Grilled Duck Halves - From the Field to the Table

[jagermeister]

It's early Teal and Goose season here in Ohio and with that, in certain areas of the state, comes an abundance of delicious Bluewing and Greenwing Teal. I have a special place in my heart for Bluewing Teal. Not only are they incredible aerial acrobats that offer exciting wingshooting opportunities, but they're also a delicacy on the dinner table.

This recipe covers everything from field to table and it's about as easy as it gets. Admittedly it's extra good because I'm using teal, but this recipe is also excellent for most other species of puddle ducks. Big, fat late-season mallards are great for the grill.

Obviously the first step is to get some dead ducks... preferably some that you killed yourself. (It's more fun that way.) Here is a Bluewing Teal in-hand. Start plucking and get it as clean as you possibly can. These early-season birds actually pluck very easily, so don't be intimidated by this step. It's very tempting to simply peel back the skin and breast them out. With teal, I consider this practice blasphemy.

Notice the difference in these two birds. The pale pink one has virtually no fat whatsoever and is likely a young of the year bird, or one that simply hasn't replenished its fat stores yet after a long flight. The beautiful, fat-laiden one on then left... that's the creme de la creme. They're all good, but the fat ones are prime. They just grill better and have much more flavor.

The next step is to fillet the breast meat away from the breast plate. Leave the skin attached, and follow the ribcage down with your knife so that you include the leg with the breast in all one piece.

The next step is to simply clean them up good with cold water. Rinse out any blood clots and remove and shot pellets and/or feathers that got pushed through. Toss them in your favorite marinade (optional) and let them sit for at least an hour. I prefer to let them marinate overnight. This one from Kroger is pretty tough to beat.

Continued...

 

[Mike]

Yummm

 

[jagermeister]

Ok, so you've marinated your ducks. Now it's time to prep them for the grill. Remove them from the marinade and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Next, coat the skin side with your favorite cajun rub or blackening seasoning. If you don't have that on-hand, salt and pepper works fine too. A buddy of mine mixes his own rub specifically for duck and it is amazing. I use it for this as well as all my smoking and bbq needs. Unfortunately, I can't get him to come of the recipe of this mixture... so we barter instead.

You want these to sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes. Or a touch longer if they're bigger and thicker. Like a good steak, you want them to be close to room temp before tossing them on the grill. This is a good time to light the grill (preferably charcoal) and get a nice bed of coals going. You want the grill to be pretty hot, but only on one side... so set it up like you're going to do some indirect cooking.

Get your grate nice and clean and make sure it is hot. Place the breasts directly over the coals, skin side DOWN. Keep a spray bottle on hand in case you get any flare ups. Usually it's only an issue with bigger fatter ducks. You want a good sear on the skin, so keep it over the coals for a solid 2-3 minutes. With mallards, that would be more like 5-6 minutes. Give them a flip and leave them over the coals for another 1-2 minutes. With small ducks like teal, this is usually about all you need and they're finished. As with most wild game, rare to medium-rare is ideal. This is especially true with waterfowl. The longer you cook it, the tougher and stronger-tasting it gets. Medium rare is absolutely critical to success or failure with cooking ducks.

Why did we set it up for indirect cooking you might ask? Well after that first flip, and a couple minutes has passed by, if they're not done yet you'll want to move them off the coals and cook them indirectly. This just helps keep them from getting scorched. A temp probe is helpful, but honestly I don't know what temp to take them too. I usually just use a firmness test to decide when I think they're done. Touch your thumb and middle finger together, on the same hand. As you're doing this, poke the meat of your thumb near your palm... That's the firmness you're going for.

That's it! Easy as that. Plate them up with your favorite veggies or some Jasmine rice and you're all set. I like to drizzle a bit of Soy Sauce over them as well. It adds a little zip and contrast to the flavors.

 

[MoonLab]

Nice. Thanks for sharing. Looks really good. Fantastic job.

 

[jagermeister]

That was pretty solid. And my 15-month old baby boy loved it as well. So that's reassuring!

 

[Jamie]

beautiful!

 

[Isaacorps]

Great write up, thanks! Looks delicious...

 

[giles]

Very nice! Thanks for taking the extra time for us.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Well done JB!

 

[Hortontoter]

Looks delicious. I sure do miss those September mornings at Killbuck Marsh hunting Blue-Winged Teal. I always called them Terradactils, their flight reminded me of flying dinosaurs for some reason.

 

[jagermeister]

Looks delicious. I sure do miss those September mornings at Killbuck Marsh hunting Blue-Winged Teal. I always called them Terradactils, their flight reminded me of flying dinosaurs for some reason.

There's not much better than a flock of bluewings zipping over the decoys at Mach 3, only about 10 feet off the water. They sure are fun to hunt, as long as you can tolerate the mosquitoes. lol

 

[jagermeister]

Thanks, guys. I only cooked half of them last night so Round 2 will be tonight. Like a lot of other things, fresh is always best. I try to not freeze them and just eat them as I get them if possible. I encourage everyone to try this. Waterfowl often times gets a bad rap when it comes to table fare. Usually it's because it's overcooked or not taken care of properly. If anyone follows this recipe and doesn't enjoy it, I'll eat my shoe... and we can't be friends.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I have trouble being friends with people that don't follow directions or eat wild game too JB!

 

[OhioWhiteTails]

I am trying to avoid another expensive hobby, like duck hunting, but this thread has my mouth watering!

 

[giles]

I am trying to avoid another expensive hobby, like duck hunting, but this thread has my mouth watering!

That ain’t no joke! I used to do it back in the day, but haven’t in years.

 

[jagermeister]

It is incredibly addicting. Just ask, Jesse. . But seriously, it's anoyher great way to get out and enjoy what mother nature has to offer. It's hard to believe but I probably see more amazing, more incredible, and more beautiful things while duck hunting than any other outdoor activity. And best of all, it so easy to share the experience with your buddies.

 

[jagermeister]

And it gives you another excuse to own a good dog.

 

[jagermeister]

It’s that time of year again, my friends. Bumping this recipe back to the top!

 

[triple_duece]

Great write up and looks delicious. I’ve eaten about 80% of waterfowl that exist in North America, I’d have to say bluewing teal are the best and least liver tasting. On second thought, they are second on my list, canvasback are the king of ducks as well as taste.

 

[Jackalope]

Great write up and looks delicious. I’ve eaten about 80% of waterfowl that exist in North America, I’d have to say bluewing teal are the best and least liver tasting. On second thought, they are second on my list, canvasback are the king of ducks as well as taste.

Says the guy eatn pouldeaus.