Mallard Birria Tacos

Recipe by Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois

Ingredients

• 6-10 whole plucked mallard ducks

• Dried chiles: Remove all seeds from the dried chiles.  New Mexico (8), guajillo (8), chile pasilla (2), chile arbol (5), chipotle chili in adobo sauce (2)
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 fresh jalapeño, quartered
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. marjoram
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 cloves garlic, whole
• 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
• Salt, to taste
• 4 red tomatoes, quartered
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp. worcestershire
• 8 cups of duck broth (beef or chicken can be subbed)

Steps

1. Season ducks liberally with salt and pepper and brown on all sides in a heavy bottom dutch oven.

2. Once your ducks are browned, add all the ingredients for the consommé to the pot. Make sure your ducks are covered with liquid. If you don’t have a dutch oven big enough for the ducks, stock, and the rest of the ingredients, then transfer your browned ducks to the stock pot and continue the cooking in that vessel. Try not to over cram your pot. 
3. Simmer on stovetop for 1.5-2 hours until ducks are tender and pull from the bone.
4. Remove your ducks from the broth and allow to cool until you can work with them.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick, bay leaves and any bones that may have come from the ducks. Add consommé back to the stove and reduce heat by 1/4 or half. Taste until the broth taste robust and rich.
6. Once heat is reduced, use a stick blender to blend consommé until solids have broken up in your sauce.
7. Pull the meat from your duck breast and moisten the meat with your blended broth. Set aside. Add some to a bowl for tortilla grilling. Save the rest for dipping finished tacos.
8. Dip your corn tortilla into the braising liquid and add directly to a cast iron pan, griddle, or skillet.
9. Scatter the entire tortilla with cheese.
10. Assemble your tortilla with duck meat, cilantro and white onion on one side of the tortilla. Fold tortilla over itself.
11. Crisp on both sides and garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately with a side of finished consommé liquid to dip your taco into.
12. Bonus points if you serve with pickled red onions.