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hayseed,

You will not be disappointed, some very yummy eating!

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joined: 14 Apr 2020 Posts: 144 Location: Boise,Idaho

Joined: 07 Jun 2020 Posts: 228

I believe the best upland bird is a young ruffed grouse. Least liked is Spruce Grouse

I have never had a Hungarian Partridge,

My favorite duck is Green Wing Teal.

Some fish eating ducks are beyond my ability to eat.

Joined: 13 Oct 2015 Posts: 348

I liked MaximumSmoke reply above, good descriptions.
I do a lot of posts on reloading, but my #1 interest and hobby is cooking. Strangely, I rarely post about it on forums, but the eating is what drives my hunting.

My 13yo daughter asked for duck for her birthday meal a few weeks ago, so I must be doing it pretty good, and I will agree it is my favorite gamebird. I like mallard, pintail, wigeon and teal about equally.

I take the breasts, no skin, and put them on traeger smoker from turn on where there is lots of smoke, to about 300 until a bit less done than med rare. Pull them off, sear in skillet in bacon fat at high heat for 20 sec a side or so. Slice across grain in med rare medallions, plate up, sauce. If cooked to med, becomes tough and touch of liver flavor, avoid. Sometimes I leave skin on and sear, very easy to overcook though.

My two favorite sauces are these:
1. Raspberry chipotle. half cup good red wine to go with meal (cab, zin, shiraz), 4 or 5 tablespoons butter, add 2T raspberry jam and 1T chipotle sauce (from canned or a bottle). Simmer covered 20min or so. Deglaze pan ducks were seared in with sauce at end to reheat, sauce and plate.
2. Orange marmelade soy. In pan whisk up 2T marmelade, 2T soy, half stick butter. Sometimes I add 1/4 t 5spice powder, or star anise while simmering.

Absolute key for duck, IMO, is soaking and marinating breasts. I soak in water 1 day, changing out water several times in fridge, removes all the blood. Then soak in weak sugar salt brine, sometimes with coriander seeds, 3 to 4 days, then freeze in that brine and container until ready to use.

Last year she wanted quail in brown butter sauce for birthday.

Duck Carcass, skinned, I toss in pot and make rich stock. Skim off fat from skin and save for thighs.

Duck legs and thighs, I soak/brine and save up until I get a few cups. Then simmer with duck fat, salt pepper, bit of honey, and 5spice or star anise for a slight Chinese duck flavor. Cook til meat falls from bones, debone. Pour into terrine with fat to cover, can be frozen. Reheat and spoon over rice.

Joined: 13 Oct 2015 Posts: 348

P.s. Ive never had grouse or woodcock, chukar, ptarmigan, would love to though! Had a good bit of pheasant as a kid, decent but not sure Ive ever had pheasant cooked great. Ok as my mom prepped it, mostly oven roasted overdone, or coq au vin style. Did like Huns.

Dave in AZ -- I have copied your post and saved it in my recipes. I will try your methods -- they sound very good to me. In that last part you are basically making a confit. I have tried to do a duck confit but haven't had much success with it -- it's my technique, I'm sure. I hate to throw away all those thigh/leg parts of the duck, and always wanted to make a good duck confit. I have had duck confit in France that was simple but very tender and flavorful. The leg/thigh piece was whole with the skin on. the skin, as served, was wonderfully crispy. I have to try your method. Did you leave the skin on or take it off? Have you read "The Duck Cookbook" by James Peterson?

Cheers!
Tony

P.S. By the way, I winter in AZ, and I'd sure like to get in a little dove or quail shooting. I'm in Casa Grande now, but will be moving to the Buckeye area next year.

Joined: 04 Oct 2015 Posts: 280 Location: Clemson

Fried quail floating in white pepper gravy is hard to beat, but grilled quail wrapped in bacon is excellent also. Until the last couple dove seasons, I was not a big fan of dove breast meat. Until this season when we put a new guy in charge and he is a magician. We clean, he marinates in some mystery concoctions wraps in bacon and either grills or fries them usually before our next dove shoot. My goal next dove season is to steal "the concoction "by hook or crook. Maybe a bribe....maybe an original 16 SOCIETY bird knive....

Joined: 26 Apr 2016 Posts: 369 Location: Vermont

My favorite by far are Ruffed Grouse. I don't do anything special to them just roast them with a strip or two of bacon on them, I like the grouse taste. I do like Huns but haven't shot them in a long time. Pheasants we shoot each year are good too. I used to go caribou hunting and one year borrowed a 28 gauge and shot a bunch. I was really looking forward to eating them. The camp helper was a great chef. I was disappointed in the taste of them. I shoot a fair amount of ducks each year and may have to try Dave's recipes. I like GW teal, woodies and mallards in that order, the best out of the waterfowl. Geese go into summer sausage.

Joined: 29 May 2016 Posts: 79 Location: Burke Co, GA

I'm in the same camp as 4setters ..........fried quail with biscuits, but I will add grits. This is my favorite upland game bird meal.

Running a close second is acorn or corn fed woodies and teal. I can't really differentiate a superior taste in either of them. Love them both. Love duck, prepared properly, in general.

Also love doves, cooked certain ways. Grilled dove breasts wrapped in bacon are hard to beat. For a real sit down dove dish this is my favorite: Sautee sliced green peppers, fresh sliced mushrooms, and onions if you like them, in a pan with EVO and seasoned with some worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. When they're done take them out and put in the salted and peppered doves, cooking them until about 3/4 done (doves need to be pink inside when served, same as duck). Then, add back the sautéed veggies, add a 1/2 cup of wine, cover and simmer for a few more minutes. Serve over rice. spooning the pan juices over it all.

My favorite way to cook duck is to cook it whole. I dry the skin with paper towels, then coat the whole duck with EVO, until it's running off. Then, simply salt and pepper it, letting the s & p cling to the EVO. I put lots of s& p on them, as the grill take a lot of the "heat" out of the pepper anyway. Place the whole duck on a rack built to hold it upright, butt down. Grill on low heat until medium rare. I'm telling on myself, but the last time I cooked them this way I did two gadwalls together, planning on having one for lunch and the other for supper. I ended up eating both gadwalls for lunch!! Shocked

SRH

Joined: 29 May 2016 Posts: 79 Location: Burke Co, GA

Joined: 29 May 2016 Posts: 79 Location: Burke Co, GA

I'm in the same camp as 4setters ..........fried quail with biscuits, but I will add grits. This is my favorite upland game bird meal.

Running a close second is acorn or corn fed woodies and teal. I can't really differentiate a superior taste in either of them. Love them both. Love duck, prepared properly, in general.

Also love doves, cooked certain ways. Grilled dove breasts wrapped in bacon are hard to beat. For a real sit down dove dish this is my favorite: Sautee sliced green peppers, fresh sliced mushrooms, and onions if you like them, in a pan with EVO and seasoned with some worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. When they're done take them out and put in the salted and peppered doves, cooking them until about 3/4 done (doves need to be pink inside when served, same as duck). Then, add back the sautéed veggies, add a 1/2 cup of wine, cover and simmer for a few more minutes. Serve over rice. spooning the pan juices over it all.

My favorite way to cook duck is to cook it whole. I dry the skin with paper towels, then coat the whole duck with EVO, until it's running off. Then, simply salt and pepper it, letting the s & p cling to the EVO. I put lots of s & p on them, as the grill take a lot of the "heat" out of the pepper anyway. Place the whole duck on a rack built to hold it upright, butt down. Grill on low heat until medium rare. I'm telling on myself, but the last time I cooked them this way I did two gadwalls together (killed that morning, see pic), planning on having one for lunch and the other for supper. I ended up eating both gadwalls for lunch!!

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SRH

Member Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 376 Location: North ID.

Some good recipes and methods, that I'll have to try and follow at some point!

One way I found to cook ptarmigan, and although not traditional with shrimp or crawdads, I'd make an etoufee and after browning the ptarmigan pieces, I would put in the etoufee sauce and simmer until done and eat over rice. That was probably about my favorite for ptarmigan.

For pheasant, forest grouse, excluding spruce grouse (I usually don't shoot those, cause I don't like them), and chukar, I often make a schnitzel, rolled in flour, dipped in egg and then dredged in Panko and fried in olive oil or butter. After which I make a country gravy to smother the mashed potatoes and the fried breasts in. I pound the breasts and the fileted thighs 1/4" thick first.

Dave, I've never eaten sage grouse, but a friend of mine from S ID indicated the same, that mature birds were awfullly tough to choke down, no matter how they're cooked!

Guest

Nothing too fancy here, my favorite is crockpot pheasant with little red potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms, in cream of mushroom soup and dry onion soup mixed in. Next are wood duck tips in the pan with bacon, onions, and mushrooms.

Dave Erickson,

Wood Duck Tips in the pan with bacon, onions and mushrooms! Yea buddy some incredible eating and quick and easy to fix, just do not over cook! A little sherry wine in the mix brightens the Wood Duck beyond belief.

Simply fantastic eating! Grouse in this manner is unbelievable also.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Sounds really good, Dave Erickson!