Want the best smoked duck recipe around? Look no further than this amazing winter recipe
How to slow cook Duck with Persimmon and Castelfranco
This was the entree course for the dinner I cooked for Robert Daughtry of the Who a few nights ago. The picture probably doesn’t do it justice because, in some case (more times than not) my photos come from the time that I am actually serving dinner. So my lighting isn’t probably good, my attention to detail is probably not perfect because I’m more worried about getting the food out than taking a picture but enough about that!
The duck was the start as it should be slow cooked on the big green egg. I made a peppercorn spice mix that really compliments the fatness of the duck. It was the first week of the persimmon season and I decided to grill them. Because the sugars haven’t matured enough it was more like a vegetable than a fruit which was a nice contrast as well. I didn’t have time to make a sauce or should I say I didn’t want to for this dish so I decided to make a few puree’s instead. I finished the recipe with some bitter greens and baby squash. Here is the recipe I hope you enjoy it!
Recipe Ingredients
1 Whole Duck Legs cut off
1 tbsp of green peppercorn
1 tbsp of red peppercorn
1 tbsp of black peppercorn
1 tbsp of coriander seed
1 tsp of allspice
Vegetables
1lb of patty pan squash cut in half
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of butter
salt and pepper
Caramelized onion puree
4 onions sliced thin
2 tbsp butter and olive oil
Black Garlic Mayo
2 bulbs of black garlic peeled
1 cup mayo
salt
Greens
1 small head of radicchio castelfranco chopped
1 small head of butter lettuce hearts chopped
3 tbsp of balsamic
3 tbsp of olive oil
salt
Recipe Instructions
How to smoke duck,
I debone the legs of the duck and cut away the “tail” of the backbone with scissors, so that you are left with the breasts still on the bone but not the whole carcass. Add spices and grind coarsely in a spice grinder. Season the duck aggressively with salt and spice mixture all over the duck breast and legs. Then place on the big green egg where the temperature is around 300-325 degrees. Place the duck legs skin side down.
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Place the duck breast (on the bone) skin side up. Let it cook for for about 15 minutes, then place the duck breast skin side down. You want to crispen up the duck breast skin without completely cooking the meat. To do this you have to have your heat not too hot and but hot enough to render that fat. (if your grill is too hot you will just burn the skin of the duck. If it is too low it won’t really be hot enough to render that skin down.
I have found the temperature around 300-350 is probably close to where you need it). Let the breast cook for about 15-20 minutes. This should really start to brown your duck breast and crispin the skin lightly. You might need to flip the legs over by this time if they are looking golden brown and crispy. If not keep them on the skin side. If the duck breast look brown take it off the grill and let it rest on a sheet pan for 15-20 minutes. The meat should still be raw at this point. Then place the duck breast back on the grill skin side down and let it really brown and crispin the skin for another 15 or so minutes. At this point the duck breast is probably getting to that medium rare stage.
Here I would take it off the grill again. If you have a meat themermator you could test the internal temperature and try to take it to the 120 range. When you take it off it will probably cook another 5 degrees which would take you to 125 degrees. Now before you are ready to serve your duck breast (not pictured in this post) all you have to do is either place it back on the grill for 7 minutes to get it hot and that last little sear or place in a 425 degree oven for 7 minutes. This should keep your duck internal temperature between 125-130 which is a medium rare-medium. For the legs the total time you want to cook them is 45-1 hour until the meat is tender all the way through and the skin is crisp. You want to let the duck rest a few minutes again before you carve it.
How to caramelized onions,
In a large saute pan on medium high heat add olive oil, butter, and sliced onions. Cook for about 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. The onions should be a golden brown color when they are done caramelizing. Once they are done season them with salt and place in a vitamix and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasoning if need be, pour into a squirt bottle, set aside and keep warm
How to make black garlic mayo,
Add all the ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt. Place into a squeeze bottle until ready to use.
To finish,
In a small saute pan add olive oil, butter, and patty pan squash and saute for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile place the duck either back out on the grill to heat up or in a 400 degree oven for 7 minutes. Slice persimmon (deseed if it has seeds) drizzle lightly with olive oil and salt. Place on the grill and grill for 2 minutes on each side, then take off. Place your greens in a salad bowl, add olive oil, balsamic, and season with salt.
Toss well. Take both squeeze bottle of black garlic and onion and make dots all over the plate. Add a few patty pan squash to the plate as well. Add a slice of the grilled persimmon. Take the duck out of the oven or off the grill. Take the duck legs and cut the meat around the leg and slice 2-3 slices. Placing one to two big slices of leg on the plate. Take a slice of the breast and place it on the plate. Finish with a few of the greens. Serve and enjoy!
