This smoked duck recipe makes for a great “any time of the year” meal, but can also be a very nice touch for a holiday or other special occasion…

Ingredients (3-4 people)

Whole Duck
Yellow mustard
Spices (sweet & spicy mix)
Salted Butter
Glaze (your favorite sauce)

Tools you may need

Measuring Cup (Glass)
Basting Syringe (Meat injector)
Bradley Rack
Basting Brush

Smoked Duck Recipe With Ginger & Sesame Glaze

Before you start cooking, you can optionally brine the duck in buttermilk for ~6 hrs. If you do not know how brining works, check out one of the other recipes on our website that involves brining.

Step #1: Melt down two sticks of salted butter (should result in about 16 oz of melted butter). Add 3 tbsp of your sweet/spicy rub and mix well. This is going to be injected under the skin of the duck, so make sure the spices are finely ground and won’t clog up the injector.

Proceed to inject the flavor mix underneath the bird’s skin (not inside the meat!). Remember to inject on both sides of the duck.

Step #2: Give the bird a thin coat of yellow mustard, then coat with your dry rub. Remember, there’s a lot of the same spices under the skin so you don’t have to use too much on the outside.

Step #3: Put the duck on a smoker preheated to 250°F. The cook will take about 4-6 hours depending on the size of your bird. Target internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast is 160-165°F.

Pro tip: Smoked duck works really well with the flavor of fruit woods. Prefer cherry, pear or apple woods instead of oak or mesquite.

Step #4: About 1 hr before the end, kick up the temperature a notch (300-350°F) to crisp up the skin (as you would do with a turkey). Then about 30 minutes before you pull it off the smoker, glaze with any sweet sauce (alternatively even jam or cherry juice) to keep the skin from turning rubbery.

When you hit 165°F pull the bird off the smoker. Let it rest for about 15 minutes, then slice & serve.

Enjoy!