Honey & Soy Smoked Duck

Smoked duck is always a hit. Everyone likes it, and for good reason. Smoky, slightly salty, fatty duck checks off everything on the “food we love list”. For lack of a better comparison, it’s the bacon of the sky. 

We make smoked duck many different ways, but they all follow the general technique-; a brine, followed by a low heat smoke. For this honey-soy smoked duck, we add some soy sauce to a very simple brine, then glaze the duck with a mixture of soy, honey and garlic. This gives the duck a touch of eastern flavor, while remaining neutral enough for just about any dish. This smoked duck breast goes perfectly on some ginger-scallion udon noodles or over winter greens with dumplings.

Honey-Soy Smoked Duck Recipe

Ingredients:

Brine:

½ cup salt

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp whole black peppercorns

½ gallon water

Glaze:

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

Method:

Combine all brine ingredients and bring to a simmer. Stir to dissolve sugars and salt. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

Brine the duck breasts for 12-24 hours. Remove from brine and pat dry.

Mix glaze ingredients. 

Preheat smoker to 185F, moderate smoke.

Brush the glaze onto the skin side of the duck and place in the smoker for 60-90 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 140. Baste with glaze every 20-30 minutes.

Serve immediately, or allow to cool to room temp and refrigerate or freeze. For extra crispy skin, warm up, skin side down in a cold pan with a touch of oil before serving.

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