Merry Christmas, TexAgs!

A few years back, the wife and I resolved a very long argument about what to eat on Christmas Day. I'd come from a turkey family, and her family did prime rib. We both wanted our own traditions.

But the one year we decided on duck as a compromise, and now that's what we do every Christmas. The recipe is Cajun stuffed duck. I found it on a forum probably 25 years ago. Now, I grill it instead of roast it.

But here you go! This recipe is a real crowd pleaser.







This year, the side will be scratch red beans and rice with andouille sausage.

Merry Christmas y'all!

Stuffed Robot Duck, eh? Nice try!

Better image of recipe, p 1

Page 2.

Wish I knew the guy who developed this recipe. Just to thank him. He has blessed our home and our bellies over and over again.

Looks great! Try substituting the duck for another protein, and I bet it will be down right edible! Ha ha, jk!

Oh- and you married a Prime Rib woman… you just roll with that and count your blessings!!!!

Your wife's family wins the Christmas Tradition contest by a long shot.

Cedar Plank Duck

Place duck on cedar plank
Smoke or bake duck to internal temp of 150
Remove duck
Throw away duck
Eat cedar plank

My wife is full blooded Danish. Danes serve duck or goose for Christmas. They celebrate Christmas on the Eve. Se we do duck the Eve and ham the day of. 37 years doing it this way.

And farm raised duck is great compared to wild ones. If you like dark meat you will like farm duck. Wild ducks are just flying livers.

Some of you guys are bonkers.

My entire family just debated whether duck is the BEST meat.

Not sure what you've been eating.

C M duck?
M 8 duck
O S A R
C D E D B D wing?
C D E D B D feet?
L I B M R duck

Love this kind of info. Thanks for sharing!

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My entire family just debated whether duck is the BEST WORST meat.

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This might make for a more interesting debate. You'd probably hear from folks who have eaten things like racoons, opossums, dilllos, etc.

Goose Goose Goose!!

Fa ra ra ra ra, rah ra, rah ra

FIDO*98* said:

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My entire family just debated whether duck is the BEST WORST meat.

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This might make for a more interesting debate. You'd probably hear from folks who have eaten things like racoons, opossums, dilllos, etc.

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Crazy pills

FIDO*98* said:

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My entire family just debated whether duck is the BEST WORST meat.

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This might make for a more interesting debate. You'd probably hear from folks who have eaten things like racoons, opossums, dilllos, etc.

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Pffffffffffft! That's Thanksgiving fare.

FIDO*98* said:

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My entire family just debated whether duck is the BEST WORST meat.

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This might make for a more interesting debate. You'd probably hear from folks who have eaten things like racoons, opossums, dilllos, etc.

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I HAVE NOT EVER EATEN POSSUM ....... I ain't no dayum hillbilly......but I can't say the same about raccoon, armadillo, cottontail rabbit, frog, turtle, rattlesnake, squirrel, pigeon, all more than once .....I tried duck back when I was about 12 and 60 years later the memory of such still haunts me.

Tip:

Cook your duck to 140 degrees. Overly done duck is dry and awful. Rare duck is bloody. A good medium is where you find that unique, wonderful flavor.

I think 140 is still too high. If it's just teal or woodie breasts then they seared rare/medium rare. A whole duck goes to maybe 130 in the breast at the keel bone.

Also, whenever possible it's worth it to pluck a bird and leave the skin. Even with teal. Breasting out a duck wastes all the delicious fat & skin and other wonderful bits.

People who say they don't like duck generally don't know how to clean & cook it or whomever is doing the cleaning & cooking doesn't know what they're doing.

Or some people just have different tastes than others.

Rattler12 said:

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Or some people just have different tastes than others.

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Do you like filet mignon? Properly cooked duck (especially seared teal or wood duck breasts) is very similar.

TarponChaser said:

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Rattler12 said:

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Or some people just have different tastes than others.

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Do you like filet mignon? Properly cooked duck (especially seared teal or wood duck breasts) is very similar.

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OK ....now you're really out in left field ......comparing beef and duck? Julia Child is rolling over in her grave at this very moment. Filet mignon is great.......duck not so much.....besides you can't milk a duck.

I perfect duck is every bit as delicious as a perfect filet. They're different, for sure. The flavors and textures don't match.

But they'll both make you lean back in your chair, chew slowly and think how good life truly is.

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People who say they don't like duck generally don't know how to clean & cook it or whomever is doing the cleaning & cooking doesn't know what they're doing.

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I'd argue it's the opposite. I don't know anyone who's a great cook that likes wild duck. The only people I can give them away to aren't very good cooks at all. The recipe in the OP and the comparison to a beef filet support my position.

Your beans are trrrible.

FIDO*98* said:

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People who say they don't like duck generally don't know how to clean & cook it or whomever is doing the cleaning & cooking doesn't know what they're doing.

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I'd argue it's the opposite. I don't know anyone who's a great cook that likes wild duck. The only people I can give them away to aren't very good cooks at all. The recipe in the OP and the comparison to a beef filet support my position.

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That's an ignorant statement. I happen to be personal friends with a number of chefs who absolutely love wild duck. Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due in Austin is one. And Chris Shepherd here in Houston is the most prominent. Bryan Caswell gets a lot of crap but he's another. And I wouldn't call him a friend but met Hank Shaw a couple times.

I do teal & wood duck breasts very simply. Just kosher salt & fresh-cracked pepper. Sear in cast iron for maybe 60-90 seconds per side. Let them rest for a minute and then slide diagonally. The taste is different from beef but the texture is similar and amazing. I've converted a ton of people who claimed to not like duck.

Almoat universally those that think duck is awful think so for a couple of reaons:

1. They or whomever cooked the duck overcooked it because they either dont know how to cook or think wild game must all be cooked to well done. Which means they dont know how to cook.

2. They were eating divers and not puddlers. Divers arent lent to things other than gumbos or other stew type meals tha have a lot of other flavors to help tamp down the fishy and steong flavors they usually have.

Sounds like the last time I cooked one of those nasty bastages.

Anyone who doesn't like teal is either a vegan or very bad cook.

It's up there with Axis.

Good farm raise duck is also magnificent, but no duck should go past rare/medium rare.

Rattler12 said:

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..besides you can't milk a duck.

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I have nipples, Greg. Could you milk me?

Somebody splain to me why name dropping chefs I never heard of that are personal friends that cook wondermous duck is supposed to make me like duck? You can roast it, braise it, sear it, smoke it and eider way it's still duck.

You know how you get down off an elephant? You don't get down off an elephant.....you get down off a duck....then throw the duck away and keep the down.

Rattler12 said:

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Somebody splain to me why name dropping chefs I never heard of that are personal friends that cook wondermous duck is supposed to make me like duck? You can roast it, braise it, sear it, smoke it and eider way it's still duck.

You know how you get down off an elephant? You don't get down off an elephant.....you get down off a duck....then throw the duck away and keep the down.

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Because, if you like any red meat at all you should like duck that's properly cooked. I've had dozens of people who told me they don't like duck but eat all other kinds of red meat have the very simply prepared duck like I've talked about change their minds.

Maybe they're just being polite but when they're coming back for seconds I think otherwise.

And the chefs was more for Fido who claimed good chefs don't actually like wild duck.

I don't know any chefs and didn't claim chefs don't like Duck. I said everyone I know that is a good cook doesn't like duck. Not to mention the job description "Chef" covers such a large spectrum of skill it's essentially useless.

Nearly every time I see the idiotic comment "haven't had it cooked right/don't know how to cook it" it's in response to something that's not very good. Like wild duck.

Can't we all just be friends in this holiday season? Why should we let something as disgusting as a duck erect a barrier of animosity between us? I choose to look at it this way.......I don't LIKE DUCK so therefore I am sacrificing and doing my part as a favor to those of you that do. There is a reason why in the bird section of HEB this year there were 1200 turkeys, 2500 chickens, 742 cornish game hens .....and 1 duck......with an eat by date of 1/22/2014

Clearly, the solution is to get some duck breast from these fellows, https://tastyduck.com/our-family-farm/, and then have the doubters over after smoking some to medium rare.

I would say share some teal, but no one shares teal…