Bacon Jam
October 17, 2021
Millionaire Bacon
December 26, 2021Smoked Char Siu Duck
If you have never tried duck before, you need to immediately re-evaluate that decision! Char Siu is traditionally a flavor profile used for pork, but personally I think it goes amazingly well with the rich and fatty meat that ducks are so well known for.
Because of the high fat content in duck, particularly in duck skin, it is important for us to render the fat out. There are a few ways to do this, but one of the easiest is to score the skin. Scoring helps the fat to easily cook out and allows the skin to crisp up nicely. You can score any way you want, but it can make a huge impact to the way the bird looks, so I suggest being intentional with it.
Traditionally, the red color for this recipe has come from ingredients such as fermented tofu or bean curd or by soaking Sappen (An East Indian red wood) in water. These ingredients are pretty hard to find, so I opted for red food coloring to achieve that vibrant red color. You can leave the coloring out and without it, the duck will be a golden brown color.
What you will need
- 1 whole duck
- 2 whole oranges
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha or other hot sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 3 fat cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring, optional (but traditional)
Method
1. Begin by slicing oranges into halves and stuffing them inside the duck cavity. This helps the duck to maintain its shape, but also keeps it moist and adds a slightly citrus flavor to the meat.
2. Mix together all of the ingredients together into a thick marinade and apply liberally across the whole bird. Pay special attention to the gaps between the wings and the body and the thighs and the body.
3. Using the tip of a sharp knife, score lines across the breasts of the duck. Ideally you want to have some scoring about every 1/4-1/2 inch. Ensure that your cuts are through the skin, but not into the meat itself.
4. Preheat your smoker to 250F and add cherry wood for smoke. Place the duck on a wire rack, above a water tray. Cook until the breast reaches an internal temperature of 165F and the skin is sticky and caramelized. During the cooking process, you may choose to wrap the wings in foil if they are getting too dark.
5. At about 155F internal temperature, ramp the temperature of your cooker up to about 400-450F. This will help to crisp and render the skin.
6. Rest the duck for 20-30 minutes before slicing it the same way you would carve a chicken.
