troutdudes

Hello, my name is mark and I was wondering how to clean the ducks that I bring home? If anyone could post a diagram or tell me how, or reccomend a web site that shows or tells how?


thanks mark

whiskeysnoot

Some purists may disagree but me and everyone I know just breasts them out. Lying on their backs, peel feathers and skin from center outward to expose breast. Take a long slender knife like a filet knife, cut straight down on one side of the breast bone and follow contour until breast half is removed. Any other meat left on carcass is a waste of time IMO. Breast halves like this are easier to remove pellets and feathers and offer more cooking options.

Rangerlab

I also just breast them out. The meat that is left over (esp. on smaller ducks) is very little

Texxan

I also breast my ducks unless it's being cooked for a special occassion. Then I pluck em..

StealthyOne

I just breast them most of the time, too. However, if you are going to prepare them whole, here's what you do:
Buy some parrafin wax and add it to a big pot of boiling water. Dunk your duck in it and remove, allowing the wax to cool and harden (almost instantaneous). Then the feathers come off in big clumps. This is not very economical for just one or two ducks, but it works great. After the feathers are off, cut off the parts that you are not going to eat (head, feet, wings) and clean out the cavity. It's really quite simple.

johnch

I peel them like a orange , make a small cut through the skin under a wing , then peel the skin off . Cut the head and feet off . Split down the back from neck to tail and remove guts .After a few I can do this in 2 min per bird . It is now ready to wash and check for shot . I split down the breast ,marinate and grill

psandhu

when i clean my ducks, i just use regular shampoo. first i spray them down with a garden hose, then work up a lather with the shampoo, then rinse them off with the hose, and then dry them off with a hair dryer. sometimes i'll use a conditioner after the shampoo, but that's a bit of overkill.

skeeter 7MM

99% of my ducks are simply breasted, as very little meat on drums or back on a mallard. To breast I simply pull away the feathers on the breast area, which exposes the skin. I lightly slice along the brest bone and peel the skin away to the wing. Like mentioned peeling an orange situation. Cut along the breast bone with a fillet or kitchen knife and follow bone contours to wing. You'll end up with 2 half breast like a skinless ckicken breast bought at Safeway's, etc. I soak in cool salt water if real shot up and try to remove feathers embedded or shot prior to packaging. I wrap my breast in Saran Wrap then put in a ziploc and remove air to prevent freezer burn. Like chicken; goose, duck or upland is highly suspect to freezer burn.

Whole duck or goose takes a bit more time, but basically remove head, feet, wings, feathers and guts. If down fuzz or pins use the wax trick it really works well. Wash cavity and skin thoroughly, let air dry and package up good for freezer.

My family likes roasted goose but not duck, they much prefer mushroom/onion/dill sauce simmer or my cajun deep fry receipes.