Honey Glazed Duck Halves
Corey Mulhair for SPLIT REED
As November opened up into its second week this fall, temperature across the Northern Prairies began to drop, and waterfowl started picking up to begin their migrations south. Snow geese, specklebelly geese, as well as smaller Canada geese, followed on their way out of town. Along with them moved the mallards. The greenheads, however, didn’t move in such distances as the geese did daily, often making temporary roosts along big water and the still open potholes and sloughs around the area.
Both small and large feeds popped up all over the wheat fields I’d been keeping an eye on. When the first snow fell, the shooting was lights out. Trafficking ducks between loaf and roost sloughs became my after-work chore. It is one of my favorite ways to hunt ducks when out alone, as you can often shoot a solo limit while not gunning into groups larger than thirty for forty birds. Better yet, you’re usually shooting into pairs or small groups of 5-10 birds.
The birds seemed to be hinting at what might be a tough winter- big bodies and thick cream-colored fat layers on them got me thinking ‘do they know something?’. Either way, I was pleasantly surprised by how healthy and plentiful these green-headed mallard ducks were in my area. It was sweet.
So to make a play on words for how sweet the situation was, I figured why not roll that sweet sentiment into the kitchen with a couple of these grain-fattened migrators and my Traeger.
Ingredients
Duck, plucked skin on, cut in half.
Garlic Powder
Salt
Black Pepper
Chipotle/Paprika Powder
Honey
Preparation and Cooking
Pluck your duck whole, remove insides and head/wings as well as legs at the knee joint.
Cut in half along the breast bone from butt to wishbone, wash and dry the halves. Singe off any pin-feathers.
Preheat your Traeger grill to as hot as it gets. My pellet grill is usually set to 450 and that is plenty hot.
Carefully score the fat on the breasts of the duck breast halves, in a diamond pattern.
Thoroughly apply a rub mixture of equal parts garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and chipotle or paprika powder to bird halves.
Lay breasts halves skin down and cook on pellet grill for 5 minutes.
Flip the halves, and cook 4 minutes breast side down.
While breasts are down, coat the scored fat and skin with honey.
Flip halves and cook honey-glazed skin down again for 3-4 minutes.
Duck halves are done when the internal temp hits 127 F.
Remove from heat, let rest a couple of minutes, slice, and enjoy!
Grain fattened Mallard
Equal parts Black Pepper, Chipotle Powder, Garlic Powder and Salt
Duck halves with scored fat, rubbed with spices
Chipotle Honey Glazed Duck Halves
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