Quesabirria de Pato

So, what to do with all those ducks you were lucky to harvest this season? Here’s an incredible recipe that can be served as hors d’oeuvres or a main course at your New Years Eve party!

This is not a quick recipe and will take some time, but it is well worth the effort when all these wonderful flavors come together. You won’t be disappointed!  Many thanks to Andrea Beaver for sharing this wonderful recipe!

Note: This is a very large recipe intended to use up all those duck breasts you have stored in your freezer. It can easily be reduced proportionally to accommodate smaller batches of fewer duck breasts. Leftovers can be vacuum sealed and frozen for later.

Ingredients

25 ducks (50 duck breasts) no need to pre-soak
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
50 HEB Mixla Tortillas (half corn half flour)
3 lbs Queso Oaxaca shredded
1 large onion chopped
2 cilantro bunches chopped

Stock Ingredients

5 quarts water
3 bay leaves
3 Tbsp powdered beef bouillon
3/8 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp cumin
3/8 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Dried Ancho Peppers  
10-12 Dried Guajillo Peppers   
6-8 Dried Arbol Peppers
1 ½ bulbs of garlic, peeled  
1 large onion quartered               

Rinse duck breast and pat dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper on each side.

In a large frying pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, set heat to medium. Sear each side for two minutes. Place on cookie sheet and set aside.

To prepare stock use a large stock pot; set on medium heat, add water and all seasonings for stock.

Peppers need all stems and seeds removed.

Using the same frying pan you used to fry the ducks, add two tablespoons olive oil and sear peppers, garlic and onions. Once seared remove and add to stock pot, cook for about 15 minutes.

Using tongs remove all peppers, garlic and onions from stock pot and add to a large blender. Purée until smooth. Add back to stock pot. Add seared ducks and any juice from pan. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours.

Remove duck from stock pot with a slotted spoon; use a pair of forks to shred the duck breast. You could also use a food processer set to chop. Add shredded duck back to stock pot and simmer for another 2 hours.

Assembling

Strain the meat from the stock and place in a large bowl. Reserve stock.

In the same extra-large frying pan, add a small amount of olive oil and set to medium heat. Add additional olive oil as needed during the assembly process.

I like to assemble six birrias at a time. The ingredients should go together in this order:  

Start by dipping the tortilla in the juice from the stock pot, add a small handful of cheese, meat, onions, cilantro, topped with another small handful of cheese. Fold in half and place in frying pan.

Brown on each side and then place on a large platter or cookie sheet and repeat.

Serve with reserved stock for dipping.

Yields – 50 Birrias