Cook Wild Duck Like a Real Chef (While Drinking Bourbon in Camp)

For a long time, I thought the only way to cook duck was with a jalapeno, some cream cheese and lots of bacon. The popper is an old duck camp standby that gets a bit overdone. There’s plenty of room for it of course, but also a world of waterfowl cuisine that goes far beyond hot cream cheese and undercooked bacon. Don’t get me wrong, we still do our own version of the popper with wood ducks and teal during early season, but when it comes to mallards, there’s such a variety of opportunity that exists to make greenheads into phenomenal tablefare, it’s almost criminal not to take advantage.

The thing is, there are so many recipes to create a darn good duck meal, and we’ll be bringing you more of them from hunters and chefs across the flyways. We’re starting with my younger brother, Chef Carl—you can find him on Instagram @microwavespecialist. He came up with that IG handle after I incessantly needled him for reheating real chef’s food. He’s actually a trained chef and can cook just about anything you want him to: from steak for 500 to beef Wellington (an all-time favorite) at Christmas. His palate has turned a little high-falutin’ but he still thrives in the place where he cut his teeth: mom’s kitchen.

Every fall we hit the road for at least one trip to get the hell out Illinois and hunt a state with drivable roads, affordable gas, and ducks. This year, we headed to Kansas to chase greenheads and honkers with my buddy Drew Palmer. We stayed with his parents, and every ingredient you’ll find here, Carl found already stocked in the kitchen cabinets—or on a quick trip to Walmart.

First, we start with duck hearts and toast, which I will say, I have always been a bit skeptical of, because I’m not usually a big organ eater. But they were so good our hunting buddies devoured all but three by the time we were done scouting. You might think a heart would be chewy or have a rubber-like texture, but it’s an absolute delicacy when cooked right. It’s like biting into the most succulent piece of meat you have tasted, just as long as the temperature is on point. I’ve eaten plenty of deer heart that has been overdone and that’s more like chewing on a spare tire. It’s all about the cook time. You want high heat and fast cooking. Keeping it rare is the key.

Read Next: How to Butcher a Duck

We have been eating duck breasts this way for years, and it’s one of the easiest ways to do it. Why? Because it combines the rich taste of a corn-fed mallard with the sweetness of preserves. You can literally use any kind of preserve or jelly with this recipe. Carl and I have cooked it with everything from plum sauce to jalapeno-infused jams. The key is plucking the breasts so the layer of fat stays on. It crisps on the grill (or a cast iron skillet), and provides a nice crunch before you make it to the tender/rare meat. Carl’s most consistent tip for cooking duck is “if you think it needs a few more minutes on the grill, take it off.” The last thing you want to do is overcook it. We like it blood red, but you can get away with just a little pink in the middle. But don’t brown it all the way through. You don’t need to kill the bird twice.