Wild Duck experiment with pics, edited, pics fixed.

Ok, so I love to duck hunt, but with all honesty, I'm not near as big on eating wild duck. Depending on the species, it can be very "gamey". The only way I really like to eat it the wrapped in bacon, stuffed with jalepeno and cream cheese method.

I've had some decent duck gumbo, but I've never enjoyed it quite as much as I have chicken gumbo. Surely there's a way to do it better.

Here's what I came up with:

First, I deboned some breast meat and brined it overnight, using the 1 cup sugar and salt to one gallon of water ratios:



The first thing I noticed was how much blood the brine seemed to draw out of the meat. Off to a good start.

Next, I rinsed it thoroughly and seasoned with a simple rub of paprika, garlic, onion, cayenne, and black pepper.




Next, I gave the meat a good coating of mayo.



"What? Mayo?" you say. Yep. It's a Texas trick when smoking lean meats like turkey breast. They mayo completely breaks down during cooking but the fat in it protects the meat from drying out.

I then fired up the BGE, using the plate setter for indirect heat, and added some oak wood chips that I had soaked in water for 30 minutes. I wanted to smoke on very low heat, so I got it to 200 and maintained that temp through the cooking process



I smoked for about 2 and a half hours at 200, getting an internal temp of about 180. This is what it looks like:



Results: Tender, delicious, mild flavored and juicy.

The gumbo will be great.