The Whole Beast: Duck Boot Camp

Calling all carnivores! Many of us have forgotten that the meat we buy comes from animals. To reconnect with the meat's source (hint: it’s not a cellophane-wrapped package), local chefs have turned to whole animal butchery. The Whole Beast series will highlight the processes involved in hunting, plucking, butchering and preparing prime cuts, as well as some of the lesser-known bits. You will leave class with a greater appreciation for the whole animal as well as its parts, from nose to tail or beak to feet.

Chef Mark Haskell will show participants how to use the whole duck, wild or farm-raised, for winter's best meals.  Participants will learn hands-on the processes of butchering, cooking & conserving the whole duck. You will learn to render duck fat, the healthiest cooking fat; how to make dark duck stock; and how to cure and cook duck leg confit, seared duck breast, and the ultimate guilty pleasure - duck cracklings.  

Chef Mark Haskell’s career has taken him to kitchens in Europe, Asia, South America and the US. A native of the South Carolina Lowcountry, he has an affection for Southern cooking and gardening, and he applies his international flair to these traditions. He was knighted a Chevalier to the Confrérie de Vin de Saint Vincent for his work promoting organic and biodynamic food in the Côtes du Rhône region of France. Look for Mark's other classes on our Crossing Borders page.