Duck today

[josht138]

Picked up a whole 4.75 lb duck yesterday at BJ's for $2.7/lb. Cut the wing tips off, trimmed a little excess fat off, dry brined, and poked holes in the skin with a fork to allow fat to render.

My plan today was to allow about 4 hours for cooking. I was going to season with S&G and cook on my WSM @ 225 until an IT of about 135 in the breasts then finish in a 450 oven until the skin crisps. I am also going to use 2 to 3 chunks of cherry.

Does that sound like a good plan? Any other suggestions. I combed through the forum yesterday and found a few good suggestions but there aren't many threads on duck.

[Jon Solberg]

I think it sounds like a great plan!

[josht138]

Here are some pics. I cooked basically per my plan above. I was running ahead of schedule and was at 135 after about 2 hours. Also the temp was generally around 210 for the smoking part. After that time I cut the vents down and held in the smoker for about an hour. The meat peaked at 140 and dropped to about 135 by the time it went into the oven.

I put the oven at 425 and set a timer for 10 mins. After that time it didn't look burnt and the temp was only 145 so I let it go for another 15 minutes until the breast hit 155 and then I pulled it and tented until the breast hit 160.

The meat was very good and tender. However, the skin was rubbery and inedible. I continue to have problems with crisping skin on my smoker. I figured hitting it with heat in the oven would be a safeguard.

I had a lot of holes in the skin and I wonder if the rendering fat kept the skin from crisping. Overall I rendered about a cup of fat. Prior to putting in the oven I only rendered about a quarter cup. The oven rendered out a bunch in a short period.

Overall I was very disappointed.

[fracmeister]

Nice avatar. I am PHYS 75. At least we beat Florida State

[josht138]

Thanks! I'm BSME 06.

[Ernest]

210 was too low considering how much fat a duck has. If you really want to go low and slow you could try steaming the bird first. But even that would not save you from terrible skin.

[Ernest]

Best temp is 275 - 325. You can use a clean needle to poke the skin all over but i have gotten better results with shallow cuts with a sharp knife.

[josht138]

Ernest When you say shallow cuts, does that mean just through the skin or through the fat and the skin so you see the meat? I made a lot of holes with a fork. As I said in my original post I noticed a ton dripping out once it was in the oven.

Also, how many cuts would you do? I saw one video where a guy did 3-5 long cuts on the breasts. Would your cuts be smaller or larger?

[Ernest]

I do like diamond pattern, about 6 X 6 cuts through the skin but not deep enough to reach the flesh.

[Jerod Broussard]

When we pot roast duck we cook in a little oil until the skin is BLACK.

[josht138]

Thanks for the suggestion. I doubt I'll ever smoke duck again. I thought the seasoning and the smoke would give it enough flavor by itself but my wife didn't like it like that. She said it was too gamey for her taste by itself. In the end I didn't really get a lot of seasoning flavor since it was all on the skin and I just peeled it off and tossed it. She'd probably like it more served as a dish with sauce and some side items.

[Jerod Broussard]

We typically cut the breast next to the kiln bone and stuff in some bacon and jalapeno's.

[HorseDoctor]

Check out the info at <http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/02/11/the-best-way-to-roast-a-duck-hello-crispy-skin/>. It turns out delicious!!!! Admittedly it's in an oven, but the same principles (stab & turn) should apply to a grill.

[josht138]

Thanks!

[Hsloves]

I have had the same problem. My research indicates different IT temps for breast and rest of bird. It is a challenge to have succulent breast while completing rest of bird. Chinese generally cool whole duck to medium or medium well which does result in drier breast. Duck is my Mt. Everest. But I agree with an earlier post that a higher cook temp is needed.