u/hiker_trailmagicva

Howdy everyone! So we are looking at butchering off our old ducks ( 5 ish years old) and I am mildly nervous about it. We butcher a lot of other animals but I have never prepared duck, shit- I've never ordered duck at a restaurant. My question is- are they as greasy as what I have read and heard and with their age ( and they often free ranged) are they going to be tough? Any tips on cooking them? I wanted to try smoking one for hours and then putting some sort of sauce on and finishing over an open flame? Letting the skin get crispy type of stuff but will their greasy fat be in the way? Thanks! I did try to google but wanted some more first hand answers and I can't stand AI answering everything I try to research.

I'm sure y'all get asked a lot on here about parking and directions and I'm sorry in advance if this is repetitive, I searched the sub and couldn't find a clear answer for my specific question. So my son is swearing into the coast guard on Thursday and my husband and I are driving him down to be able to watch. We are about 2 hours from DC and don't know our way around at all. I was debating if I should drive to Vienna and metro in? He is going to Pennsylvania Ave. Or should I drive in and attempt to safely find parking. The problem is I have a full size diesel truck ( we farm for a living) and I am noticing a lot of garages have height limits or tight spaces. I googled and Union Station came up that I could fit my truck there but I can't find out if I am able to reserve a spot or do people just drive and hope there will still be a large space available? Is that even close to Pennsylvania Ave? Also is avoiding tolls coming into DC even possible or do I have to pay them no matter what since I am going all the way into the city? Thank you again- I'm mildly overwhelmed!