to just sear them on a skillet. Fruit goes great with duck meat so I'll top it with some bourbon peach sauce with a side of roasted grapes.

I like to save all my spoonie breasts for the end of the season. Next sunday (season closes) I'll throw all the breasts in the slow cooker, shred them up and make enchiladas.

Other than that, lots of poppers and the occasional crown roast.

The correct answer is gumbo.

Well, how did they turn out OP? Personally, with dabblers if you're just cooking the breasts the simpler the better. No marinade needed. Just coat each side liberally with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Then get a skillet screaming hot with just a little grease of your choice. If you have some duck fat that's perfect. Then sear those bad boys for 60-90 seconds per side depending on thickness. You want them rare to extra-rare.

With dabblers like mallards, teal, gadwall, widgeon, pintails, and woodies you're gonna get something as good as any filet mignon you've ever cooked.

TarponChaser said:

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Well, how did they turn out OP? Personally, with dabblers if you're just cooking the breasts the simpler the better. No marinade needed. Just coat each side liberally with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Then get a skillet screaming hot with just a little grease of your choice. If you have some duck fat that's perfect. Then dear those bad boys for 60-90 seconds per side depending on thickness. You want them rare to extra-rare.

With dabblers like mallards, teal, gadwall, widgeon, pintails, and woodies you're gonna get something as good as any filet mignon you've ever cooked.

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100% on board with this approach. I typically dust with salt and pepper and cook in a cast iron skillet with bacon grease.

I'll tell you tomorrow. I have the duck marinating now. I was going to grill it, but now thinking of pan searing it instead.

Cook your bacon separately in the oven, then wrap them. Problem solved.

Anthony Bourdain

This is also good if you do it right. I like it with a little creole seasoning

Micropterus said:

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The correct answer is gumbo.

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For anything bigger than a teal, I agree. I will cook teal breasts like dove -- bacon, jalepeno, cheese on the grill.

The other good option for big ducks is to give them to a homeless shelter, or that one buddy of yours that loves Canada geese, Kingfish, sand trout, etc.

Season, sear hot and fast to med rare for dabblers.

If you want to bacon wrap, par-cook the bacon if you are concerned about overcooking the duck.

Keep it simple.

ShinerDunk93 said:

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Anthony Bourdain

This is also good if you do it right. I like it with a little creole seasoning

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Good call.

An important distinction is that if your birds have the skin on you start them off skin side down over medium heat and slowly increase the heat to get the fat to render into the meat and crisp up the skin. Then when it's time to flip the skillet should be super hot for the skinless side.

If no skin on the start off screaming hot.

RightWingConspirator said:

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Guys, right now I have my duck breasts marinating in a red wine / balsamic vinegar (and several other ingredient) marinade. How should I cook these things? I was going to do a bacon/cream cheese popper kinda thing, but what would you guys recommend? My concern with the bacon option is cooking duck until the bacon is done might over cook the duck. How should I do it and what should I do? I've never cooked duck before. Also, from what I understand, duck can be eaten fairly rare. Is that how you would recommend it?

Not sure if I should grill it, oven cook it or stove top cook it.

As always, help is appreciated.

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1. Pre-cook the bacon in the oven, 8-9 minutes, then wrap the breast filets. I use two halves of the same breast, with some ground black pepper and a jalapeno slice between, wrapped & pinned with a toothpick.

2. Grill with the lid open -- this takes a lot longer, but allows the outside to sear without overcooking the interior.

Use a meat thermometer and pull them at 128-130.

Do this:


https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/other-main-course/duck-breast-supreme.html


You're welcome

Well, in short, my marinade was too strong and I undercooked the duck breast. I enjoyed it, but the family didn't appear to be big fans. I still have another 10 or so breasts. I think next time I'll fry it with nothing but salt and pepper.

It took me a few tries to find what I liked so no worries.

Next time go simple and soak a few breasts in Allegro for 12 hours or so. Maybe use a quarter bottle. Get the pit real hot then sprinkle some crushed black pepper and sea salt on top and sear it a few minutes on each side (be sure the pit is hot enough to get a little char). Take em off and serve with some grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes.

My city sister and mom loved it and claimed it didn't taste like duck they've had in restaurants (which is comparing farm raised to wild, so they wouldn't). They claimed they were real surprised. That was using mallards and wood ducks.

RightWingConspirator said:

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Well, in short, my marinade was too strong and I undercooked the duck breast. I enjoyed it, but the family didn't appear to be big fans. I still have another 10 or so breasts. I think next time I'll fry it with nothing but salt and pepper.

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Marinades with red wine (regular or vinegar) can be overwhelming.

For most game I use a brine of kosher salt and soy sauce. I tend eyeball it, but about 1/8 cup of each in 1-2 quarts of water. Leave it for 3-4 hours. More if they are frozen when they go in the brine.

If you didn't already, take a few and soak them in water in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Then dump the water and do it again. If you do this a few times the breasts will go from that dark red/purple to a light pink. It really cuts the strong game flavor. Then just marinade in italian dressing for about 30 minutes before you cook. Should yield a much milder flavor.

I usually have to do this this time of year when I've been feeding my wife nothing but duck and deer meat for the past three months.

You can take it a step further. Use filet knife to remove all the white fascia. Slice the meat up in to frying or grilling size then soak it for a day or two. Believe it or not you can actually go too far with this method and remove too much flavor. Even works on sea ducks.

Hank Shaw's duck breast curry is amazing

https://instagr.am/p/B7xEIhPBaW8

Looks delicious