Bahn Mi Sliders
Andrew Gardner for SPLIT REED
Presented by Traeger Grills
The deep, rich flavor of waterfowl paired with bright, crunchy, spicy, tangy sandwich toppings is what makes these sliders work so well. Here’s how to make semi-traditional Bahn Mi ‘sliders’ using duck breasts.
(note: goose breasts would work great too, just slice them extra thin)
Ingredients:
Duck breast (or goose breast)
Baguette (Hawaiian rolls would also work)
Seasoned rice vinegar (see below for substitutes)
Red onion
Jalapenos
Matchstick carrots
Cucumbers
Green onions
Cilantro
Mint
Mayo
Hoisin
Sriracha
Process:
The first thing we need to do is prep some ‘pickled’ veggies. I used red onions, jalapenos, and carrots. Slice the onions and jalapenos in rings and save yourself some time by buying matchstick carrots. Add each to its own container with enough seasoned rice vinegar to fully submerge. You can use any number of kinds of vinegar here as a substitute (unseasoned rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, champagne vinegar, white vinegar, although I would stay away from really powerful vinegar like balsamic or sherry vinegar). The pickled veggies will be ready in a couple of hours and will last in the fridge for at least a couple of weeks.
Next, you’ll want to pull the duck breasts out of the fridge, season with salt and pepper, then let rest on the counter for an hour or so allowing the meat to come up to room temp. As always, I brined these ducks and highly recommend adding that step the day before you plan to cook. I use a 2:1 ratio of kosher salt and brown sugar. The brine should taste just a hair saltier than you’d like your duck to taste.
Once the duck breasts are properly rested, get your Traeger fired up to 450. For widgeon size ducks, cook 6 minutes skin side down, then flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes. For mallards and pintails cook for an additional 2 minutes on the skin side. You’re looking to pull the breasts off between 120-125 so they’ll finish between 130-135 (I usually get about a 10-degree jump in temp during the resting period). Do your best not to let the temp creep past 135 as you’ll be in danger of serving gray, livery-tasting duck. We always want to serve duck medium-rare. When you hear people say duck doesn’t taste good, it’s most likely because it was overcooked and/or not brined.
While the duck is resting (for no less than 15 minutes), get the remaining ingredients ready. Thinly slice your cucumbers, pick off some mint leaves, slice your green onions, and set aside a handful of cilantro (do not remove the leaves from the stems, we want it all). Slice open your baguette and remove the soft white bread on the top half only. This allows for a little more room for our ingredients. The last thing you’ll do is slice the duck breast and we’re ready to assemble.
Order of assembly is somewhat important. From the top down we have: jalapenos, cilantro/mint/green onions, pickled veggies, and duck on the bottom. I put mayo and sriracha on the bottom and hoisin on the top.
Slice into slider-sized portions and enjoy!
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