Corey Mulhair at SPLIT REED
Simple. Timeless. Delicious.
Often misconstrued as the ‘lazy way’ to handle waterfowl, duck poppers are hands down one of the most popular ways to enjoy duck breast. The process is straight forward and anyone can whip up a pile of poppers in just a few minutes. Most all species of duck make fine popper meats. Some like to age the meat for a few days, often in a marinade or simple dry rub style seasoning; while others might shoot a few ducks in the morning and by midday have cleaned the last bite from the last toothpick skewered popper.
Whether you’re new to waterfowling or have been shooting ducks for half a century, poppers are a straightforward way for any palette to take delight in duck or goose meat.
What you’ll need:
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Duck or Goose breasts
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Jalapenos
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Cream Cheese
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Bacon
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Toothpicks
*Toothpicks can be soaked in water while you prepare the poppers- this can keep the ends from being torched by open flame on a bbq, keeping unsuspecting eaters from unwillingly biting down on a hidden toothpick at an unforgiving angle.
STEP 1 – Put some ducks in the dirt.
STEP 2- Clean the breasts from the birds. Remove the tenders as well- they make fine popper meat for the smaller jalapeno halves.
STEP 3- With the breasts removed from the birds, clean any blood or feathers off, and clean any pellet holes of debris or bloodshot. Once that is done, I place the breasts in a saltwater brine as the bacon and jalapenos and cream cheese is prepared.
STEP 4- Cut the strips of bacon in half, and the jalapenos should be sliced in half longways with the seeds removed. Add cream cheese into the pepper halves, fill flush with the edges.
STEP 5- Cut duck breasts into 1”x2” strips. Avoid using any bloodshot, or meat with pellet holes for the poppers. You can add salt and pepper, or other spices- or use meat that has been marinating in your flavor profile of choice.
STEP 6- Take a jalapeno half with cream cheese, lay the duck on top, and wrap with a half strip of bacon. Skewer with a toothpick then continue with making more poppers.
STEP 7- Cooking the poppers. I prefer the open flame of a BBQ but an oven will work as well. 350-400 degrees is a good cook temp. On a BBQ, you’ll want to cook with the cream cheese up and then turn once so the cream cheese is down, then turn again shortly after to finish with the cream cheese up. No need to turn the poppers in the oven, but both cooking methods need you to be vigilant. Bacon grease fires are a regular ocurrence when cooking poppers on the BBQ. Not a big deal, but you don’t want to burn them up or burn the backyard down so pay attention. Cooking the poppers will take about 15-20 minutes usually. You want the bacon a little crispy and the cheese a little melty, but most importantly you’re aiming for a medium cooked duck strip.
STEP 8- Let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy! 4-6 Poppers per person is a good target for an afternoon meal, 2-3 per person is a good number for appetizers before a larger meal. One medium sized duck like a wigeon or gadwall is good for on average 4 poppers, and one mallard sized duck will yield about 6 poppers worth of meat.
Remember, even with thorough inspection of meat, pellets may still be embedded. Make sure to be careful when eating and serving poppers.
Corey Mulhair for SPLIT REED
