Kennyz wrote:

Mike G wrote:Just noticed that Whole Foods on Ashland has fresh Culver ducks. (That is to say, they're not frozen right now. Can't absolutely say whether they ever were.)

I can. They were.

Kennyz -- how did the Culver duck(s) you cooked for Thanksgiving turn out (saw your menu in the other thread)? Good product (prior frozeness notwithstanding)? I was thinking about buying one to smoke for gumbo, which use -- smoke then soup -- I imagine will be somewhat forgiving than the roasting you did if the product is less than perfect.

Matt wrote:

Kennyz wrote:

Mike G wrote:Just noticed that Whole Foods on Ashland has fresh Culver ducks. (That is to say, they're not frozen right now. Can't absolutely say whether they ever were.)

I can. They were.

Kennyz -- how did the Culver duck(s) you cooked for Thanksgiving turn out (saw your menu in the other thread)? Good product (prior frozeness notwithstanding)? I was thinking about buying one to smoke for gumbo, which use -- smoke then soup -- I imagine will be somewhat forgiving than the roasting you did if the product is less than perfect.

Matt,

I did end up roasting a Whole Foods Culver duck (4+ hours between 250 degrees and 300, then 45 minutes at 350), and it came out great. A little scrawny, but was plenty of meat for two, with enough to make duck tacos today with the leftovers. More importantly, it was tender, tasted excellent, and the skin crisped up beautifully.

Kenny

HI all -

saw non-frozen duck (not sure if it was fresh or just thawed) today at City Fresh Market, SW corner of Devon and Kedzie. They also had both fresh and frozen goat (not sure if the fresh goat was pre-frozen or not).

Frozen Duck (and rabbit, and quail, and more!) also spotted at Cermak Produce at 4234 North Kedzie

leek wrote:HI all -

saw non-frozen duck (not sure if it was fresh or just thawed) today at City Fresh Market, SW corner of Devon and Kedzie. They also had both fresh and frozen goat (not sure if the fresh goat was pre-frozen or not).

Frozen Duck (and rabbit, and quail, and more!) also spotted at Cermak Produce at 4234 North Kedzie

did either place sell legs separately? the only place in the city i've found that sells legs alone is paulina. would love a cheaper source.

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:

leek wrote:HI all -

saw non-frozen duck (not sure if it was fresh or just thawed) today at City Fresh Market, SW corner of Devon and Kedzie. They also had both fresh and frozen goat (not sure if the fresh goat was pre-frozen or not).

Frozen Duck (and rabbit, and quail, and more!) also spotted at Cermak Produce at 4234 North Kedzie

did either place sell legs separately? the only place in the city i've found that sells legs alone is paulina. would love a cheaper source.

Sorry, I didn't really look that closely. You could give them a call and ask, maybe?

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to speak with the proprietor of Aden Live Poultry. He said that they generally have 1 or 2 ducks available. It would probably be a good idea to call ahead to make certain they are available if you are in the market for a fresh duck. The store was very clean, and had no "livestock" odor that I could detect during my visit.

Aden Live Poultry
2731 W. Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
ph: 773-506-0169
alt: 773-983-7647
http://adenlivepoultry.com/

I was thinking of bringing home a Peking duck from Sun Wah and making a soup or something with it for a dinner during the week. Does anyone have any good recipes?

Mariano's Market generally stocks fresh Bell and Evans ducks. Phone first, just in case. If you call a few days in advance they will order them for you. The price is currently $3.99/lb. Here's contact info for the Western Avenue store.

Mariano's Market
3350 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 327-2093

The last few times I was at Tony's on Elston they had fresh ducks.

I bought a fresh Gunthorpe Farms duck through Green Grocer on west Grand a few weeks ago. GG requires roughly a week notice for an order. It was an excellent duck, larger than your typical frozen variety, at 7-8 lbs. It also had a healthy layer of subcutaneous fat, which rendered out to more than a quart-sized glass jar could hold. I believe the price was under $6/lb, less than Butcher and Larder' quote for the same Gunthorpe Farms duck, but certainly more than the two and change that you can find for frozen mass-produced around the city.

I would certainly buy one again in the future.

mrsm wrote:A few days ago, I had the opportunity to speak with the proprietor of Aden Live Poultry. He said that they generally have 1 or 2 ducks available. It would probably be a good idea to call ahead to make certain they are available if you are in the market for a fresh duck. The store was very clean, and had no "livestock" odor that I could detect during my visit.

Aden Live Poultry
2731 W. Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
ph: 773-506-0169
alt: 773-983-7647
http://adenlivepoultry.com/

Don't forget about Chicago Live Poultry on Western. Chicken, Guinea Hens, Ducks, Roosters, Rabbits and Catfish!! You can still hear the quack when the hatchet goes whack.

Like those at Aden, the proprietors are Yemeni and nice as can be.

Chicago Live Poultry
6421 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60645
(773) 381-1000

Habibi wrote:
Don't forget about Chicago Live Poultry on Western. Chicken, Guinea Hens, Ducks, Roosters, Rabbits and Catfish!! You can still hear the quack when the hatchet goes whack.

What about the f***ing plucking? Do they do it for you?

Seriously.

You pick out your live animal, and they will dispatch and de-feather it for you. You typically still have to spend some time to clean it up once it gets home and quickly cook it before rigor mortis sets in or let it rest for a day or so.

I get my ducks from these guys once or twice a year. Call ahead, as I've been there when they are out of what I'm looking for as well.

Does anyone know where Chicago Live Poultry gets their birds from? Factory farms or smaller local farmers?

So it's 2014 now, I have plans to roast, BBQ, and rotisserie fresh duck, in the coming month. Never done it before.

Are the live poultry places mentioned above a few years ago still the go to places to easily source fresh ducks? I'm ready to give frozen ones a try but live seems the way to go.

It takes a little lead time (like a week +), but Butcher & Larder can get ducks from their great local farm sources.

Eataly has fresh duck.

Harrison's Poultry Farm in Glenview has been doing a much better job of stocking fresh, never frozen, ducks. If you're up north, it might be worth a call to make sure they are in stock.

Harrison's Poultry Farm
1201 Waukegan Rd
Glenview, IL 60025
(847) 724-0132

Cool! Three possibilities not mentioned before. Thanks guys.

I didn't read all the postings, but would add D'Artagnan to the list. Yes, you have to pay shipping, but they have duck sales every now and then, otherwise pricey. Both Pekin and Moulard and I think Muscovy are available as are legs and the already smoked breast (magret). There are fresh ducks at Treasure Island, as well.

One of the few nice things I can say about the new Mariano's at Lawrence and Ravenswood is that they have fresh duck.

leek wrote:... City Fresh Market, SW corner of Devon and Kedzie. They also had both fresh and frozen goat (not sure if the fresh goat was pre-frozen or not).

Update - March 2016
City Fresh no longer carries goat, fresh or otherwise. I also did not see any ducks there.

Standard Market has frozen duck at their Westmont store. One of these days I'll buy one and give it a try, I've never cooked duck before.

In Montréal, all the East Asian markets have at least frozen duck, and some have fresh duck, too. Isn't that the case in Chicago?

Geo

Geo wrote:In Montréal, all the East Asian markets have at least frozen duck, and some have fresh duck, too. Isn't that the case in Chicago?

Geo

It's hard to find them fresh. Frozen is pretty easy.