All About Aging Ducks & Geese: How to Dry Age, Benefits & Caveats

Dry aging your birds can increase flavor and reduce unsavory textures. Here's how it's done. Wildfowl Magazine

Let’s cover why you should be dry aging ducks and geese, how to do it… and when you shouldn’t.

By Jack Hennessy / Wildfowl Magazine

There are two main reasons to age your waterfowl: to increase flavor and to tenderize. Aging is the process of moisture evaporating from meat over an extended period of time. When this happens, natural-occurring enzymes also denature proteins, resulting in more far-less-chewy bites.

“Hanging” is sometimes another term used in place of “aging.” All “hanging” game is “aging” game, but not all “aging” comes from “hanging” game. The process of stringing up birds and hanging allows for ample airflow around all sides of the birds, which facilitates the whole aging process. Still, for bigger birds like Canada geese, you may wish to butcher those and age them by letting them rest in a cooler or refrigerator. MORE