Freezer full of wild duck? A Memphis hunter shares tried-and-true recipe and cooking tips

As the old saying goes, all good things must come to end.

Jan. 31 marks the end of duck season in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.

Duck hunters across the region will be cleaning and packing up the gear that has most likely been living in the back of their truck for the past two months. The topic of conversations will turn to how this season compared to past ones. Alarm clocks will no longer need to be set for pre-dawn hours. It’s the end of the favorite time of year for many who love the thrill of the hunt and mornings spent in nature watching the sunrise.

If you or your spouse is an avid duck hunter, odds are you have a freezer full of duck to cook. Duck poppers, duck gumbo and duck chili are some of the most popular recipes for wild duck.

Norris McGehee, a Memphis veterinarian and life-long duck hunter, has a simple-to-prepare recipe that his friends say is a game-changer.

A family tradition

McGehee has been hunting since he was a kid. In the 1960s, his grandfather joined a small duck club in Hazen, Arkansas, that had been founded in 1945. When he passed, he willed the club to his son-in-law, McGehee’s father. It was eventually passed on to McGehee.

McGehee said his father knew how much he loved the outdoor sport. “Before we got married, he told my wife that she needed to be sure she knows she is marrying a duck hunter,” he said, explaining that he usually hunts around 37 days of the 60-day season while still working full time.

Hunting is a tradition McGehee is passing along to his sons. “It’s a heritage we all enjoy,” he said. “It’s not just the time outdoors, but the chance to really be in nature.”

Also an avid cook, McGehee always makes a meal when he is out at the duck club.

“Mother Nature can provide a delicious meal,” he said.  

Tried-and-true tips and tricks

McGehee has several tips for cooking and storing ducks. He grew up with his mother cooking roasted whole ducks, but now that regulations allow breasting out the birds in the field, he mostly just stores and cooks duck breasts.

First and foremost, remember “the fresher, the better.” McGehee tries to cook some of his ducks within a few days of the hunt.

If you do choose to freeze your ducks, vacuum seal them.

“Freezer burn is always an issue,” he said. “The old tried-and-true method used to be to freeze the duck in water like a brick. But the vacuum sealer is a game-changer.”

In addition to providing extra protection from freezer burn, it also saves space in the freezer.

You can also freeze the finished product. McGehee often freezes assembled duck poppers so all he has to do is thaw and grill.

Lastly, and most importantly, McGehee says to share. He often gives birds to his friends as well donates them to charities. 

“Every year for Christmas Eve, we host a duck dinner for about 20 guests," he said. "It’s a great way to share my ducks."

Let’s get cooking

“If you can cook a steak, you can cook a duck breast,” McGehee said. The key is not to overcook the meat; it's best at medium rare.

McGehee said he likes a “sweet duck” and the recipe that has become his signature is on the sweeter side. It’s his play on a classic duck port cherry sauce.

“It’s important to marinate the duck to take a little of the gaminess out,” he said.

For 24 hours, he marinates the duck in cream sherry with a splash of Worcestershire and fresh rosemary. “If you have it on hand, also throw in a glass of red wine to add another level of flavor.”

The sauce for the duck dish he has nicknamed “Hazen a la Razz” is a cold raspberry sauce. McGehee uses a combination of Red Raspberry All Fruit Jam and Black Raspberry All Fruit Jam. He is quick to point out that it needs to be seedless all fruit and that blackberry is not an acceptable substitute for the black raspberry.

He mixes the raspberry jams with balsamic vinegar, fresh minced garlic, black pepper, dried basil, dried tarragon and olive oil. “I tinker with it until I can taste all the flavors,” he said. “No one flavor should overpower the sauce.”

For the duck, he grills it, starting with the skin side down to rend the fat. The duck should be a perfect medium rare.

Like a steak, the duck should rest for about 5 minutes before slicing it. McGehee removes the skin and then slices the breast into medallions. The sauce is drizzled over the top for serving.

“We never have a piece left,” McGehee said.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer. 

Grilled Wild Duck with Raspberry Sauce

For the duck:                     

4 wild ducks breasted with skin on preferably

2 cups cream sherry                       

2 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh rosemary                               

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce                     

½ cup red wine (optional)

For the raspberry sauce:

4 oz. red raspberry all fruit jelly 

4 oz. black raspberry all fruit jelly             

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar                              

1 Tbsp. red raspberry vinegar

4 cloves fresh garlic, fine to medium chopped

1 Tbsp. olive oil                

1 tsp. dried tarragon

1½ tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. black pepper        

Mix the marinade in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the duck, seal and shake to coat. Place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours, turning occasionally. Remove from the refrigerator 1-2 hours prior to cooking, as to come to near room temp.

Mix the sauce in a bowl with a fork. Add the extra ingredients to taste, as needed. If too much vinegar flavor, add a small amount of garlic and opposite is true. Let the sauce rest in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours and remove 1 hour prior to serving.

Remove the duck from marinade and drain. Discard the marinade.

Prepare a charcoal grill. Add hickory, pecan or apple wood chips just prior to putting meat on the grill. Cook on a medium hot to hot grill skin side down for 5-7 minutes, turn and cook for another 6 minutes. Turn the duck again and move to cool side of the grill for another 5 minutes with the lid closed. Remove the duck and let rest for 5 minutes.  Always cook wild game, especially duck, to medium rare, no more.

To serve: Remove the skin and discard. Slice the breast on the bias into ½-inch medallions. Display the duck on a platter or plate individually. Drizzle the sauce across the duck or on the side and serve.  Accompany with cheese grits and sesame asparagus or a nice salad and wild rice.

Cooking tip: Black raspberry all fruit jelly can be hard find. Use all red raspberry all fruit if black raspberry is not available.

Recipe courtesy of Norris W. McGehee, DVM