Don't wanna duck it up again!

[tenphases]

Last week the PBC got the call, the duck got up to temp way faster than I expected and the skin was far from crispy although the flavor was great. I would like to get the skin crisper, the pbc was running at 320, the duck was dry brined and uncovered on a cooling rack for two days to dry out, skin was sliced through the fat. Any tips?

[Texas Larry]

I’ve only done duck a couple of times, but (and maybe you did this) I try to puncture the skin with a probe numerous times all over, then set it in the fridge on a rack overnight. Seems to help.

[mrteddyprincess]

I'd like to bear witness that I got to read Larry's post in its original form before he edited it :-) That could happen to anyone. Let the comments begin :-)

[Texas Larry]

Oh, Jeez! Sorry, my fat fingered clumsiness😳😐

[tenphases]

🤣🤣 As a member of the fat finger delegation you have my support! I just added a pic of the cuts I made.

[HawkerXP]

I remove one of the rebar for poultry, I've never done duck, this will get the temp higher in the barrel. You can still use the hanger you'll just have to slide the round end over the rebar. Since you had a higher temp already just pull one towards the end to crisp up that skin.

[tenphases]

Good tip, thanks, I'll try it

[Pobeque]

Hmmm I don't love doing whole duck since the breasts and legs cook at such wildly different rates. Drying it out in the fridge for a few days will help with the skin. You could look up Peking Duck techniques where they will baste the skin in boiling water/oil before cooking to help render.

In particular with your photo, it looks like you might have went a little too deep scoring the skin. Did you cut into the flesh? If any of the flesh get exposed, it will dry out quicker.

[tenphases]

I don't think I went into the flesh, the breast was super fatty. I do like the idea of basting the skin though. I'm going to add that and pulling the rebar to the mix.

[rickgregory]

It's kind of a shame to let all that duck fat drip away. But scoring wont really let it run out - you need to prick it all over. Also, 320F is too low to render it all out before the flesh cooks to doneness.

If you want to do it, I'd smoke to 20 degrees less than your desired finish temp, then finish it in a hot, 425-450 oven.

[tenphases]

I was conflicted about the duck fat as well but I wanted to see how that fat ripping on the costs would impact the bird. Thanks!

[JCBBQ]

I’ve never cooked duck in my PBC but I hung two spatchcocked turkeys in there and made some tinfoil wedges to keep the lid off the top. This got both birds crispy and the meat was perfectly moist. Unfortunately I do t remember what temp I got to but it was pretty close to 400.

[MBMorgan]

You might want to try something that is done for making Peking duck ... parboil it first.

Get a pot of water boiling then, in the borrowed and slightly edited words of Jacques Pèpin: "Lower the bird, breast side down, into the boiling water. Return the water to a boil over high heat (this will take about 3 minutes). As soon as the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer the chicken gently for 2 minutes. Drain and place the chicken breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan" ... or in your case, hang that sucker just like you normally would in your PBC.

Disclaimer: I haven't tried this yet for parboiling a duck (or a chicken, like Jacques) ... but it's on my list:

[tenphases]

That sound like it would get the skin crispy but would it affect smoke absorption? .....only one way to find out! Thanks for the tip

[MBMorgan]

Smoke absorption shouldn’t be an issue if you chill it well before smoking.

[troymeister]

I have always had difficulty in cooking a whole duck...So I separate the leg/thigh quarters and the breasts. All of the extra fat and skin get rendered down into cracklings and duck fat...(Liquid Gold). I make stock out of the carcass and wing tips. The leg Quarters are cooked confit and the breasts are hot seared to medium rare. I make pâté out of the liver and heart...After doing this a few times...Its the way to go for me.

[tenphases]

My buddy who used to be a pretty successful chef recommended the exact same process to me I definitely want to try the confit and pate eventually

[grantgallagher]

Rather than just crosshatching the skin, take a skewer and poke a ton of holes in the fat. Try not to penetrate as far as the meat but it wont ruin it. You aint gonna get crispy unless you render out a bunch of that fat.

i have a recipe somewhere on here that i posted for a whole duck.

[grantgallagher]

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/recipes-technique-food-cooking/poultry-chicken-turkey-and-duck-recipes/943369-smoked-duck-recipe

[smokin fool]

Don't think I saw this mentioned and I've never done duck either but when I do turkeys I use Malcom Reed's technique of spraying the boid with a Canola based product every 30-40 mins.
I've gotten fairly crisp skin this way the last two boids.
Should also note my cooker is a BKK utilizing a water filled diffuser.

[Texas Larry]

So tenphases how did the duck come out? (I’m doing one on a rotisserie tomorrow.)

[tenphases]

Texas Larry Still not as crispy as I would like but definitely way better with excellent flavor. Next time I'm going to separate the skin from the body like meathead suggest, I think that will do it, good luck!!