Want Smoked Duck For Dinner? Here’s How It’s Done.

Smoked duck can be enjoyed by anyone who owns a bbq smoker. The first thing of coarse is to get your hands on a quality duck of about 3 to 4 pounds.

I don’t see them to often at the supermarket let alone a quality one. Your local butcher is definitely the guy to go see.

Smoking these birds is similar to doing a chicken with the exception of a couple things. Some people use a brine or marinade prior to smoking which is normally what you would do with most other poultry. Others say it’s not necessary due to the high fat content.

Duck has a stronger flavor than most other poultry so, if you like a milder taste, marinating or brining before smoking the bird is a good way to reduce the intensity of the natural flavor.

Using a fruit juice of some kind in your brine or marinade works very well with this particular bird. A soak time of 12 to 24 hours is sufficient. Rinse inside and out and pat dry when done. Any spices or rubs can be applied at this time.

Some people score or pierce the skin to give the rendering fat a place to exit. If you do this, be careful that you don’t cut into the meat as it could become quite dry.

Heat the smoker up to 225 to 250 degrees, place the duck in the center of the cooking chamber with a drip pan directly the bird to catch any fat drippings.

A good choice of wood chips is any of the fruit woods such as apple or cherry. Cooking time will be about 4 to 6 hours for a 3 to 4 pound bird. Internal temperature is the deciding factor, the USDA says 170 degrees to be safe to eat.

If you like the skin crispy like I do, remove the duck from your smoker when the internal temperature is about 150 degrees, then place it in a preheated 500 degree oven for about 10 or 15 minutes and wah la its done! Time to enjoy the fruits of your labor for a great experience.

Smoked duck ... go for it and lets get smoky!



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Return from smoked duck to smoking poultry

Return from smoked duck to smoking meat