Hi all,
We had an insane date night on Tuesday which included a trip to Rasika Restaurant, where we had probably the best duck dish I, at least, have ever had (vindaloooo!) This got us both thinking about how much we like duck when it's awesome and how horrible it is when it, well, *isn't* awesome, and of course, the logical next step since I have been brainwashed by You People is that we should try smoking one!
First thing I did when I got home from work today was to call around and see where I could get decent duck around here, and the Duck Gods must be smiling on me, because the butcher in Union Market has their whole ducks on sale for $4.99 per pound (!!!!!!) I will be snapping up a couple of those first thing tomorrow morning, as you might well imagine!
I read up on several threads here about various methods and strategies for striking a balance between non-flabbery-gross skin and overcooked meat, and I have a basic plan in mind. But of course, I would like input from the experts here! Here's what I'm thinking so far.
I'm pretty good at producing a lacquered duck (also called Peking Duck) that isn't overcooked and has nice skin, so I'm hoping some of those techniques will transfer to doing this in/on the smoker/grill. Here's how I do it in the oven.
First, I rinse & pat dry and trim a bit, if needed. Then I try to separate the skin from the meat as much as possible with my fingers and rub some salt & pepper underneath, then set the duck on a bottle so it's upright, pinning the wings & legs away from the body as much as possible with picks so there's no skin-on-skin thing happening. Then baste with the syrup every 30 minutes, letting it dry in between paintings. I take it in and out of the fridge for this, usually for about four hours or so. After the last one, I let it stand uncovered overnight in the fridge.
On cooking day, I rub the cavity with salt (and 5-spice, for the Asian version), stuff with garlic, ginger, onions, more spices, etc., close everything up with twine & more picks, prick or score the skin (depending on my mood and the presentation I want), then stick it in the oven (breast up) at 200° (with a pan underneath to catch the drippings) until the breast meat reaches about 130°. Baste once more with the syrup, cover anything with foil that looks like it might get overdone, then return the quacker to the oven for another half hour or so (or until the IT is about 160°). Tent loosely and rest while I collect the duck fat drippings from the pan below, and carve.
So... I'm not entirely sure this can't be almost exactly translated to my smoker, if I keep the temp at 200°. But I can't seem to find any record of someone actually having done it this way, so I'm second guessing myself. I've always had beautifully lacquered skin (and juicy meat) without high heat using this method... but then I read horror stories about flaccid flaps of skin and shudder to think that could happen! I mean, I can always torch it or stick it on direct grill heat to crisp things up, but I wonder why that will be necessary, since it never is in the oven. Any ideas or suggestions about this?
Thanks in advance!!
XO Sunny
We had an insane date night on Tuesday which included a trip to Rasika Restaurant, where we had probably the best duck dish I, at least, have ever had (vindaloooo!) This got us both thinking about how much we like duck when it's awesome and how horrible it is when it, well, *isn't* awesome, and of course, the logical next step since I have been brainwashed by You People is that we should try smoking one!
First thing I did when I got home from work today was to call around and see where I could get decent duck around here, and the Duck Gods must be smiling on me, because the butcher in Union Market has their whole ducks on sale for $4.99 per pound (!!!!!!) I will be snapping up a couple of those first thing tomorrow morning, as you might well imagine!
I read up on several threads here about various methods and strategies for striking a balance between non-flabbery-gross skin and overcooked meat, and I have a basic plan in mind. But of course, I would like input from the experts here! Here's what I'm thinking so far.
I'm pretty good at producing a lacquered duck (also called Peking Duck) that isn't overcooked and has nice skin, so I'm hoping some of those techniques will transfer to doing this in/on the smoker/grill. Here's how I do it in the oven.
First, I rinse & pat dry and trim a bit, if needed. Then I try to separate the skin from the meat as much as possible with my fingers and rub some salt & pepper underneath, then set the duck on a bottle so it's upright, pinning the wings & legs away from the body as much as possible with picks so there's no skin-on-skin thing happening. Then baste with the syrup every 30 minutes, letting it dry in between paintings. I take it in and out of the fridge for this, usually for about four hours or so. After the last one, I let it stand uncovered overnight in the fridge.
On cooking day, I rub the cavity with salt (and 5-spice, for the Asian version), stuff with garlic, ginger, onions, more spices, etc., close everything up with twine & more picks, prick or score the skin (depending on my mood and the presentation I want), then stick it in the oven (breast up) at 200° (with a pan underneath to catch the drippings) until the breast meat reaches about 130°. Baste once more with the syrup, cover anything with foil that looks like it might get overdone, then return the quacker to the oven for another half hour or so (or until the IT is about 160°). Tent loosely and rest while I collect the duck fat drippings from the pan below, and carve.
So... I'm not entirely sure this can't be almost exactly translated to my smoker, if I keep the temp at 200°. But I can't seem to find any record of someone actually having done it this way, so I'm second guessing myself. I've always had beautifully lacquered skin (and juicy meat) without high heat using this method... but then I read horror stories about flaccid flaps of skin and shudder to think that could happen! I mean, I can always torch it or stick it on direct grill heat to crisp things up, but I wonder why that will be necessary, since it never is in the oven. Any ideas or suggestions about this?
Thanks in advance!!
XO Sunny
