Peking-Style Smoked Duck

Hi everybody!

Last night, I tried something out for the first time.

I've eaten Peking Duck several times; the idea behind it is to allow plenty of time for the skin of the duck to air-dry, prior to actually cooking it. The entire "preparation time" for a traditional Peking Duck can be 24 hours or more!

Part of the (traditional) preparation process is to actually blow air (using good, old-fashioned lung power, or a bicycle pump) between the skin and the breast of the duck. The result is a crispy, flavorful skin, and juicy meat. The whole prepared duck is then hung up and air-dried....and THEN it's cooked.

I don't have the time for that kind of hassle, so I decided to accelerate the process by using my smoker. I figured, I can add some smoke flavor, while still gradually drying the skin.

Right and wrong.

As things turned out, the duck DID take on a wonderful, smoky flavor, which blended very well with the flavors of the recipe. But the skin didn't get as dried as I'd hoped, so I ended up finishing the cooking process on my gas grill. Overall, though, I was very pleased with the results. In fact, tonight I'm having the leftover duck meat as part of a chef's salad.

This recipe was cooked on a Brinkmann Smoker, as I mentioned; but it can be done entirely "inside" the kitchen, with excellent results.

(WARNING: there's a great deal of work involved here. The results are well worth the effort)

Peking-Style Smoked Duck

(the simmer:)

2 fresh duck breast halves, about 3/4 pound each

about 2 quarts water

6 TBS honey

about 1 TBS fresh ginger, crushed (no need to chop)

1/4 cup soy sauce

about 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar (cider vinegar may be substituted)

(for the glaze:)

8 ounces orange juice

4 ounces Sake

1 TBS plus 1 tsp szechuan paste/sauce

2 TBS honey

1 to 1 1/2 TBS chopped fresh garlic

1 TBS fresh ginger, coarsely chopped or slivered

1 tsp lime juice

3 or 4 (or 5 or 6, if you like them) dried red Szechuan peppers, crumbled up

several drops sesame oil (about 1/4 tsp)

(the simmer): add the water, honey, soy sauce, ginger and vinegar to a large saucepan. As the mixture heats, stir to dissolve honey. When the mixture comes to a boil, add the duck breast. Return to a RAPID boil, and allow the duck to cook in the boiling liquid for three minutes.

After three minutes, remove the duck from the liquid, and place on a plate or platter. Cover the plate/platter loosely with foil, and store in a cool oven for the time being. Allow the simmering liquid to cool, then discard.

If you're using a smoker, now's the time to light the charcoal/wood, as per your manufacturer's directions. After 20-30 minutes, when the coals are hot and/or the wood is smoldering, add 1-2 quarts of plain water to your smoker's water pan. Place the cooking grill on top, and throw the duck breasts on, fat-side up (no need for oiling or for non-stick spray).

Allow the breast to smoke (I used a combination of mesquite and oak wood; you can use whatever you like) for about 4 hours, and medium-low heat (between 200-250 degrees F, approximately). For the last 30 minutes of cooking, brush on the glaze (see below).

(the glaze)

Combine all the Glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Over medium (or medium-low) heat, stirring often, simmer the mixture until it becomes thick and syrup-like, about 15-20 minutes. When it's ready, the glaze can then be kept in the saucepan, at room temperature, until it's ready to be brushed onto the duck.

After the smoking/glazing is done, you may opt to actually grill the duck breasts, briefly. This will result in a darker, richer-flavored piece of duck (and it will add grill marks, as well, which are visually appealing). Just throw the duck breasts onto a hot grill, skin-side down, for a minute or two (be careful not to allow the duck fat to burn...this happens quickly!).

When done, the duck may be served as-is (each diner has his/her own portion of duck breast), or it may be sliced and served with noodles, or atop a bed of fresh greens. Personally, I like it sliced thinly, then served alongside cold noodles with spicy peanut sauce.

Serves 4 as an entree.

Enjoy!