Grilled Wild-Duck Skewers Recipe

Join Andy Morgan for a guide on prepping and cooking the pro fisherman’s grilled wild-duck skewers recipe. Duck is his favorite wild game to eat—and this recipe is one of his favorite ways to prepare it.

Andy Morgan has been hunting, and cooking, duck since he was 13 years old. “A lot of people turn their nose up at duck. But, in my opinion, it’s one of the best pieces of meat you can put on a grill or a stovetop,” says Morgan. “Duck meat is definitely high in protein. It’s a rich, dark meat, and it can hold a lot of flavor if cooked correctly.”

Prepping the Wild Duck with Marinade

Morgan suggests filleting duck into thin slices when cooking it on a grill or smoker, and marinating it for at least 24 hours ahead of time. This will give the marinade time to soak into—and properly flavor—the dark, dense meat. Morgan’s marinade of choice is his infamous “Kentucky sauce” buts Italian dressing with some spices, or any type of store-bought hot sauce will also work just fine.

Once marinated, Morgan then threads his fillets onto the kabob skewers—along with bell peppers, jalapenos, pineapple and bacon. Yet, he encourages you to use whatever veggies you prefer.

Grilling Wild Duck on Skewers

After his duck-and-vegetable skewers have been prepared, Morgan places the kabobs on a 360-degree pre-heated grill. He prefers his duck medium-rare, and warns against overcooking the thin fillets.

Once cooked, he brushes on his infamous “Kentucky sauce.” A recipe handed down from a longtime family friend, Morgan always keeps a big batch in the fridge so it’ll stay fresh and usable for a long time.

Now, all that’s left to do is take them straight from the grill right to your mouth (only stopping occasionally to add some more Kentucky sauce)! Morgan promises this is a dish that’ll quickly become one of your favorites, too.

Andy Morgan’s Grilled Wild-Duck Skewers

Servings

4

servings

Total time

45

minutes

One duck will make 2 to 3 skewers, depending on duck size. Prep time for the skewers will only take about 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how many duck breasts you have. The overall cook time will be about 45 minutes.

Duck Skewer Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Duck breast in marinade

• 3+ skewers (depending on number of ducks)

• 1-2 slices of bacon per skewer

• 1-2 bell peppers (or consider adding jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms or any veggie of choice)

• 1 cup chunked pineapple (use more as needed)

• DUCK MARINADE INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2-1 cup Italian dressing

• 1/2-1 cup Allegro hot and spicy (or any marinade of choice)

• Dash of hot sauce, as desired

• KENTUCKY SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

• 4 cups ketchup

• 4 cups mustard

• 4 cups vinegar

• 4 cups sugar

• 1 tbsp. pepper

• 1 tbsp. garlic salt

• 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper (or less if you can’t take the heat)

Duck Skewer COOKING Directions:

• Preheat grill to 350 degrees.
• Cut duck breast into thin, long strips.
• Wash and cut vegetables into 1-inch pieces.
• Thread ingredients onto skewers. Start with bacon, then duck. Skew both at one end and leave the excess hanging. Then, add a vegetable piece. Thread the hanging duck again, then bacon, and repeat adding a vegetable piece. Thread back and forth to the end of the skewer, adding more duck pieces as needed, layering with bacon, then duck, then pineapple or vegetables. One individual slice of duck should thread 2 to 3 times.
• Place skewers on grill. Sprinkle with favorite seasoning if desired. Grill one side until bacon starts to crisp. Skewers should cook approximately 5 minutes on each side for a medium cook. But, this will vary depending on the thickness of cut. The skewers are usually done when the bacon is cooked. Duck is best if not overcooked. The temperature should be 170 degrees, but that may be difficult to determine with such small cuts of meat. The meat will continue to cook a little after being removed from the grill. When the duck is almost cooked, brush the Kentucky sauce onto all sides and cook for a few additional minutes to caramelize the sauce.
• Once the skewers are removed from the grill, let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes before digging in.
• DUCK MARINADE COOKING DIRECTIONS:
• Add all ingredients to duck meat and marinade for at least 24 hours to achieve the best flavor.
• KENTUCKY SAUCE COOKING DIRECTIONS:
• Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Mix remaining ingredients together before adding to melted butter in pot. Mix well and stir continuously until the mixture begins to boil. Then, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
• The unused sauce can be stored in the fridge for several months.