Getting the Mud out?

[Shootmoore]

Any suggestions on how to treat West Side duck and goose meat to get the "muddy" taste out?  A couple of guys at work want me to start duck/goose hunting with them again.  I think they just want me for my huge collection of goose and duck deke's  .  I quit duck/goose hunting when I moved over here to the wet side when I ate my first couple batches of  wet side ducks and geese  .

I do miss duck/goose hunting but I won't hunt them if I am not going to eat em.  So any suggestions of how to make them eddible would be appreciated.  I even tried jerking some but they still tasted bad.

Shootmoore

[C-Money]

Soak the breasts in teriyaki sauce for 24 to 48 hrs and then BBQ or bake. They should be good!

[Shootmoore]

Soak the breasts in teriyaki sauce for 24 to 48 hrs and then BBQ or bake. They should be good!

Trouble is I really don't like teriyaki.  Not sure which would be worse, the mud taste or the teriyaki 

Shootmoore

[Armadillo]

what about soaking in a light brine? or even marinading in mild salsa for a day

[270Shooter]

Soak them in salt water for a day, then itailian dressing for a day. Thats what I do But I have eastside ducks

[ducksdoom12]

i usually soak them in salt water or milk for 24-48 hours, ive never had a problem with the taste doing that

[C-Money]

Pick a marinade you like and soak'em! Milk soak can be very effective prior to the marinade soak!

[Dustin07]

you can soak it in milk to mild out the flavor, or just man up and learn to love it. 

[Shootmoore]

you can soak it in milk to mild out the flavor, or just man up and learn to love it. 

lol thats funny right there.  If I decide to start hunting them I will try the salt or milk and give it a try.  I guess I was used to the East side ducks, a little flour, salt and pepper and fry em up.  Even the mudhens are tasty over on the east side.  I wonder what the difference is?

Shootmoore

[bobcat]

A lot of people have pepperoni sticks made out of duck. If you didn't have enough you could always just add it to some deer and/or elk when you have a batch of pepperoni made. I don't blame you though. I don't like the ducks from around here either. I tried feeding some to my dog once and she wouldn't even eat it.     (not kidding)

[Dustin07]

you can soak it in milk to mild out the flavor, or just man up and learn to love it. 

lol thats funny right there.  If I decide to start hunting them I will try the salt or milk and give it a try.  I guess I was used to the East side ducks, a little flour, salt and pepper and fry em up.  Even the mudhens are tasty over on the east side.  I wonder what the difference is?

Shootmoore

could be a lot of things. a lot of birds over here hang out in the salt though so consider what they are eating and drinking, even the puddlers, vs what they are eating and drinking in the corn and wheat fields.  the flavor really doesn't bother me though. I consider a good dinner a snow goose steak grilled medium-rare with some montreal steak seasoning and a side of potatoes.    but that's just me.... my wife admited the other day that she has NEVER tried duck before. I am not sure how she pulled that off looking back on countless DUCK dinners her dad and I have hosted. 

[bobcat]

You know where ducks around here spend a lot of their time? Sitting in cow manure ponds on dairy farms. I think that explains a lot!

[MP123]

The classic recipe:

Take one duck and stuff it with an onion.  Roast at 350 for 2 hours.  Throw away the duck and enjoy the onion! 

Seriously, I brine them for a day or two followed by a buttermilk soak.  Works pretty well.

[Curly]

Soak the meat in Orange Juice overnight in the fridge and then cook it in orange juice.

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After the orange juice soak, sprinkle duck with salt and pepper.

Then brown the duck pieces slowly on both sides in a pan with hot oil, then drain the oil.

Add a cup of orange juice, 2 chopped tomatoes, 1/2 chopped onion, little garlic, some thyme, add a little more salt.

Then Cover and simmer 45 to 50 minutes.  Don't over cook.


I used to hate eating ducks but after I started cooking them in orange juice I actually like the meat.  It must have something to do with the citric acid in the orange juice.  You can also pop them in the oven while soaking in orange juice and they will turn out pretty good.

[Meats]

I soak the meat in lightly salted water in the fridge changing it out 3-4 times in a 24-48 hr period.
This draws most of the blood out which is what causes the brown color and muddy taste in cooked waterfowl.
After the soaking the meat will be a light pink color instead of the dark red color of the fresh meat.
The liver texture and mud taste most talk about is also due to OVER COOKING the meat.Waterfowl should not be cooked past med-rare and eaten while still hot or fresh off the grill.

A lot of people like to marinade the meat after soaking and the orange juice marinade works well.The acid in the citrus juice helps to tenderize the meat and also adds great flavor.

1. soak and change water
2. DO NOT overcook
3. eat hot off the grill or out of the pan

Good eats