Tenderizing Duck Breasts??

[gulfporter]

My only option for Duck Breasts locally are frozen Maple Leaf Farms brand.  

 

I am pretty good at searing them after years of doing so. 

 

However these duck breasts are just a tad tougher than what I expect. 

 

I do not want a marinade that changes the taste/flavor.  

 

Señor Google suggests a salt brine.

 

Anyone have an opinion on a way to tenderize duck breasts?

[Duvel]

How about SV them for 4-6h @54 oC, then searing them hard as you would ..?

 

I’d assume you’s be happy with the outcome, regardless of minor quality compromises you had to accept concerning the raw material …

[gulfporter]

I don't SV.  

[Duvel]

You do now … you do now … you do now …

[KennethT]

Do you have a Jaccard?  It's a great tool, not only for tenderizing the meat, but quickly adding tons of skin punctures to help render the fat.

[ElsieD]

14 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Do you have a Jaccard?  It's a great tool, not only for tenderizing the meat, but quickly adding tons of skin punctures to help render the fat.

Thanks for this.  I have a Jaccard but it never occurred to me to use it on duck breasts.  I will next time.

[Smithy]

If no jaccard, can you just pound the heck out of the duck breast with a meat mallet?

[weinoo]

You don't mention what temp/degree of doneness you cook them too, but I find too-rare duck breasts to be tougher than I like.

 

Start skin-side down (and while I don't have a Jaccard, I use a sharp knife or trussing needle to piece the skin in multiple places) in a cold pan, and let that sucker cook on low-medium heat for quite some time, in order to render plenty of fat out. Turn over when the skin is nice and crisp and complete cooking to medium-rare to medium, and see how that works.

 

Two duck breast dinners...

 

 

 

No problems with tenderness.

Edited 22 hours ago by weinoo (log)

[AlaMoi]

I guess one question is 'why so tough?'

 

now,, freezing is not a good tenderizing method . . . (sigh) if frozen is all you can get . . .

for poultry I'm very fond of (oven) low temperature cook - like 200-210'F 

followed by browning/searing/grill marks/make pretty.

without a single question this side of the moon, over cooking chicken/duck/turkey makes it tough.

stop at 140'F, use the carryover heat....

 

poaching is an excellent method - fish/chicken, etc..  just barely simmering water - keeps the meat wet/moist.

 

these method do not lend themselves to "instant dinners" however.

example chicken breast - #1 if it's two inches thick, go to Chic-Filet....

I sliced in half thickness wise - poaching (starting with a frying pan of hot water) only takes <10 minutes.

instant read thermometer highly useful.

Edited 21 hours ago by AlaMoi (log)

[BeeZee]

Just so happens I had duck breast at a restaurant on Saturday (cooked to medium, very similar to @weinoo's example) and the thicker end had a bit of tendon and it was tough to cut, was your entire duck breast tough? Maybe they were poorly trimmed?

[gulfporter]

24 minutes ago, BeeZee said:

Just so happens I had duck breast at a restaurant on Saturday (cooked to medium, very similar to @weinoo's example) and the thicker end had a bit of tendon and it was tough to cut, was your entire duck breast tough? Maybe they were poorly trimmed?

 

I do look over and trim any silver skin, other bits.  I cook mine far closer to medium than rare these days for a better product.  While these aren't as tough as shoe leather, they could/should be more tender IMO.  

 

I'm going to do a dry brine when I make the duck this weekend.  I have a standard homemade rub I use on many proteins and will try it on the duck and see if it helps tenderize.  

[AlaMoi]

@BeeZee

poor trim / prep.  there's a tendon that runs down the inside of the breast - just like a chicken breast.

 

one resto sliced the breast - and half or more of the slices had a chewing wad one had to 'work around'

that visit was the second disaster dinner, so we don't go there anymore....

[rotuts]

there are two tendons w duck  //  chicken // turkey // Long Pork // beef       breasts

 

as there are two pectoral // breast muscles in all of the above.

 

the most obvious is the rope like tendon , that connects the smaller breast muscle , the ' minor ' muscle

 

it is the easiest to tease or trim out.  its the first one you see , after boning out the breast form the carcass

 

the tendon on the larger muscle,  the ' major ',  is very thin when it connects to the rib cage

 

it can also be teased out , but then you probably have to ' pat ' the duck breast back into its original shape.

 

the ' minor ' is under the ' major ' on an intact carcass , and and that reverses after boning out the breast.

 

this is Chicken , but a new easy way to remove the minor tendon

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oDFAkpPsC80

 

should work for duck .  just use the fork w close together tines .

 

Edited 51 minutes ago by rotuts (log)