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Need advice on smoking ducks
Posted on 3/22/21 at 1:59 pm
Posted on 3/22/21 at 1:59 pm
I am going to smoke a couple of farm-raised Peking ducks this weekend. I have a Weber bullet smoker which uses a water pan. It holds the temps around 250F very well but makes it hard to get it much hotter than that if the water pan is full. Any tips on cook time? Any tips on rendering the fat so the skin will be edible? BTW, I have a Weber kettle and a gas grill if they can be of any help. Thanks.
7
Posted on 3/22/21 at 2:14 pm to Grillades
Not sure about ducks specifically. From my past experience I've found that the skin comes out better if I smoke birds (chicken and turkey) a little hotter, like 300-350. Normal smoke temps like 200-250 might leave the skin a little chewy.
You could always smoke it at 250, then toss it on the kettle over direct heat to crisp it up.
You could always smoke it at 250, then toss it on the kettle over direct heat to crisp it up.
Posted on 3/22/21 at 4:01 pm to Grillades
I smoke real low at like 165° until internal temp reaches about 125°. Then I pull off and let cool. Crank the smoker up as high as it will go and put on until internal temp reaches 130°. Pull off, let cool, and then serve. Keep the duck at a rare temperature and crisps skin nicely.
Ultra pro move is to do it with a speckled belly goose. Make sure to dry age for 5-7 days.
Ultra pro move is to do it with a speckled belly goose. Make sure to dry age for 5-7 days.
Posted on 3/22/21 at 7:09 pm to Grillades
I have a WSM, but have not tried it for duck.
But I have cooked domestic duck on a Weber kettle with a rotisserie. Here are some notes from one of those cooks that you may be able to adopt.
Thawed, salted, and left in fridge to air dry overnight.
Used a paring knife to make several holes in the skin to allow fat to drip out. (Dad Cooks Dinner blog has a good tip here: Come at the duck from a very low angle, almost parallel to the skin. More like slicing and much better than "stabbing." It also avoids accidentally piercing through to the meat.)
Some folks will next dunk the duck in a pot of boiling water a few times to remove some fat, but I have not tried that.
Put a chimney starter full of lit briquettes in the two Weber Kettle char-baskets. Drip pan in the middle.
Duck was seasoned generously with salt and pepper. Stuffed two halves of an orange inside with some green onions. Trussed it.
Duck placed on rotisserie. Cooked for an hour with bottom vent closed. Temp was 450 at start, down to 400 later.
At the one hour mark, the duck was near the desired 165 in the thigh, but shy in the breast. Cracked the bottom vent to keep temp up. Another 1/2 hour, and it was perfect.
But I have cooked domestic duck on a Weber kettle with a rotisserie. Here are some notes from one of those cooks that you may be able to adopt.
Thawed, salted, and left in fridge to air dry overnight.
Used a paring knife to make several holes in the skin to allow fat to drip out. (Dad Cooks Dinner blog has a good tip here: Come at the duck from a very low angle, almost parallel to the skin. More like slicing and much better than "stabbing." It also avoids accidentally piercing through to the meat.)
Some folks will next dunk the duck in a pot of boiling water a few times to remove some fat, but I have not tried that.
Put a chimney starter full of lit briquettes in the two Weber Kettle char-baskets. Drip pan in the middle.
Duck was seasoned generously with salt and pepper. Stuffed two halves of an orange inside with some green onions. Trussed it.
Duck placed on rotisserie. Cooked for an hour with bottom vent closed. Temp was 450 at start, down to 400 later.
At the one hour mark, the duck was near the desired 165 in the thigh, but shy in the breast. Cracked the bottom vent to keep temp up. Another 1/2 hour, and it was perfect.
Posted on 3/23/21 at 8:55 am to Grillades
Thanks for the tips. I will post back here afterward to let you know how it came out.
Posted on 3/23/21 at 8:58 am to AyyyBaw
quote:
You could always smoke it at 250, then toss it on the kettle over direct heat to crisp it up.
This is probably the best advice for most poultry.
Posted on 3/23/21 at 10:01 am to Grillades
Don't start smoking ducks. Once you start it's hard to stop.
Posted on 3/29/21 at 7:47 am to Grillades
I smoked two ducks this past weekend. I thawed them in the fridge for three days. On Friday evening, I trimmed them, poked the skin all over, salted them well, and put them back in the fridge uncovered so the dry brine could do its thing. Saturday, I brought the smoker up to 250 with only a little water in the pan of my Weber bullet. The temperature slowly crept up as the water evaporated so after two hours the temps was abut 325. The breast measured 170 after three hours so I pulled them. That went a bit longer than I had targeted but I got to talking with family and forgot to check temp. Since the meat temp was already above target temp, I did not want to risk trying to crisp the skin under high dry heat. Consequently, the skin was OK but not great. It was still a bit soft and chewy. The meat, however, was outstanding. I was shocked at how juicy and flavorful the even the breasts were. It won’t be long before I try it again. Thanks for the tips, folks.
Posted on 3/29/21 at 8:06 am to Grillades
Glad it worked out well. I need to spin a duck on the rotisserie this spring.
Posted on 3/29/21 at 1:27 pm to Grillades
Go buy a Terra cotta planter base and use it as a heat sink instead of water. You'll get your reps up 275-300.
Posted on 3/29/21 at 5:02 pm to Swine Spectator
Good idea. Do you put anything in the terra cotta base (sand, water, etc.) or is it used simply as a foil-lined drip pan?
Posted on 3/29/21 at 5:24 pm to Grillades
Cupped up over dekes at 15-30 feet
Posted on 3/30/21 at 6:47 am to Grillades
I just double wrap it in foil. No water or sand. Change the foul every so often.
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