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Anyone try Smoked Duck?

DaveM
DaveM Posts: 100
edited August 2012 in EggHead Forum
I had an amazing smoked duck at a restaurant on Cape Cod - the Red Inn.  The menu described it as "Smoked Long Island Duck
Creole seasoned  de-boned and smoked,  with Savory Bread pudding  Orange Peppercorn Glaze".  I loved it and wanna make it!

Instead of the entire duck, I'm thinking of smoking a couple of duck breasts with a Creole rub.

Anyone have experience smoking duck on the BGE?  Any issues with the fat?

--Dave
--Dave from Leesburg, VA BGE XL, Viking 42", Firepit with $16 grill

Comments

  • Doc_Eggerton
    Doc_Eggerton Posts: 5,321
    I have sure been thinking about it.  I will be watching this thread.

    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

  • The fat is awesome. Haven't done it on the egg but smoked duck is money. I gave a guy a duck canipe' recipe on here a few months ago. Try to search it and see if it's for you.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,669
    with low and slow duck its all about the sauces and glazes but heres how to do a whole one low and slow. theres not much meat on a duck
    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/237371/x/p1
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    I did a wild mallard and it tasted like rotten fish. Wild duck fat is no good. It's got to just be the skinless meat.

    Never done a farm raised duck.
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • MikeP624
    MikeP624 Posts: 292

    Did an awesome appetizer a while back.  Smoked duck, cooled and cubed, on toast points with fig jam, some type of cheese (forget what kind exactly, but it was a creamy goat cheese i think) and a thin slice of jalapano.  It was excellent.

    Pretty sure i got the recipe from someone on here.

  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    I've smoked a few, none on the Egg. Mainly, duck breast is much less meaty than on a chicken and it has a thick layer of fat on outside. So it's about the dark meat, and it's all dark meat. A good strategy might be to split the duck or even spatch it, smoke it to through and melt out a lot of the fat then raise temp enough to get a crispy outside. I've been meaning to try this on the Egg.
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    To reference the above posts, I've never cooked wild duck. I have cooked some that I raised, and they were quite scrawny. But no fish taste. All the other ducks I have cooked were commercially raised.

    The simple answer is that duck cooks just like red meat chicken, but is usually coated in a large amount of fat. Its easy to cook a whole one. Prick the skin all over with a fork, or make little knife slashes. That will let the subcutaneous fat render out more easily. Spatchcock it just like a chicken, but roast it over a good sized drip pan. The pan will fill with lots of fat that sizzles as juices drip into it.

    Then I cook till the legs are staring to rip loose when tugged on the edge.  If the skin is not crispy enough, I set it aside.

    The meat has always been good, and if you use some of the drippings to make a fruit sauce, it is even better.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I like the breast meat medium rare - cooked to about 130F.   The legs work well first cured confit style then cooked.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • chuff
    chuff Posts: 255
    I've never smoked a duck though I've really been wanting to try it. I do have one contribution here to chime in with, though. Whatever you do DO NOT DISCARD THE FAT. Seriously. Duck fat is liquid gold. Google up some uses for it and enjoy.
    XL BGE
  • MikeP624 said:

    Did an awesome appetizer a while back.  Smoked duck, cooled and cubed, on toast points with fig jam, some type of cheese (forget what kind exactly, but it was a creamy goat cheese i think) and a thin slice of jalapano.  It was excellent.

    Pretty sure i got the recipe from someone on here.

    That was me. It's smoked duck with Brie and fig jam with jalapeño on top. Freaking awesome.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Baysidebob
    Baysidebob Posts: 489
    I've done two ducks.  First was a failure, second was great.  Indirect with a drip pan.  Sucked the fat out of the drip pan as it cooked and saved the fat to fry potatoes.  I followed an oven recipe including sliting the skin with a razor blade and flipping the bird to let the fat flow out.  Chucked the glaze that came with the bird and wife did a swell one.  Cooked about 350 pluse to insure the maillard reaction.  Note: Wild and domestic ducks and geese do not compare.  Conclusion:  Probably not worth the trouble to do again.  I now understand why there are so many chickens and so few ducks in the market.
    My actuary says I'm dead.
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    Somewhere I have a recipe for tea smoked duck, like they sell in the Asian markets.  That stuff is fabulous.  I will post if I can locate it, but we have moved since I last made it and some things got lost.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • Let me know guys, I may have to than buy one of these. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=POFWijMl2wU
  • setdahook
    setdahook Posts: 284
    I have done a few teal and mallard done in home made teriyaki soaked for 24 hours then seared similar to a t-rex method for steaks came out great each time but was well after a few beers so I could have eaten a shingle off the house and been ok.
  • There was a guy on here a while back called mustgrill and he shared this video with us. I made this for my wife on her birthday and it was out of this world.

    Smoked Duck La'Orange:

    Sarasota, FL via Boynton Beach, FL, via Sarasota, FL, via Charleston, SC, via The Outer Banks, via God's Country (East TN on Ft. Loudon Lake)
  • AleBrewer
    AleBrewer Posts: 555
    edited August 2012
    I have done both whole ducks and breasts on a Weber Kettle. Haven't had the chance to do them on the Egg yet.  I always did them like BaysideBob mentioned...indirect with a drip pan so fat wont cause flare-ups.

    I personally love duck, and feel that it's worth the effort.

    Was this the place you ate at? We were just there this past weekend.....didn't eat there though.  Nice view from the side of the place too!





    imageimage
  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    I'm on the verge of going out for a couple of ducks .....

  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    Bought a duck out of the freezer at Publix. Twenty bucks for a 6.6 pounder! It's thawing, I plan to spatchcock it and will open a new thread for it.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i followed alton brown's recipe, where he par cooks it 9steams it) to render fat, and then pan sears it under weight.

    i didn't post it, because it's not smoked duck, but since we've transitioned into spatchcock as well...

    Alton Brown's: Mighty Duck
    (make sure you save the duck fat)

    image

    image

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Cookbook_Chip
    Cookbook_Chip Posts: 1,299
    One of my first cooks on my egg was a nice duck!  Frozen from Kroger - I used Dr BBQs recipe from his "Big Time BBQ Book" - basically a nice herb rub.  Cut out the backbone (kinda spatchcock, but not flattened) to let the fat drip.  Indirect at 275F for about 3-4 hours until the thigh is 180F.  Since it was an early cook, and it was so good, I forgot to get pictures!  I could have brought the temp up a bit more at the end to crisp the skin more, but it was delish.
    Lovin' my Large Egg since May 2012 (Richmond, VA) ... and makin' cookbooks at https://FamilyCookbookProject.com
    Stoker II wifi, Thermapen, and a Fork for plating photo purposes
  • Did a Spicy Watermelon glaze smoked Duck over the 4th, fantastic.  Recipe I copied from the local paper and adapted for the BGE.  Indirect at about 280 for about 4 hours.
  • FlyingTivo
    FlyingTivo Posts: 352
    Duck with Tamarind/guajillo glaze

    Was a little overdone but just watch your temps!

    Felipe
    Men, easier fed than understood!!
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,430
    I've done duck breast on the egg only once; the meat was perfect but the skin had not fully rendered yet (and I wish I'd taken notes to try a different temp next time).
     
    Definitely use a drip pan and save the rendered fat; potatoes fried in duck fat is fantastic!  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • I do duck breasts pretty often and the trick for me is to cook the breasts indirect @ 350º for about 30 minutes. Then you need to remove the plate setter and grill skin side down over direct heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure you score the skin prior to cooking. 
    Hope it helps,

    Eric