Texas Hunting Forum

Aging Duck Talk....

Posted By: Guy

Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/11/12 11:40 PM

I never tried it, know very little about it. I heard some say it helps and some say it doesn't. So let's hear what you think, how do you do it, best way, what are some do's and don'ts etc.... I got some questions but I want to see what some of you got to say first.

Posted By: hoof n wings

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/12/12 01:38 AM

I thought we were gonna talk about how older ducks have rasppy quacks?

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/29/12 10:49 PM

I been one aging duck son-of-a-gun lately...





Been aging them 5 to 7 days, just put them on their back over news paper. Then cut in cubes, clean real well, brine for 24 hours, and kabobo...

I can tell a big difference. Duck cleans easier, texture of meat is more like steak, and taste is better too. Pintail age very nice, have done a few of them. Cooked these today, pintail gadwall, shot 1/21.







You could tell big difference between pintail and gadwall. Gaddy still good, but pintail just awesome. Pintail has no smell at all after aging a week.

Here is a good artical on aging wild game, and duck. Need to keep temp between 34 and 37.

http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2005/nov/ed_3/

Posted By: ndhunter

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 02:08 AM

me and the ducks had a nap after the morning hunt. their nap just last a little longer. should be interesting.

guess I need to check the temp

Posted By: J.P. Greeson

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 02:17 AM

Originally Posted By: Guy


That was lunch today. I've been eating duck for 35 or 40 years and that was the best duck I have ever eaten. In fact, I think it's the best migratory bird I have ever eaten.

Nice job on the grill Guy!

Posted By: ndhunter

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 02:37 AM

better than sandhill crane?

Posted By: J.P. Greeson

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 03:13 AM

I think if you aged sandhill crane and cooked it like this, it would be as good or better.

Posted By: DWADR

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 03:13 AM

This may be a dumb question but do the innards that have been hit with shot not leak into the meat and spoil it?

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 03:21 AM

Originally Posted By: dwadr.com
This may be a dumb question but do the innards that have been hit with shot not leak into the meat and spoil it?

That is the reason for keeping duck breast up (if you can hang by the neck probably better). Also there is no spoil if temp is kept between 34 and 37. I have found the duck looks better, and smells better, after aging. I'm still learning, so not claiming to be an expert...

Posted By: Dave Speer

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 03:24 AM

I read an article about aging ducks last year and wanted to try it, this article said go ahead and breast them out, it's all about the time and not about the feathers/innards.

Well I made a mistake. I was afraid to get the fridge smelling like duck or the onion smell into them so I put them on a wire cooling rack in a tupperware. When I opened it 8 days later, it was the nastiest smell ever. I marinated in a recipe I really like (huckleberry, orange, chipotle) and cooked 24 hrs later. Took one bite and threw it all away.

Went back and read the article... it said make sure the ducks have air circulation. So I need to try it again. Maybe I'll prp up the tupperware lid to keep spills out and air circulating.

I bet you're not actually gaining anything by leaving them whole, just losing fridge space, but I don't really know.

Posted By: Ridn9high

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 03:35 AM

I sometimes let them sit on the shop floor for a day or two. I like breasting them out when their body temp is cold. Seems easier to me. I always soak in water for 3-4 days before cooking the duck. I can tell a big difference between a bird that has soaked in water and one that went straight to the grill.

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 04:23 AM

Originally Posted By: J.P. Greeson
Originally Posted By: Guy


That was lunch today. I've been eating duck for 35 or 40 years and that was the best duck I have ever eaten. In fact, I think it's the best migratory bird I have ever eaten.

Nice job on the grill Guy!

Thx JP, that’s a real complement coming from a carnivore like you. grin

Other than what I describe above, just fresh cracked pepper and garlic salt. I'm more about preparation, and less about spice and marinades.

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 04:33 AM

Originally Posted By: Dave Speer
I read an article about aging ducks last year and wanted to try it, this article said go ahead and breast them out, it's all about the time and not about the feathers/innards.

Well I made a mistake. I was afraid to get the fridge smelling like duck or the onion smell into them so I put them on a wire cooling rack in a tupperware. When I opened it 8 days later, it was the nastiest smell ever. I marinated in a recipe I really like (huckleberry, orange, chipotle) and cooked 24 hrs later. Took one bite and threw it all away.

Went back and read the article... it said make sure the ducks have air circulation. So I need to try it again. Maybe I'll prp up the tupperware lid to keep spills out and air circulating.

I bet you're not actually gaining anything by leaving them whole, just losing fridge space, but I don't really know.

Dave I'm pretty sure you are one of the ones that talked to me about aging duck and got me thinking about it. Here is what you gain by leaving whole:

1) It is less work. Lets not forget this lol. And really, I don’t think it matters….
2) Important thing is get duck cool (34 to 37) as soon as possible, you want to do this whether you age or not.
3) I like to bring a cooler on my hunt, and when I get back to the truck, duck goes on ice. Unless I got a short drive home or it is already cold out side, not that big of deal, but for sure get duck to right temp ASAP.
4) But here is the deal, read article and make note of the “rigor” stage. After duck cools, it should not be processed.. So this is something I been doing wrong for a long time.... So if you are going to breast it, do it before or after rigor. But cleaning duck after it is cold, less of a mess because blood does not go everywhere. Plus I say the aged meat carves better off the bone..


Posted By: Dave Speer

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 04:45 AM

Cool, interesting, I'll go see what I can find about the "rigor" thing...

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 04:56 AM

Originally Posted By: Ridn9high
I always soak in water for 3-4 days before cooking the duck. I can tell a big difference between a bird that has soaked in water and one that went straight to the grill.

I have soaked duck in brine too long where it turned brown, and went bad. More than once. I think cleaning duck very well is key, feathers punched into the meat from bird shot, blood clots, etc..running fresh water over duck till water goes clear, most important... Soaking too, I'm just not sold on more than 24 hrs.. That is one reason I like to cut in cubes and kabob. Cutting duck in cubes make soaking more effective (and less time required), and cleaning meat of clots etc…much easier. Leaving breast whole makes soaking much less effective. Also no circulation with soaking, to what Dave discussed, and I think the article I posted discusses that as well…

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 04:58 AM

Originally Posted By: Dave Speer
Cool, interesting, I'll go see what I can find about the "rigor" thing...

Per the artical I posted:

"Rigor and the Reaper

Tudor kitchens and cow sheds aside, the aging of game is perhaps best understood in terms of biology. Aging, or conditioning, of game begins promptly after the animal dies. All meat, game or otherwise, starts to lose its tenderness after death due to the onset of rigor mortis. Rigor is the process in which muscle fibers stiffen and contract. This condition lasts up to 24 hours or more, depending on the temperature of the meat. For instance, meat chilled quickly and kept at 34 degrees remains in rigor for a considerable period, returning to its original level of tenderness only after three days.

The beneficial phase of aging starts to work once the period of rigor ends. As the muscles lose their stiffness, enzymes that occur naturally within the cells, called lysosomal enzymes, begin to break down the muscle and its connective tissue (or collagen), further increasing the tenderness of the meat. This process, called autolysis, continues at a constant rate for up to 14 days, as long as the meat is held at a proper and consistent temperature, and then decreases thereafter over time. Despite health fears that have generated statements to the contrary, this process is not the same as allowing meat to “rot.” Rot is caused by a combination of warm temperature and the growth of bacteria on meat exposed to air. Bacteria consume the cells of the meat and release waste products in the process, emitting a smell not unlike the inside of a hunter’s vehicle or, more appropriately, his boot. Temperature, then, is the key to encouraging healthy aging and preventing unwanted bacterial growth and decay when hanging game."


Posted By: Dave Speer

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 05:29 AM

Cool... now all my birds are already cleaned for the season but next year maybe I'll try to age them whole. I'm gonna have to find an extra fridge, though, no way the wife is going to go for whole ducks aging in the plain sight in the fridge laugh And I don't want to cover them up due to the circulation thing we already talked about.

I suppose I *might* could get it past her if I put them in brown paper bags and kept the bag openings facing the back of the fridge so she didn't have to see them.

As it is I'm taking a load of dove, rail, snipe, duck and pheasant... mostly ducks... to a processor this week to get sausage made. My extremely full freezer is becoming a bone of contention and I love sausage anyway.

Posted By: J.P. Greeson

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 01:59 PM

Originally Posted By: Guy
Thx JP, that’s a real complement coming from a carnivore like you. grin



grill

Posted By: ArkansasTraveler

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/30/12 03:11 PM

Not knocking your theory but in my opinion a duck is already pretty easy to clean. I just dont guess i understand how letting it chill for three days would make easier cleaning worth the extra effort. Do you think the meat tastes that much better? Never tried this.

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/31/12 12:18 AM

Originally Posted By: kar0154
Not knocking your theory but in my opinion a duck is already pretty easy to clean. I just dont guess i understand how letting it chill for three days would make easier cleaning worth the extra effort. Do you think the meat tastes that much better? Never tried this.

1) the meat seems to carve off the bone easier, and it is less bloody.
2) I wouldn't say it is more effort, but aging your duck is convenient. I use to feel like I had to immediately clean my duck, but not necessary. When you age your duck, more flexibility when you clean your duck.
3) yes, I think it does taste better.

Give it a try next season. I have only eaten a few ducks this way, so I'm still playing around with it. Read that article I post, they talk about a guy that ages his dove for 2 weeks.

Posted By: Fooshman

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/31/12 12:22 AM

I'm not too worried about how easy or hard the meat is to get off the bird. I worked a deal with the kid that she gets to sleep in in return for her cleaning all the birds. cool

Posted By: TexasEd

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 01/31/12 09:00 PM

I will have to try it next season.

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/01/12 04:01 AM

Originally Posted By: TexasEd
I will have to try it next season.

The best time to try it is when you get home from a long day hunting, and you don't feel like cleaning your ducks, just throw them in the fridge. grin

I have aged some now for a week the longest, think I'm gonna push it longer for experimentation...

Posted By: ndhunter

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/01/12 01:58 PM

Originally Posted By: ndhunter
me and the ducks had a nap after the morning hunt. their nap just last a little longer. should be interesting.

guess I need to check the temp



Their still napping since Saturday. I wonder if I can leave them until the weekend or if I should breast them out this evening???

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/01/12 04:14 PM

Originally Posted By: ndhunter
Originally Posted By: ndhunter
me and the ducks had a nap after the morning hunt. their nap just last a little longer. should be interesting.

guess I need to check the temp



Their still napping since Saturday. I wonder if I can leave them until the weekend or if I should breast them out this evening???

Shot on Saturday, you are on day 4. Per the article I posted (also I posted in blue above), today is the first day you are past the "rigor" stage, and as such, this is 1st day your ducks are in the beneficial phase of aging. So I would recommend waiting till this weekend. I got a limit of ducks I shot last Wednesday, I plan on cleaning them this weekend, that will be 10 or 11 days.. I’ll see how those go, and I got more I will probably let age longer depending on what I learn from the Wednesday’s batch. Just check the temperature, make sure you are not above 37 degrees (could spoil if above 40), and not below 34 (if too cold it will just freeze, in which case aging stops).

Good luck, let us know how it goes and what you think. Always give the meat a smell test before you eat. up


Posted By: ndhunter

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/02/12 04:40 AM

Put a thermometer to it at lunch today, temp is right at 34F. Guess it will be on for this weekend. I will smell it when I cook it.

Posted By: Dave Speer

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/02/12 02:44 PM

Originally Posted By: ndhunter
Put a thermometer to it at lunch today, temp is right at 34F. Guess it will be on for this weekend. I will smell it when I cook it.


Let me know if it still tastes like duck. Because if it does, I won't bother laugh

I like duck from restaurants but that's a whole different ball game.

I am taking my freezer full of duck to a meat processor in the next week or two.

Posted By: ArkansasTraveler

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/02/12 04:50 PM

Man that just sounds risky to leave them in there for so long. I understand your theory and the science behind it, I just dont personally care for the idea of leaving mine that long.

On another note, I have been breasting mine out and freezing them in Italian dressing, and I very much like this method. It is already marinated, and due to the oily dressing it thaws very fast. Plus I think they taste much better.

Posted By: Dave Speer

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/02/12 05:51 PM

Originally Posted By: kar0154
Man that just sounds risky to leave them in there for so long.


Every piece of beef you eat from the store or at a restaurant has been through an aging process.

Posted By: TexasEd

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/02/12 06:38 PM

Dave,

If you find a good place around here let me know.

Posted By: ArkansasTraveler

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/02/12 09:46 PM

Good point Dave

Posted By: garrett

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/02/12 09:50 PM

Originally Posted By: Dave Speer
Originally Posted By: kar0154
Man that just sounds risky to leave them in there for so long.


Every piece of beef you eat from the store or at a restaurant has been through an aging process.



not buying it Dave

Posted By: deckhand

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/03/12 03:40 AM

Tried that this year during dove season. Let them set 2 to 3 days whole. Breasted them out. I was dropping the breast in a bucket that had a strong stream of water flowing the whole time to get a good rinse. Melt off the bone when cooked, plus wife said it as the best ever.

Posted By: deckhand

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/03/12 03:41 AM

Originally Posted By: garrett
Originally Posted By: Dave Speer
Originally Posted By: kar0154
Man that just sounds risky to leave them in there for so long.


Every piece of beef you eat from the store or at a restaurant has been through an aging process.



not buying it Dave
ALL beef is aged before it ever leaves the meat plant.

Posted By: ndhunter

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/09/12 04:40 AM

Originally Posted By: ndhunter
Put a thermometer to it at lunch today, temp is right at 34F. Guess it will be on for this weekend. I will smell it when I cook it.


Breasted out 6 gadwall Saturday, 7 days after bagging them and putting them in the fridge. The temp was 34F and ducks were left intact, on their back in the crisper drawers.

There was no odor while they were aging or when I removed them or while I was breasting them out, not even normal duck smell.

The breast meat seemed to come of the bone easier. I think the meat was little darker. I did soak the breast meat in salt water for about 12 hours.

I cut each breast piece in half, wrapped in bacon and added salt and pepper. Grilled at about 500F for 8 minutes. The texture of the meat seemed a little more like beef but it taste like darn good duck to me.

Posted By: Fastduck

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/09/12 03:15 PM

the only negative I see of this is potentially wasting a bird due to gut juices seeping through a wound channel and ruining the meat. If I had a good specimen though, I might try it.

Posted By: black312mag

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/09/12 04:06 PM

so i thought this was all a load of crap. Now, i need to go poach a couple to try this way cause I dont want to wait till next year

Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/09/12 04:19 PM

Originally Posted By: deckhand
Originally Posted By: garrett
Originally Posted By: Dave Speer
Originally Posted By: kar0154
Man that just sounds risky to leave them in there for so long.


Every piece of beef you eat from the store or at a restaurant has been through an aging process.



not buying it Dave
ALL beef is aged before it ever leaves the meat plant.



No its not, when you age aka dry age beef you only do select cuts.

If your talking about a side of beef hanging in a very cold cooler as aging, it is not being age, just kept cold before they process it, longer it hangs more money plant looses, so it normally doesn't hang long.

You really need very low humidity to dry age.



Posted By: LarryCopper

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/09/12 04:24 PM

My step dad grew up hunting the Chesapeake with his old man. They would hang dux in the garage for over a week before they did anything with them. And they didn't breast them, they plucked and baked them.

I sometimes do what Guy did, but most of the time my beer/game fridge is loaded so I don't have room. I usually breast them and float them in water for a week before either eating or freezing them.

Ain't dead yet...

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/10/12 12:13 AM

Originally Posted By: Fastduck
the only negative I see of this is potentially wasting a bird due to gut juices seeping through a wound channel and ruining the meat.

That is the reason for laying them on their back, not sure how the gut juices would seep in with gravity at work. But if you got a bird shot up real good, maybe not the best to age. The ones I have been aging, some have been shot-up pretty good, with 8 or so pellets to the breast. I use kent #4, and I shoot’m close, rarely do I find pellets in the meat, they mostly go (95% of the time) strait through the breast and breast bone. I will say from the ducks I have aged, the shot-up ducks smell more than the ducks that are not shot up. Overall, aged ducks smell less, and aged ducks that are not shot up have very little smell. But I think the smell comes from the blood and blood clots in the breast meat, not the guts. I cut the meat in to 6 pieces to kabob (12 pieces per duck), this helps to get all the blood clots cleaned out of the meat, run water over it real good to get the blood clots out. Where blood clots remain, I’ll make slits in the meat and work the clots out with a knife, scrap them away. Pellet holes I make sure are all cleaned out as well from blood clots or feathers that may have got punched in there. After a thorough cleaning, I have noticed there is no smell. I then brine for 24 hrs.

Cooked these guys last night, they were ducks I shot on Thursday Jan 26th, 5 gaddys and 1 teal..



I shot these and never went home till the next day, so they sat in the ice chest for about 30 hrs before I got them to the fridge. Cleaned them on 2/7, that is 12 days aging, then 24 hrs in brine, cooked them last night pretty darn good! Just pepper, garlic salt, minced onion, and kabob it (bacon/duck/jap/duck/bacon/duck/jap etc....).





I like putting all the tenders on one kabob, they tend to cook a little faster, that is thin one in front..





Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/10/12 12:20 AM

Originally Posted By: LarryCopper
My step dad grew up hunting the Chesapeake with his old man. They would hang dux in the garage for over a week before they did anything with them. And they didn't breast them, they plucked and baked them.

I need to get me a duck plucker, too much work plucking by hand.

Posted By: LarryCopper

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/10/12 01:05 AM

Originally Posted By: Guy
I need to get me a duck plucker, too much work plucking by hand.


Heh, I've done that once and that was enough. They didn't have machines back then but they did have some convoluted way of waxing them that sped it up. Still seems like a lot of work.

Posted By: ndhunter

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/10/12 05:12 AM

Originally Posted By: Fastduck
the only negative I see of this is potentially wasting a bird due to gut juices seeping through a wound channel and ruining the meat. If I had a good specimen though, I might try it.


What are these gut juices and wound channels you speak of? We are talking ducks here.

Posted By: ndhunter

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/10/12 05:18 AM

Originally Posted By: LarryCopper


I sometimes do what Guy did, but most of the time my beer/game fridge is loaded so I don't have room.


This is the only downside that I could see with the Aging method.

Posted By: ndhunter

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/10/12 05:37 AM

Originally Posted By: ndhunter
Originally Posted By: ndhunter
Put a thermometer to it at lunch today, temp is right at 34F. Guess it will be on for this weekend. I will smell it when I cook it.


Breasted out 6 gadwall Saturday, 7 days after bagging them and putting them in the fridge. The temp was 34F and ducks were left intact, on their back in the crisper drawers.

There was no odor while they were aging or when I removed them or while I was breasting them out, not even normal duck smell.

The breast meat seemed to come of the bone easier. I think the meat was little darker. I did soak the breast meat in salt water for about 12 hours.

I cut each breast piece in half, wrapped in bacon and added salt and pepper. Grilled at about 500F for 8 minutes. The texture of the meat seemed a little more like beef but it taste like darn good duck to me.



I would say the results for the Aging method were pretty much as described by the OP. The effort required to use the Aging method is the same as processing them fresh. I do think the meat had a different texture and color but I did not notice a big difference in the taste. The only downside that I can think of was the space issue.

Posted By: Angus

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/10/12 04:00 PM

Guy is pretty spot on. I've been aging ducks whole (innards included) for the past 7 or 8 years, just as guy talked about...breast up in the outside fridge. I'll let them age for as long as 2 weeks. The gamey flavor is reduced significantly, although the "duck" flavor is still there, and the meat is noticeably more tender (enzymes start to break down the muscle tissue....the whole reason for aging). My wife, 2 kids, nor myself have ever gotten sick from this method.

Posted By: A.B.

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/12/12 09:41 PM

Originally Posted By: Dave Speer
Originally Posted By: kar0154
Man that just sounds risky to leave them in there for so long.


Every piece of beef you eat from the store or at a restaurant has been through an aging process.

The standard is 9 days, but that is a carcass. No entrails involved.

Posted By: A.B.

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 02/12/12 09:44 PM

Originally Posted By: Guy
Originally Posted By: Fastduck
the only negative I see of this is potentially wasting a bird due to gut juices seeping through a wound channel and ruining the meat.

That is the reason for laying them on their back, not sure how the gut juices would seep in with gravity at work. But if you got a bird shot up real good, maybe not the best to age. The ones I have been aging, some have been shot-up pretty good, with 8 or so pellets to the breast. I use kent #4, and I shoot’m close, rarely do I find pellets in the meat, they mostly go (95% of the time) strait through the breast and breast bone. I will say from the ducks I have aged, the shot-up ducks smell more than the ducks that are not shot up. Overall, aged ducks smell less, and aged ducks that are not shot up have very little smell. But I think the smell comes from the blood and blood clots in the breast meat, not the guts. I cut the meat in to 6 pieces to kabob (12 pieces per duck), this helps to get all the blood clots cleaned out of the meat, run water over it real good to get the blood clots out. Where blood clots remain, I’ll make slits in the meat and work the clots out with a knife, scrap them away. Pellet holes I make sure are all cleaned out as well from blood clots or feathers that may have got punched in there. After a thorough cleaning, I have noticed there is no smell. I then brine for 24 hrs.

Cooked these guys last night, they were ducks I shot on Thursday Jan 26th, 5 gaddys and 1 teal..



I shot these and never went home till the next day, so they sat in the ice chest for about 30 hrs before I got them to the fridge. Cleaned them on 2/7, that is 12 days aging, then 24 hrs in brine, cooked them last night pretty darn good! Just pepper, garlic salt, minced onion, and kabob it (bacon/duck/jap/duck/bacon/duck/jap etc....).





I like putting all the tenders on one kabob, they tend to cook a little faster, that is thin one in front..







Oh my Lord, that looks good!

Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 07/07/12 11:28 PM

Ok so I just thawed out some aged duck I shot end of season, compared to duck I been thawing out shot earlier in the season and not aged, all gaddies... I can tell a big difference just in the texture of the aged duck thawed out. The meat is just much more porous.

Posted By: RayB

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 07/08/12 02:16 PM

The answer to your problem about room to age you game food


http://www.arnoldrefrigeration.com/

Posted By: TurkeyHunter

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 10/01/14 07:41 PM

I have to try this upcoming season.
Posted By: bodydub

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 10/01/14 07:50 PM

Subscribed............
Posted By: TurkeyHunter

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 10/28/14 06:04 PM

Who all is aging their ducks this year?

I want to give it a try.
Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 10/28/14 10:33 PM

I will age some mallards or pintails, the rest will be cleaned as soon as possible, frozen, and taken to Kuby's for sausage. Did that last year for the first time it was great.

My out side garage fridge is also not getting cold enough to freeze food, I keep beer in the freezer now and it keeps it ice cold but not cold enough to freeze. So I need to get a new fridge or a new freezer one of the two....
Posted By: phat694

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 10/28/14 11:34 PM

I'm going to try the aging thing myself.
Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 11/28/15 08:40 PM

Shot these mallards Sunday 11/22. Left skin on, cleaned good, soaked in water one day, salt and pepper, aged in big tuppaware. Give them a flip everyday, put paper towel in there to sop up excess juice, don't make too dry tho. This is my favorite way to age duck these days, I will eat duck every day, you can really tell the difference each day...



Cooked these last night, on my cast iron skillet.... Blacked mallard steak and tator tots, liven the dream... My wife loves duck too.



Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 11/28/15 10:57 PM

One thing I notice is when they age, the duck steaks do not ball-up as much. Take a freshly killed duck breast, throw on hot caste iron skillet, it balls up tight. The more it ages, the less it shrinks, has more of a texture of a steak you buy at the store, like filet mignon...
Posted By: RayB

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 11/29/15 01:23 AM

Guy, how long did you age them?
Posted By: Guy

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 11/29/15 01:29 AM

Originally Posted By: Barny Topwater
Guy, how long did you age them?

Like to go 3 days minimum, 5 to 7 day is good, you can go longer, up to 2 weeks, just watch for color change of meat.
Posted By: aerangis

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 11/30/15 08:48 AM

Originally Posted By: ArkansasTraveler
Man that just sounds risky to leave them in there for so long. I understand your theory and the science behind it, I just dont personally care for the idea of leaving mine that long.

On another note, I have been breasting mine out and freezing them in Italian dressing, and I very much like this method. It is already marinated, and due to the oily dressing it thaws very fast. Plus I think they taste much better.


Italian dressing..... What a shame.

Aged duck, breasted, seasoned, seared in a sauce pan over high heat until medium rare (with scrambled eggs) is on my top 10 list of food I would want to have stashed if stranded on a desert island. (Lamb chops being #1)

Nowadays, most folks wouldn't eat duck or wild game for that matter. And I've noticed a lot of kids in the youth groups I work with have very different eating habits and tastes in foods than we did growing up. Kids have gotten EXTREMELY picky about what they like/don't like. And the parents don't seem to mind if their child's idea of a good meal is Chik Filet or McD.

Bread, but with the crust removed.
Salad, without lettuce (yea, I had one of those WTF moments)
Chicken, but only if it doesn't look like it came from a real live a chicken (nuggets only, no fried chicken, cause it looks like it came from an animal).
Any vegetables that aren't green,
Food that has never been touched by another person (HTH did they survive to childhood
Fish out of a can, And fish sticks.
Posted By: Ben Lilly

Re: Aging Duck Talk.... - 11/30/15 04:16 PM

I've been aging them for 10-15 days. On the warmer days I hung some for a day or two to cool them faster. Pluck whole, salt/pepper then braise. Eat them with rice an gravy. Good stuff.

© 2024 Texas Hunting Forum