Smokin Duck

Mornin',Popajack.

Would those be wild ducks or domestic?

The wild is extremely lean and the domestic is extremely fatty.

There would be a great difference in approach.

Hi Tom, I guess I should have specified that. They will be domectic ducks...the kind you can buy in the supermarket. Popajack

Have not tried smoking duck, but a good trick in roasting them is to prick the skin in a lot of places with something like a toothpick to let the fat drain out. I've had a few that were quite tough. They were sold as "duckling" and were in about the right size range, but seemed more like the age of Donald's uncle.

Mornin',Popajack.

Paul kirk,in his latest book,says to marinate overnight in a typical Chinese marinade of soy sauce,sugar,fresh ginger and minced garlic.

Cook at 250� for 2 to 3 hours.

If you like rare cook half as long.

This is not his whole recipe,as he is doing a stuffed duck,but may work for what you need.

We also had some recent posts on tea smoked duck,if you try the search feature at the top.

Aces Up cooking team was gracious enough to share their technique.

Place in house oven at 450�-500� for 30 mins. to flash render the fat.Better place a pan under it.

Chill overnight,so it will take up smoke.

Cook at 250� for 3 to 4 hrs.,or until the internal is about 180�.

I have not tried any of these,but maybe they will help till one of our experts logs in.

I've done some duck breast as well as one small duck. The breast as marinated for about 6 hours in a teryaki marinade and turned out fantastic. It was much more tender than the same marinated breast cooked on a charcoal grill (we did a comparison). The whole bird wasn't brined or marinated and did not turn out as good. it was a wild duck so it was a bit dry. I would go with a good brine and/or marinade to keep it moist. Good Luck.

Jay

Well, I smoked the two ducks today. First I brined them for over night in regular brine...1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup sugar and one gallone of water. then I rinsed them and patted them dry. Then I rubbed them down with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled them with CS Spicy chicken Rub. Then I smoked them at 250� for 5 1/2 hours. They each weighed 5 1/2 lbs. They came out very moist and tender. Very flavorful. I found I liked the flavor and texture of the thigh and leg better than the breast myself. The breast tasted gamier to me. These were domestic ducks though so go figure. All in all they were very good. Popajack

It's me again. I forgot to say that I used 2 oz. of apple wood to smoke the ducks. It was just the right amount. Popajack