It's Just Ducky

Duck soup. A Marx Brothers' film? Great slapstick as I recall.

Of all the wild game stocks that can be made, duck is hands down the best. Don't even try pheasant or grouse for stock - an off flavor that just doesn't work for me.

It's been a couple of years since duck, unfortunately. It is my favorite wild game to eat. You wll want to bone out the breasts and season w/ salt, pepper, garlic( shallots,too, if you have 'em) before you grill them med rare on the Weber or gas grill. I live in hardwood country and always fire the grill w/ oak or maple. I think it is stupid and expensive to use charcoal when hardwood is available on the cheap or free.

Cut the thighs and drumsticks off of the duck together w/ the bones to roast separately. Cover the remaining carcass w/ water in the stock pot, add carrots, celery and onions, salt, pepper, red wine( half cup), garlic and gently boil for a couple of hours. Taste it, adjust seasonings. If it is not rich enough, add a little chicken and/or beef base( quality) to it. The resultant broth can be used to make a gravy/sauce, or can be strained w/ a fine sieve or cheesecloth. If it is right it can be served as a consomme'( it does stand alone, it is that good).

Additional Notes:

One of the best natural flavors in the animal kingdom is duck fat. The French have known this for a long time.When you bone out the breasts, you may either remove the breast skin w/ the fat( just under it), or leave it on. When grilling then, the trick is to get that skin crispy w/o over cooking the breast, and believe me, you do not want that breast grilled past medium because it is a waste of exquisite texture and flavor.It melts in your mouth.

If you remove the skin, which I often do, you will either want to fry it ( the skin) on med low preferably in a black cast iron pan( or roast it in the oven) to get all the fat out of it so you can make a roux w/ flour to thicken your sauce. Duck fat is better than butter.Way better. A bonus is the skin "cracklins" that remain. You will want to save the fat that will be on the top of the stock pot too, either by skimming it w/ a spoon or ladle, or by cooling it. When you cool it, the fat congeals on top, and is then easy to gather.

Why so involved? It seems like a lot of work, time, and method. Because duck is worth it. It is that good. More about duck next time.