Preparing Duck

jackdarabbit

in preparation for the 1st of September . could anyone tell me the best preparation of a duck once its been shot (.i.e regarding hanging, plucking etc etc. ) I love duck meat and hopefully this year i will be able to bag me a few , since last year i was too busy

terminator2

shoot it and pluck it there and then if in a boat , breast it out if in a field while waiting to shoot the next one :D:D

steyrman

I would just breast them out this time of year tbh there is little enough on them or hand them in a cooler or fridge as the will go rotten in a short space of time

jupiler_beer

I usually go with just breasting them out also.

But what's the best technique for plucking the bird, personally I pour boiling water over the feathers to open the pores and then pluck the breasts.

TriggerPL

all depends on the duck if you feel it a gud size duck i use the whole duck and if not i just breast it . hang it by the neck if you intend on hanging it for a few days in a cooler , hang it any other way and you run the risk of contaminating the meat .

hot water make it easy to pluck but you can do just as well on a dry bird .
and you dont have the annoyance of washing you hands every five mins with feathers stuck to ya

Jonty

No need to hang duck.

Also Duck can be cooked rare, it does not contract salmonella similar to chicken

jackdarabbit

thanks for all the reply's . Got my first mallard Saturday , plucked gutted and roasted but took ages. Does anyone got any good videos on preparing ducks i would really appreciate it .or has anyone got any tips on how to quickly debreast them as this was the only area there was decent meat despite it being a sizable duck

.17hmr

you tube is your place ,there is one where you slit neck to ass stand on the neck and on ass two fingers under breast at the top and same at bottom and pull takes out breast and wings have not done this my self yet but i must try it good luck hope this helps

Sparks

Jonty wrote: »

Also Duck can be cooked rare, it does not contract salmonella similar to chicken

Chickens don't contract salmonella, their meat is colonised by it after the chicken is killed; and duck meat can be colonised by samlonella as well. It's just far less frequent because of the different pH of the chicken meat. Duck can also be colonised by campylobacter. So while you shouldn't make shoe leather out of it because that'd be a horrible, horrible waste, you don't want to try duck sushi either...

This is probably the best quick-n-simple guide to cooking duck that I've found:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOo2QMV6fHA

cookimonster

Just remember the wild ducks we get are far from the Barbury ones used in the resturants. The wild boys are leaner and tougher. Whole wild ducks are more suitable for slow roasting or pot roasting.
Salmonella is not a inherent problem with ducks as the main problem with chickens is that they naturally carry the bacteria and the rearing process can increase the natural balance. As with my other post on venison prep, it is important that there is no contamination of the flesh from the gut.
But do remember that humans naturally carry salmonella and poor personal hygiene can contaminate the bird which can cause problems if the meat is under cooked.
Again no panic, I always warn people that you'll end up eating nothing if you where to consider all the facts about food hygiene.