Recommendations for tenderizing Muscovies

[keeperofthehearth]

These guys are 4/5mo old and some may be a bit older by the time we get to processing them all. The ones we have done so far are tough. I've put them in salted water for 24hrs but that hasn't tenderized them much. Do they need to stay in longer? I've slow cooked them in a crock pot and I've seared the breast meat med. rare. I still find the breast meat either too dry(slow cooked) or tough(cooked med. rare)though overall I do like the flavor of them.

Recommendations?
Thanks!!

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

Quote:
I process at 12 weeks. No problems.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Thanks, that's what we originally had in mind but with one thing or another that didn't happen. Next year, yes, and with our younger ones we can do that. I need recommendations for these older ones seeing we have about 20 to do.

 

[dancingbear]

What, you can't time-travel, go back and butcher them while they're younger? (Too bad we can't do that, sometimes.)

How long did you cook them in the crock pot? Maybe you just need to wait longer. I haven't had anything not get tender eventually, in the crock pot. Some things I've cooked overnight, like a tough deer haunch. It got tender! It just took awhile.

You could try pressure cooking them. If nothing else, de-bone and pressure can the meat. It will get tender, and be nice and moist.

Other than that, the only thing I can think of is debone and grind up the meat, make duck-burger.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Thanks dancingbear. Actually, the meat did fall off the bone fm cooking in the crockpot. I still think the breast meat seemed dry. Guess I'm used to more fat in the meat.

Made duck and noodles and DH ate twice as much than he ever does with chicken & noodles. Made duck burritto's with the rest but was hoping I could find a way to undo the toughness of the breast meat so we could still fast cook it. Hmmmmmm, guess 20 ducks will make a long winter warmer stewing in the crock pot.

 

[miss_thenorth]

When you are cooking older birds, go to a hunting webiste that has recipes, and look for goose recipes. Muscovies are supposed to taste more like wild goose than wild duck, so cooking them would be similar. All hunting recipes assume that the meat you are cooking will be tough, because you never know the age of the bird you are shooting, so that should help you.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

When you are cooking older birds, go to a hunting webiste that has recipes, and look for goose recipes.

All hunting recipes assume that the meat you are cooking will be tough, because you never know the age of the bird you are shooting, so that should help you.

Thanks! That makes sense. I will do that.

 

[becky3086]

Quote:
Good idea. I hadn't thought of that.

 

[sandspoultry]

We cook ours out on the grill and they are never tough. We use ours in stirfrys and they are never tough. When we cook on the grill we slice the breast in half long ways, cook them quick and on a hot fire. DO NOT OVER COOK. When we stirfry them we cut them into strips and once again cook them quick and in a hot pan. Muscovy meat is very lean, hardly no fat on them. Can not even compare them to the store bought greasy fatty duck.
We have a Lousiana cookbook and have used several of the recipes in there. Here is one that Steve posted back last winter:
Ok here is is

Breast of duck with blackberry demi-glace

Ingredients

6 duck breasts
1/2 pint fresh blackberries
1/2 cup port wine
1 tbsp cane syrup
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp minced garlic
10 black peppercorns
6 fresh basil leaves, torn
4 sprigs fresh thyme
6 fresh sage leaves, torn
1/4 cup port wine
1 tbsp minced purple shallots
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup demi glace
salt & pepper to taste
louisana hot sauce to taste

In a large mixing bowl combine duck, 1/2 cup port, syrup, bay leaf, garlic, peppercorns, basil, thyme, sage, salt & hot sauce. add duck and toss to coat well with marinade. let sit at room temp for at least 4 hours. in a large cast iron pan heat oil (we use olive or peanut) saute' duck breasts until light brown until internal temp gets to 140F, medium rare. Don't over cook or they will be tough. remove an keep warm.
Pour of all but one tablespoon of drippings, saute' shallots and garlic 2 minutes, add blackberries and remaining wine and reduce by half, pour in demi glace and reduce by 1/4. season with salt & pepper. to serve slice each breast and top with a generous portion of blackberry sauce

Demi glace 1 quart
2 quarts beef, veal, or game stock
1/2 cup white butter roux
1 ounce tomato sauce

divide stock into two saucepans and bring to a low boil. in one add the roux and wisk. as it thickens at tomato sauce and the other pan of stock slowly and cook down until you have a quart.

We serve with wild rice. Also, we found the port wine to be a little to sweet to our taste, we liked it better with a light blush type wine. Don't cook this with the windows open unless you make enough for anybody that will smell you cooking it. Enjoy!

Sharon

 

[miss_thenorth]

Even your old birds are not tough?