Smoked Wild Duck
4 to 6 - whole Mallards, skin on
4 qt - water
2/3 cup - Morton's Tenderquick
1/3 cup - salt
1 cup - brown sugar
1 tsp - whole peppercorns
1 tsp - whole allspice
1/2 tsp - garlic powder
4 - bay leaves
Prepare ducks:
With a serrated knife, or small saw, split plucked ducks down backbone
Open up ducks and flatten
Using a stiff brush, scrub the insides, and then rinse clean
Brine:
Mix ingredients with 1 qt of water and bring to a boil
Simmer for 15 minutes
Strain, and then cool brine in fridge
Mix brine with remaining 3 qts of water
Soak ducks, covered, in brine for 3 days
Remove from brine and rinse in cold water
While warming up smoker, keep ducks at room temp for 1 hr, and then pat dry
Smoke:
Place ducks on smoker racks, skin up
120° - 3 hrs, no smoke, vent 100% open
140° - 5 hrs, cherry or apple smoke, vent 50% open
160° - vent 25% open, until breast temp is 150°
Notes:
Make sure duck butts with preening gland have been removed
Try juniper berries in place of allspice
Split and Flatten duck:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/wyogoob/FlattenDucks_a_sm.jpg)
Scrub clean:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/wyogoob/FlattenDucks_aa_sm.jpg)
Smoked:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/wyogoob/4SmokedDucks_a_sm.jpg)
Moist, not too salty:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/wyogoob/SmokedDuck09_a_close.jpg)
Bon appetit!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/wyogoob/DuckCrackers_a_sm.jpg)
I need to find me some ducks and give this a shot. It looks Great!! is it served cold on the crackers with the cheese?
Quote from: Tenpoint5 on December 18, 2009, 11:44:07 AM
I need to find me some ducks and give this a shot. It looks Great!! is it served cold on the crackers with the cheese?
I usually just put cheese and crackers out, show off the birds au natural first (you know how that goes) and then skin them and slice the breast. The legs and thighs are the best!
I have other recipes, one of which has apple juice and I inject the breasts.
Flattening is a great way to go for any small gamebird.