How to Smoke a Duck

Using a Weber-style smoker, it's easy to smoke a duck. The skin will be crispy, the meat moist and juicy, and a fantastic herbal smoke flavor will penetrate the meat. For wine pairings, we suggest a Dover Canyon syrah.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 Weber-style chimney smoker
• 1 coal starter chimney
• 1 bag of coal briquets or (preferably) raw charcoal
• 1 small bag of wood chips (or bits of firewood)
• 1 bucket of herbwood (bay, thyme and/or rosemary) 6-8" branches, soaked in water for 3-4 hours
• 1 whole duck, washed and patted dry
• 1 tbsp. each salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp. Maharajah, curry, or saffron seasoning
• 1 orange, halved
• 10 sprigs of thyme
• 1/2 bottle of white wine -or- 2 bottles of beer (substitue apple cider for a non-alcholic alternative)

1. Set up the Weber (or a similar style) smoker with the moisture pan hanging at the middle level, and the grill grate at the top level.

2. Start a chimney of coals and when they are going briskly, pour them into the coal pan in the bottom of the smoker. Add 2-3 pieces of wood and get it flaming for several minutes to help establish a brisk colony of hot coals. Once the bed of coals looks as though it will survive with minimal attention for 1/2 hour or more, place a big handful of wet herbs on top of the coals.

3. Rub the duck inside and out with the salt, pepper, and seasoning. Slice the orange 3/4 of the way through and stuff the sprigs of thyme into the orange; insert into the cavity of the duck.

4. Pour 2 cups of wine or beer into the moisture pan.
   Place the duck with the breast up on the top smoker grate and close the lid. Leave all the vents, top and bottom, fully open.

5. Pour a cocktail or a glass of wine and get out the deck of cards.

6. By keeping the coals fairly hot throughout the process, you can slow barbecue/smoke the duck in about 1 1/2 hours. Temperature coming out of the lid vent will be just barely too hot to hold your hand 3" away. By keeping the coals cooler you can extend the smoking period to 3 hours. You should check the coals every 1/2 hour and keep the bed well supplied with fresh coals, using wet herbs to douse the flames and keep the smoke going. The wet herbs also make the smoke extraordinarily fragrant.

7. The duck is done when the skin is tight, the meat is firm when you poke it with a finger (do not pierce the skin), and the skin has turned a deep mahogany color. Keeping the skin whole retains all the fat, meat juices, and roasted orange juice in the duck. If you do not want to eat the fat, trim it off and save it to render later for browning larger cuts of meat.

Tips & Warnings

• 'Maharajah' spice blend is available from Penzeys Spices at www.penzeys.com. It contains real saffron, and gives poultry a rich golden color and an earthy, truffle flavor, excellent on grilled and rotisseried poultry.
• Depending on the temperature of your coals and smoke, the process will take from 1-1/2 hours to 3 hours. Leave yourself some time to take a shower just before or after you take the duck off--you will reek of smoke.
• Be sure to keep some liquid in the moisture pan--this keeps the smoker heat moist and prevents duck dehydration. The fat under the skin will keep the meat juicy, but a dry smoke will make the skin tough instead of crisp.
• There isn't a lot of meat on a duck and it may cook more quickly than you anticipated, so check it more frequently after the first hour.
• Serve with Cranberry-Tequila Salsa, gorgonzola mashed potatoes, and a green salad.
• Place the smoker away from the house, and where smoke will not blow toward people. Always protect your hands when removing the lid. Do not let children or pets play near the smoker.

Resources

• Dover Canyon Winery

[roseanne09]

on 5/6/2009 Very well written!! Great article on How to Smoke a Duck!!! 5*

[WebDiva]

on 5/6/2009 Yum! Thanks for the wonderful new recipe. My friend has a wood pellet smoker/barbeque -- I'll get her to try this recipe and and report back how it works on that.

[drmargaretjamal]

on 5/6/2009 Your details for how to smoke a duck made me want duck for breakfast this morning. I also appreciate how thorough you are with the Tips and Warnings. Thanks. :-)

[isiskat]

on 5/6/2009 the picture is mouth watering