This unique recipe utilizes the entire duck. (Photo By: Jack Hennessy)
May 24, 2023
By Jack Hennessy
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Broth made from your wild birds is something very special. It’s liquid gold that far surpasses any stock or broth you’d buy at the grocer. If you’ve ever visited a Japanese restaurant and ordered their ramen or even their miso soup, you can appreciate that flavor, all of which is made possible from taking the time to produce one’s own broth. They make that broth from leftover bones and mirepoix, which is just a fancy word for chopped onion, celery, and carrots.
Making duck broth isn’t hard. It just requires checking in to make sure the broth doesn’t simmer too much. You want barely a bubble in your broth. The process takes at least 6 hours, but you will only spend about a half hour of that time working in the kitchen. The rest, as said earlier, is just checking the burner setting. If you want very flavorful, dark broth, you’ll want the broth to simmer approximately 12 hours. Start early in the morning—don’t simmer overnight, because you can’t check the status of its simmer while sleeping and if it simmers too much, all the water will boil off.
If need be, don’t hesitate to add more water to keep the duck carcass covered. One duck carcass should make at least 48 ounces of broth, so next time you roast one of your wild fowls or even breast them out, save the bones to roast and make broth. You can also roast whole (plucked or skinned) wings and legs and add them to the broth. The meat will eventually flake off, and you can save that to add to your ramen.
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Making the ramen is even simpler. If you don’t want to bother with adding other items (such as lemongrass and anise stars) to your broth during the ramen process, you don’t have to. Just reheat broth, add ramen noodles, cook and sliced your duck breasts, and serve. Ramen does allow you to get creative with what else you add to your bowl, so listed here are recommended ingredients. Ramen can be a work of art, so make it your masterpiece.
Delicious Duck Ramen Noodle Recipe
Yield: 4 servings Cook time: 6-12 hours
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Broth Ingredients: At least one large duck carcass Kosher salt Olive oil One medium yellow onion, chopped Four celery stacks, chopped Three large carrots, chopped 1 cup whole black peppercorns 3 bay leaves Sprig each of rosemary, thyme, and sage Ramen Ingredients: Four duck breasts, salted and peppered 16 ounces ramen noodles Four lemongrass stalks Five whole anise stars Four large gloves garlic, smashed 3-4 ounces of fresh ginger, smashed One bunch green onions, sliced Salt to taste Other recommended ramen additions:Sliced jalapeño Chopped cilantro Soft-boiled egg Bean sprouts Bok choy, blanched Turnip leaves, blanched Roasted seaweed sheets This is not your grocery store ramen that you’re used to. (Photo By: Jack Hennessy) Broth Directions: To make duck broth, liberally salt at least one duck carcass. Lightly oil duck carcass with olive oil. Roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. While duck roasts, in a large stock pot, add a thin layer of olive oil followed by chopped onion, celery, carrots, and whole black peppercorns. Lightly dust with kosher salt. Stir and sauté until duck finishes roasting. Once duck is done, add it to stock pot and cover with water by at least 3 inches. Set to barely a simmer for 6-12 hours. After broth has started to barely simmer, add bay leaves, sprig of rosemary, thyme, and sage, then remove after 1 hour. Once broth has finished, strained through some sort of napkin-covered sieve. Let cool before covering and storing. Ramen Directions: To make ramen, reheat broth in a large pot. Add lemongrass stalks, five whole anise stars, smashed garlic cloves, smashed ginger, and chopped green onions. Barely simmer, again same as first phase of broth, then after 1 hour, remove everything other than green onions. (Not a big deal if you don’t fish out a garlic clove or ginger or two. Other stuff should be easy to fetch.) Taste broth. If bland, add a little bit of kosher salt, stir in, then test again until not bland (this is salting to taste). Add ramen noodles. Duck Directions: Cook duck breasts, pat dry and lightly salt and pepper. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Start with an oven-safe cold skillet and add duck breasts skin-side down on stovetop. Turn heat to medium. Once skin is crisp and brown, flip, and sear underside for 2 minutes. Add to oven for 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and skillet, allow to rest for 5 minutes before carving. To serve ramen, once noodles have cooked, dish an ample helping of noodles filled with duck broth to a bowl and top with sliced duck. Add whatever other toppings you wish. (Check out recommended additions in ingredient lists). Enjoy! Any questions or comments, please reach out on Instagram: @WildGameJack
