Smoked Duck
This Smoked Duck Recipe is a step-by-step guide for home cooks who want to transform a whole duck into a perfectly smoked, crispy-skinned masterpiece right in their own backyard smoker.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 large whole duck, fully plucked, gutted and rinsed, with the neck and feet removed
- ¼ cup kosher salt + 2 Tablespoons
- ⅓ cup molasses
- ⅓ cup honey
Instructions
Brine the Duck
- Whisk ¼ cup of kosher salt in 4 cups of cool water until fully dissolved in a container large enough to hold the brine and the whole duck. Submerge the duck completely in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove the duck from the brine and pat the skin thoroughly dry with paper towels. Place the duck (breast-side up) on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Roll up one or two paper towels into a small wad and place it loosely in the cavity. This keeps air circulating inside while also wicking away moisture. Replace the paper towel once or twice if it becomes damp. Refrigerate the duck uncovered for 4 to 8 hours or overnight until skin is completely dry.
Smoke the Duck
- Remove the duck from the refrigerator and use remaining 2 Tablespoons of salt to coat both the dry skin on the outside, and the inside of the cavity.
- Set smoker to preheat to 250 degrees F and add in wood chips (I recommend hickory or apple).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the molasses and honey. Brush the outside of the bird all over with about half of the mixture.
- Place the duck in your smoker with a drip pan underneath. Smoke at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Baste the duck with remaining molasses and honey mixture, reduce smoker heat to 200 degrees and continue to smoke for 1 ½ more hours.
- Remove duck from smoker and transfer to preheated oven on broil setting for 2 to 3 minutes to render the remaining fat and crisp up the skin.
- Remove the duck from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Remove the breasts from the carcass and slice before removing the legs and thighs and shredding the meat off of those.
