And pickled onion. I know that title seems a bit ridiculous, but I really couldn’t leave anything out. These are so so sssooo good, and every component is it’s own little hero in the dish. That’s a thing, right? Food heroes? Anyways – I made these one Sunday in the crock pot when we were having friends over to watch football, planning on eating the leftovers for lunch the next day. Duck tacos? I assumed a few of our pals would opt out just based on the idea of duck tacos. Well…. I was wrong. Really, really wrong.
It may seem like a lot of work based on the ingredients, but it’s just a matter of throwing everything together, and waiting… And having a few beverages in the meantime, right?
INGREDIENTS:
DUCK:
4 duck breasts (8 filets)
1 sweet onion, sliced super thin
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1/2 tbsp Old Bay
1/2 cup of a sesame ginger marinade
12 oz of a light(ish) lager beer
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste
PICKLED ONION:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 onion, chopped or sliced (I had a while onion, but red would be excellent)
Whisk all ingredients together, then add the onion. Let sit at room temperature for minimum 2 hours.
SAUCE:
1/2 c mayo
2-3 tbsp prepared horseradish
1/2 tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp sour cream
1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
{These quantities aren’t exact… I tend to guesstimate. So surprising, I know.}
Extras: shredded lettuce, cheese, diced tomato
STEPS:1. Since the ducks take the longest, I would get them started first. Toss your spices, onion, and garlic into the crock pot, followed by the duck. Kind of like we did
here. Then, add your liquids – the beer, Worcestershire, and the marinade go right on top of everything. Give it all a stir, set the crock pot to high, and let it simmer away! I gave everything a big stir a few times in the 4 hours I had it set on high, just for good measure.
2. In the meantime, you can prepare the rest of the goods. I started with the pickled onion – the longer they sit, the better they get. Hey, I made a rhyme. Again, whisk everything together in a jar, add the sliced onion, seal it up, and all the ingredients get to know each other for a few hours. It’s worth the wait.
3. I just realized I forgot to take pictures of the sauce after I made it. What a fail on my part. I guess I got too excited? I don’t know. I just made it in a big measuring cup to make things easy, and it really is as simple as whisking everything together until smooth. As I mentioned, you can play around with the measurements. Like extra horseradish? Go for it. Lemon is your thing? Yum. As long as you get the basics, and you can easily drizzle it on the tacos with a spoon, you’re good to go.
4. Back to the ducks! After about 4 hours, they will be completely cooked. But, you’re not done yet. They still need to get extra tender and bite sized and perfect. Using a slotted spoon, remove all of the duck from the liquid (which has cooked down a lot by now), and let them cool enough to not burn your fingers. I got overzealous and definitely burned my fingers, so don’t skip that part. Then you just shred, shred, shred, until all of the duck looks like this:
Stir it back into the liquid, set the crock pot to low, and let the duck keep going for 30 minutes to an hour. It will absorb even more of that deliciousness and be oh-so-perfect when the time comes to assemble the tacos. Speaking of which…
5. Assemble your tacos! Use tongs to get the duck from the liquid – it will keep enough of the liquid on it to make the taco super flavorful without making it too soggy. Ew. Then layer on the rest of the toppings! I used lettuce, diced tomato, shredded cheese, and a forkful of the pickled onion. And that sauce. There it is! I knew I captured it in a photo somewhere.
There won’t be one shred of this duck left in the crock pot. Even if you’re feeding only one or two people. You should really make these as soon as you can. This weekend sounds good, no? I just need to go to the store and pick up a few things… See you Saturday around 4?
Yes, please. Enjoy!
PS – Whatever you do,
do not throw away the leftover braising liquid that’s in the crock pot. Trust me. Hello,
another delicious dinner.
I know. So pumped.
