Want to do something with that duck you shot besides stick it in the oven or grill it? Try my friend Aaron Custer’s duck poppers.
First, shoot one duck. Filet the breasts and peel off the silver skin. Slice filets long-ways into ¼” or 3/8” slices and soak in cold water for several hours.
Marinate over night in your favorite marinade. I used Italian salad dressing. Anything short of brake fluid should do as long as it includes McCormick’s steak seasoning.
Slice jalapeno peppers long-ways and remove seeds. Six peppers and one mallard makes a ginormous pile of poppers. Fill jalapeno halves with cream cheese and place a strip of duck on each. At this point I deviated from Aaron’s recipe by slicing each popper in two crossways making them more bite-sized. Wrap a half strip of bacon around each popper, secure it with a toothpick, and grill until bacon is done. You want the duck medium rare. If you want to include the legs, wrap bacon around them and grill them but allow more cooking time.
When I tried it the bacon caused a huge flame-up when grilled on high. With the next batch I moved the poppers off the direct flame, lowered the temperature and it worked better.
Prepare some poppers and take them to the duck blind with you to grill at mid-morning when you’re having trouble staying awake. It’s a nice break from Ho Hos and Ding Dongs.
Eat your heart out Rachel Ray! 