Tried something a little different today. I ordered some gorgeous ducks for the holidays from Maple Leaf Farms and had some free time this afternoon to take a trial run. I decided to offset the heavy duck with some light Asian flavors and sides and it turned out to be a true winning combination!
I started by scoring the skin and dry brined over night to ensure an extra crisp skin. As you can see, I went a little deeper than intended in my scoring, but I don't think it affected the results.
I cooked the duck on the pellet smoker with a mix of cherry and hickory at 300 degrees with a drip pan to collect all of that liquid gold! She cooked for 4 hours at 300 and I flipped at the top of each hour. After 4 hours, I cranked it up to 400 to crisp the skin for about 15 minutes. Finally, I added my glaze which consisted of 3 tablespoons OJ, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup orange marmalade, fresh chopped ginger, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and ~1.5 tablespoons of chili garlic sauce. After glazing, I let it set up for about 5 minutes, then pulled it off to rest. While it rested, I continued with my Asian flavors theme by whipping up some wasabi and roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a mixed green salad with a sesame oil and ginger dressing.
The skin ended extremely crispy and not fatty at all. The meat stayed incredibly juicy and flavorful. We added a little drizzle of the glaze over the breast meat, but the legs and thighs didn't need a thing. As a nice bonus, I collected about a cup of prized rendered duck fat in my drip pan for various uses this Christmas!
Happy holidays everyone!
I started by scoring the skin and dry brined over night to ensure an extra crisp skin. As you can see, I went a little deeper than intended in my scoring, but I don't think it affected the results.
I cooked the duck on the pellet smoker with a mix of cherry and hickory at 300 degrees with a drip pan to collect all of that liquid gold! She cooked for 4 hours at 300 and I flipped at the top of each hour. After 4 hours, I cranked it up to 400 to crisp the skin for about 15 minutes. Finally, I added my glaze which consisted of 3 tablespoons OJ, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup orange marmalade, fresh chopped ginger, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and ~1.5 tablespoons of chili garlic sauce. After glazing, I let it set up for about 5 minutes, then pulled it off to rest. While it rested, I continued with my Asian flavors theme by whipping up some wasabi and roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a mixed green salad with a sesame oil and ginger dressing.
Happy holidays everyone!
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