This should be fun!

[dubob]

I'm trying something new this weekend. Sous vide/smoked wild duck breasts. I sous vided some duck breasts a week ago for about 3 hours at 130*F. The liver taste had disappeared and the meat flavor was reminiscent of beef. Since there isn't any fat marble in waterfowl, the texture was VERY firm. I added a little Blues Hog Smoky Mountain sauce and thought they were excellent table fare.

I sous vided some more breast on Thursday and did them for 22 hours this time. They were removed, patted dry, and put in the refrigerator. I will rub them with a beef rub today and put them in the pellet grill at low smoke (160*F) and cook them until the IT again reaches 130*F. Pictures to follow soon.

[dubob]

Sorry it took so long to post the pictures. I have a VERY busy retired life.

And apologies for the quality of the phone pics. I really should use my digital camera for these kinds of pictures.

Here are the 5 duck breasts sans steel pellet holes. They were sous vided for 22 hours at 130*F and then refrigerated for a day.



Next, I applied some Traeger Beef Rub to all sides of each piece.



Then they were smoked in my Camp Chef Woodwind SG using Lumberjack Comp Blend (MHC) on Low Smoke (160*F) until the IT of the meat again reached the 130*F level. That took about 3 hours or a little less. Still moist and pinkish and tasted very good to me. My bride said she could still taste a small bit of liver taste common to most ducks. I couldn't taste that at all.



It doesn't show up real well in the pic, but there is a discernable smoke ring there.

[mountainsmoker]

Oh, those look good. I am not adverse to the slight liver taste.

[Potkettleblack]

I’m curious why so long? Tenderize?

[mountainsmoker]

Yes wild ducks can fly long distances in a day over there migration. Nothing like our domestic Pekin ducks raised in cages.

[dubob]

I had already done some at 3 hours of 130*F. Just wanted to see if a longer cook time would make it any more tender. The short answer is that it does not make it any more tender cooking it 22 hours. I guess there isn't any connective tissue or fat to break down in wild duck breast meat.

[Potkettleblack]

Probably have connective gunk in the legs, wings, and thighs. Not so much in the breast. They are leaner than farm animals, but not that anatomically different, Mountain.