?'s about smoking a duck.

[blazinfire]

Got a store bought frozen maple farms duck thawing for tomorrow cooks. Planning on cooking it on the WSM. Wasn't gonna say much until I posted a cook pic but came up with a couple questions.

I wanna try to save as much of the fat/drippings from the duck for other things because I hear its good. Should I pan the duck for the entire cook? Cook half way then pan it? Don't want the drippings to end up smokey and ruined.

Should I inject the duck? If so, what should I inject with? Thought about getting some tony C's creole butter, or make an injection with the Yard bird rub. how do you create a injection with rub? Oil, water and rub?

 

[mrwhale]

I smoked my first duck on Thanksgiving in my WSM. I lined the water pan with foil to catch all the drippings. I did some Google research before going forward with the cook as I have never smoked a duck before. The trick with duck is to render all that fat that is under the skin. I poked small holes in the skin about 1 inch apart for the melted fat to drain out. I seasoned the duck with SPOG and then made a honey soy glaze. It was amazing! Good luck!

 

[bathmatt]

I brine my ducks, butterfly them, score the skin, cook skin down on my UDS @250, once the internal temp hits like 125 I take it off and right to a scorching hot CI skillet and crisp up the skin. Comes out great,

With the fat I make a roux, bones stock and make duck and sausage gumbo.

It doesn't get any better than that IMHO. Best duck I've had

 

[Lefty421]

You definitely don't want to over-cook duck, or it will turn to leather, bad tasting leather.

Duck is best rare.

I usually just breast my ducks out, so I never smoke them whole. I take a breast and slice it into 3-5 pcs. smaller ducks like teal are just cut into 3 pieces, larger ducks like mallards are cut into 5 or so slices. Marinate them over-night (or 2) in a ziplock bag of soy sauce (or terriyaki), worcestershire, and brown sugar. When ready to grill, take them out of the marinade, cut a onion into wedges and take a pc of duck and a wedge of onion and wrap it with a half of a slice of bacon. secure with a toothpick. Grill it hot and fast. pull them off when they are done (rare).