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    Home » Recipes » Sunday dinner

    Smoked Duck (On a Kettle Grill)

    Published: Jul 2, 2015 · Modified: Jun 14, 2022 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 22 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    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.)

    Smoked Duck (on a Kettle Grill)

    Thank you to my friends at Maple Leaf Farms for the ducks used in this post.


    If you have a barbecue smoker, use it.1 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.

    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.

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    Browned duck on a grill, with coals behind it

    Smoked Duck (On a Kettle Grill)


    ★★★★★

    5 from 2 reviews

    • Author: Mike Vrobel
    • Total Time: 27 hours
    • Yield: 1 duck 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Smoked Duck on a kettle grill


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 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

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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

    Weber Performer

    Weber Kettle

    Buy Now →

    Notes

    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.

    Inspirations for this recipe: Tea Smoked Duck and How to Make Smoked Duck

    Tools

    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)

    • Prep Time: 24 hours
    • Cook Time: 3 hours
    • Category: Sunday Dinner
    • Method: Grilling
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: Smoked Duck (On a Kettle Grill)

    Did you make this recipe?

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    Whole duck sprinkled with salt and pepper, in a baking pan on a cutting bvoard, with a second duck still in the packaging next to it
    Duck ready for dry brining
    Kettle grill with coals on one side and charcoal chimney on the other.
    Setup for smoking - coals on one side, and a small amount of charcoal in the chimney to start the fire
    Kettle grill with lit coals on the left and a duck over a drip pan on the right
    Ready to smoke - coals on one side of the grill, duck on the other over a drip pan
    Duck on grill with thermometer probe stuck in it, and coals in the background
    The duck is done. (According to the probe thermometer - you can see it poking out)

    What do you think?

    Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

    Browned duck on a grill, with coals behind it
    Smoked Duck (on a Kettle Grill)

    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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    1. 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. ↩︎

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    • A plate of brisket slices with a pickle, onion, and bbq sauce
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    • A bowl of Instant Pot Pastalaya with hot sauces and spices
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sally says

      July 18, 2022 at 11:41 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        July 18, 2022 at 3:58 pm

        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.

        Reply
    2. Paul A says

      June 14, 2022 at 12:50 pm

      Smoked Duck is delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        June 14, 2022 at 12:51 pm

        Thank you, Paul!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
    3. Allan says

      August 30, 2021 at 1:35 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        August 30, 2021 at 3:55 pm

        Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    4. Chris says

      July 12, 2015 at 10:22 am

      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.

      Reply
    5. Michael Ament says

      July 06, 2015 at 6:43 pm

      Question - is the skin from the smoked duck as crispy as we get from the rotisserie?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        July 06, 2015 at 11:12 pm

        No, not anywhere as crispy.

        Reply
    6. Michael Ament says

      July 06, 2015 at 6:15 pm

      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

      Reply
    7. Tim says

      July 05, 2015 at 4:44 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        July 07, 2015 at 8:57 pm

        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.

        Reply
    8. Mike says

      July 04, 2015 at 12:14 pm

      Could you have gotten the coloring any more perfect?!?!?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        July 04, 2015 at 8:47 pm

        No, no I couldn't. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Nora Macon says

      July 02, 2015 at 11:19 am

      This looks awesome! We're going to try it this weekend for the holiday.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        July 02, 2015 at 1:50 pm

        Great! You'll love it.

        Reply
    10. Beth says

      July 02, 2015 at 11:00 am

      Beautifully done! Looks so delicious.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        July 02, 2015 at 1:49 pm

        Thanks! And thank you for the gorgeous ducks.

        Reply
    11. Chris says

      July 02, 2015 at 9:44 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        July 02, 2015 at 1:49 pm

        Enjoy!

        Reply
    12. Laura B says

      July 02, 2015 at 9:39 am

      This looks so good, can't wait to try it!

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        July 02, 2015 at 1:48 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply

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