Smoked Duck (On a Kettle Grill). Smoking duck in your own back yard is simple, and worth the effort.
A duck, some smoke, salt, and pepper. Doesn’t sound like much, but it gives me rich duck meat, a layer of smoky duck fat, and crispy duck skin.
Smoked duck is a revelation - there's a reason tea smoked duck is a Chinese classic. Long, low, and slow cooking melts the layer of fat under the duck skin, leaving just enough fat behind for lip-smacking goodness. (Duck is not what you're looking for if you eat low-fat. And, you have my sympathy - you are missing out.)
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I'm between smokers right now, so I'm using my Weber kettle grill as a smoker. The trick is the Minion Method, stacking a pile of unlit coals and smoking wood on one side of the grill, then topping it with a few lit coals, and controlling the fire by controlling the oxygen with the grill vents.
If you have a barbecue smoker, use it. There are dozens of different smoker styles, and I assume that you know how to use yours, so I’m not going to give specific instructions for them. They’re much more “set it and forget it” than a kettle grill.
The dry brining may seem like extra work - and it is - but it has two big advantages. The time in the refrigerator air dries the skin, helping it crisp up in the grill. The salt has time to penetrate deep into the meat, seasoning the duck all the way through. Take the time to dry brine. You won't regret it. That said, if you don't have the time, rub the duck with the salt and pepper right before it goes on the grill.
Ingredients
- 5-pound duck (preferably a Long Island Pekin from my friends at Maple Leaf Farms)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground peppercorn blend
- 2 fist-sized chunks of apple smoking wood
How to Make Smoked Duck on a Kettle Grill
Dry brine the duck
Unwrap the duck, remove everything from the cavity, and pat dry with paper towels. Trim the neck skin just below the nub of the neck left on the duck. Poke the duck skin all over with a paring knife so the fat can escape. Poke through the skin, but not into the meat - I poke with a very flat angle, so I stay away from the meat. Sprinkle the duck with the salt and pepper, inside and out. Set in a baking dish, and put it in the bottom of the refrigerator, uncovered. Refrigerate at least overnight, preferably 24 to 48 hours.
Set the grill up for indirect low heat (250°F)
Set your grill up for indirect low heat, 250°F, with a drip pan on one side of the grill and the fire as far over on the other side as you can get it. In my kettle grill, I open the bottom vents a crack, with the blades of the ash sweeper covering ¾ of the rectangular holes. I make a tight pile of 80 unlit coals on ⅓rd of the charcoal grate, about three coals deep. (¾ of a charcoal chimney full.) Nestle the smoking wood in the coals. Next, I light 10 coals in my chimney starter; when the coals are lit and covered with gray ash, I pour them on top of the unlit coals. Then, I set the drip pan on the other side of the charcoal grate, add my grill grate, and brush it clean. I put the lid on the grill immediately and set the top vent to half open.
Grill smoke the duck
Put the duck on the grill grate over the drip pan, breast side up, and close the lid. Adjust the top vent to stabilize the temperature at roughly 250°F; let the temperature settle for fifteen minutes between vent adjustments. Once the temperature settles down, check the grill every hour and tweak the vent if necessary - a little more open for higher heat, a little more closed for lower heat. (The grill temperature is going to move around a lot; 250°F is my target, but I expect it to bounce around between 225°F and 300°F. And, keep the lid closed as much as possible – every time you lift the lid, heat will escape, and the air you let in will cause the coals to heat up.) After an hour and a half, rotate the duck so the other side is facing the fire. The duck is finished cooking when it reaches an internal temperature of 175°F in the deepest part of the thigh, about 3 hours.
Serve
Remove the duck to a platter and let it rest for ten minutes. Carve and serve. (I cut the breasts and legs away from the body, slice the breasts crosswise into ½-inch thick slices, and serve each diner a sliced breast and a leg.)
Equipment
- Grill (I love my Weber kettle)
- Drip pan (9“ by 13”, and a deeper is better because the duck will release a lot of fat.)
- Probe Thermometer (Optional, but makes it easy to tell when the duck is done)
Helpful Tips
- Don't forget the drip pan! Cooking a duck renders a surprising amount of fat. The drip pan is critical to this recipe.
- Smoker instead of kettle: If you have a barbecue style smoker, use it instead of the kettle. It will be easier to level out the temperature. Set the temp to 250°F and smoke the duck. I know 250°F is a little higher than traditional barbecue temperatures - we want the higher temp to crisp up the duck skin a little while it smokes.
- Kettle Temperature Control: If you don't want to buy a smoker, but want better temperature control on your kettle grill, look into electric temperature controllers like the BBQ Guru or the one I use, the Thermoworks Billows. They control the heat in the grill by controlling the airflow. (At their core, the units are a fan and a thermometer, and the fan controls how much air gets into the grill.) The downside to these controllers is you have to drill a hole in your kettle to mount the fan controller. They're not for everyone, but I use mine about once a month in the summer and love it.
- No time to dry brine: Don't have time to dry brine? Salt and pepper the duck right before putting it on the grill.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover duck by carving it off of the grill, putting it in sealed containers (I use 2-cup storage containers or zip-top bags), and storing it in the refrigerator for a few days, or freezing it for up to 6 months.
Leftover duck fat! Duck fat is amazing for cooking; use it in place of oil for fantastic sautés. Strain the duck fat through a fine mesh strainer and store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It will keep for months.
Smoked Duck (On a Kettle Grill)
- Total Time: 27 hours
- Yield: 1 duck 1x
Description
Smoked Duck on a kettle grill
Ingredients
- 5-pound duck (preferably a Long Island Pekin from my friends at Maple Leaf Farms)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh peppercorn blend
- 2 fist-sized chunks apple smoking wood
Instructions
- Dry brine the duck: Unwrap the duck, remove everything from the cavity, and pat dry with paper towels. Trim the neck skin just below the nub of the neck left on the duck. Poke the duck skin all over with a paring knife, so the fat can escape. Poke through the skin, but not into the meat - I poke with a very flat angle so I stay away from the meat. Sprinkle the duck with the salt and pepper, inside and out. Set in a baking dish, and put it in the bottom of the refrigerator, uncovered. Refrigerate at least overnight, preferably 24 to 48 hours.
- Set the grill up for indirect low heat (250°F): Set your grill up for indirect low heat, 250°F, with a drip pan on one side of the grill and the fire as far over on the other side as you can get it. In my kettle grill, I open the bottom vents a crack, with the blades of the ash sweeper covering ¾ of the rectangular holes. I make a tight pile of 80 unlit coals on ⅓rd of the charcoal grate, about three coals deep. (¾ of a charcoal chimney full.) Nestle the smoking wood in the coals. Next, I light 10 coals in my chimney starter; when the coals are lit and covered with gray ash, I pour them on top of the unlit coals. Then I set the drip pan on the other side of the charcoal grate, add my grill grate, and brush it clean. I put the lid on the grill immediately and set the top vent to half open.
- Grill smoke the duck: Put the duck on the grill grate over the drip pan, breast side up, and close the lid. Adjust the top vent to stabilize the temperature at roughly 250°F; let the temperature settle for fifteen minutes between vent adjustments. Once the temperature settles down, check the grill every hour and tweak the vent if necessary - a little more open for higher heat, a little more closed for lower heat. (The grill temperature is going to move around a lot; 250°F is my target, but I expect it to bounce around between 225°F and 300°F. And, keep the lid closed as much as possible – every time you lift the lid, heat will escape and the air you let in will cause the coals to heat up.) After an hour and a half, rotate the duck so the other side is facing the fire. The duck is done when it reaches a temperature of 175°F in the deepest part of the thigh, about 3 hours.
- Serve: Remove the duck to a platter and let it rest for ten minutes. Carve and serve. (I cut the breasts and legs away from the body, slice the breasts crosswise into ½-inch thick slices, and serve each diner a sliced breast and a leg.)
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
- Rotisserie Duck with Honey Glaze and Drip Pan Potatoes
- Pan Grilled Duck Breast With Duck Fat Paprika Potatoes
- Bbq Pulled Pork on a Kettle Grill
- My other Grilling and Smoking Recipes
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Tom M
I forgot to ask. What about wet brining and then letting the duck dry out in the fridge?
Mike Vrobel
Sure, you can do that, but I'm lazy - I'd rather dry brine the duck and dry the skin at the same time.
Tom Morrill
Hi Mike,
I got the 2 ducks thawed this week. I'm going to smoke them this Sunday. They are wet brining now. I'm going to use my electric smoker with 2 drip pans. Would you recommend cherry wood or apple wood for the smoke?
Thank you for the great website and your tips. 🙂
Mike Vrobel
Both cherry and apple wood are good with duck, I don’t really have a recommendation. Maybe a mix of the two?
Tom M
I love duck hunting and love duck. I've always used my grandma's oven duck recipe. BUT, I ran across your duck recipes and I'm intrigued. I have 3 grill choices, Weber Kettle (the cheap one with no thermometer and not the one where part of the grate can be lifted), a pellet grill and an electric smoker. My thoughts: The electric smoker would be easy and I can put a drip pan under the duck. The pellet grill would be easy but no drip pan under the duck (unless I put the duck on a rack in the pan). I think my Weber would be difficult to control the temperature. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for your great website!
Mike Vrobel
Any of them will do a good job - but you absolutely need a drip pan, the duck will render a LOT of fat. On the pellet grill, you're right, put the duck on a rack in a pan. I'm able to hold the temp in my kettle pretty well, but if you have the pellet grill and the electric smoker, I'd use one of those.
Tom M
Thank you, Mike. I think I will try the electric smoker as I have both apple and cherry wood chips I could use. My pellet grill has hickory/oak pellets loaded. I will let you know how it goes this weekend.
Sally
Hi Mark - I'm going to try this recipe, but with the rotisserie. Could I make the rotisserie pan potatoes with these? If so, would I put them in at the beginning since the temperature isn't as high? To get the skin crispy, would you recommend raising the temperature at the end, or broiling in the oven for a few minutes? Thanks!
Mike Vrobel
The grill is not hot enough for potatoes with this recipe - they will never get tender at this low heat. Save them for rotisserie or the beer can duck version: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/beer-can-duck/
The same goes for crisping the skin - you can give it a try, but my experience is it takes a long time to crisp up the skin.
Paul A
Smoked Duck is delicious!
Mike Vrobel
Thank you, Paul!
Allan
Never cooked duck before but saw your recipe and had to try it! I’ve done turkeys this way several times and always been happy with the results. I’m am happy to say the duck turned out awesome! Just the simple recipe of salt pepper and smoke made it delicious! The duck I used was a little over 5 1/2 lbs so it took about 3.5 hours. Definitely recommend this recipe!
Mike Vrobel
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Chris
I did this last night. It was less trouble than setting up the rotisserie, and the duck turned out just as good if not better. It took my duck more like 4 hours to get to 175. The longer cook allowed more fat to render than with a high heat cook on the rotisserie. I think I will lower the heat for either method from now on and let the fat have plenty of time to melt.
Michael Ament
Question - is the skin from the smoked duck as crispy as we get from the rotisserie?
Mike V
No, not anywhere as crispy.
Michael Ament
Just a suggestion that if you want the skin dry all over, put the duck on a rack over the pan in the fridge. As the duck skin dries, the juices keep the bottom of the duck soggy without a rack. I followed your rotisserie recipe for duck a couple of weeks ago and the rack I used was even a little low, and the skin stayed soggy on the bottom.
I usually rotisserie my ducks, but I plan to try this in a couple of days to try for a little more smoke. Thanxalot for all I have learned from you, especially aboutthe advantage of rotisserie cooking for poultry
Tim
Sounded good on paper. I have exact same Weber kettle grill. Followed instructions to a letter. 30 minutes in and temp is climbing over 300 degrees. Removed nearly 1/2 of briquettes. Finally sort of stabilized at 260. I guess Kingsford burns hotter. Spent 15 minutes losing heat and smoke which will likely add to overall cook time. Have phone number handy for pizza shop.
Mike V
Tim, sorry to hear that. I hope it worked out for you. Yes, the heat will spike - close down the top vent and be patient. Most of the time, the heat will will come down. (I use blue bag Kingsford). Also, cooking at 300°F isn't the end of the world - it will go a little quicker, but it will work.
Mike
Could you have gotten the coloring any more perfect?!?!?
Mike V
No, no I couldn't. 🙂
Nora Macon
This looks awesome! We're going to try it this weekend for the holiday.
Mike V
Great! You'll love it.
Beth
Beautifully done! Looks so delicious.
Mike V
Thanks! And thank you for the gorgeous ducks.
Chris
Beautiful! I love duck and have one in the freezer that I need to cook. I've roasted them on the kettle with the rotisserie in the past, but I may try this approach and slow it down to get a little more smoke flavor.
Mike V
Enjoy!
Laura B
This looks so good, can't wait to try it!
Mike V
Thanks!