Smoking Duck in a Cookshack smokette

[homerargo]

Has anyone smoked either a whole duck or duck breasts in a Cookshack Smokette? I would love to know your experience and results.

 

[dls1]

Has anyone smoked either a whole duck or duck breasts in a Cookshack Smokette? I would love to know your experience and results.

homerargo - I've not done a whole duck in a Smokette, but I hav done a few breasts. You can produce a nice end product, but there's one issue, and that's the skin. It's not going to be crispy without some intervention.

You can sear it, but I happen to prefer using a propane torch. I put the breast in the freezer for around 30 minutes then score the skin and underlying fat then hit it with the torch. It browns the skin a bit and starts the fat rendering. I smoke it to an IT of 110F then check the skin. If necessary, I hit it with the torch again.

I like the breast medium rare so I continue to an IT of of 130F. Remove, wrap in foil for 10 minutes, then carve and serve.

 

[homerargo]

Thanks, I was hoping to find an easier solution, although I can see that this would work.

 

[dls1]

 
Thanks, I was hoping to find an easier solution, although I can see that this would work.

The original Cookshack smokers, upon which your Smokette is based, were designed around 50 years ago primarily for briskets and other large meats. In other words, low and slow cooking. Obviously, that style of cooking can be used on other items but once you step out of that type of cooking, you have to adapt and improvise a bit, but not a lot.