I’d say I’ve only had two kinds of duck: “Fancy French” duck, and “Crispy Asian” duck. I guess I might also add “Crappy Inedible” duck, because of that first time I tried to roast my own. So, it was with a lot of excitement, but also anxiety, that I took on barbecued duck. Especially since I couldn’t find any consensus out there on the best way to do it.
When I read through the forums and about 10 different cookbooks, only a few things really stood out for me.
First, you have to deal with the fat. That means either steaming in advance, which for some reason seems like cheating to me. I know that’s irrational, but who said we’re rational here? Or you need to score, pin-prick the skin and/or hang the duck while cooking.
Second, you have to cook slow, then crank the heat up at the end. Nobody wants a duck with a saggy, gooey skin. You need to crisp things up with heat in the final moments. Makes sense.
And finally, ducks take time. This isn’t like cooking hot wings.
But I could know all of that, and still make a bad tasting duck. Where were the marinades, rubs, sauces and whatnot for the barbecue? I didn’t want to take a French or Chinese recipe and just grill it. I wanted a BBQ Duck.
I was really happy with the recipe below. It came off the grill crisp on the outside, not too fatty, and cooked nicely. But best of all, it had that sweet, smoky barbecue flavor that makes the whole idea of grilling a duck seem worth it.
So, here’s my Franken-recipe for duck.
Oh….an update …. If you do want a more Asian style duck, click here for my Honey Ginger Duck.
Prep
You will need a drip pan. I went with a large, aluminum bread loaf pan.
Stabilize the grill at 200 degrees.
Make sure the coals are off to one side. I used a handful of hickory on top of the coals.
Prepare your rub:
- 2 Tbs Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp of garlic salt
- 2 tsp of paprika
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- Optional – 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
Wash the duck, pat dry, apply the rub inside and out.
Using a metal skewer, poke holes in various places around the duck, but not through the breast for aesthetic reasons. I found it most useful to poke several holes from inside the chest cavity through the back of the duck.
Cooking
- Place the drip tray away from the coals
- Place the duck, breast side up, away from the coals and directly over the drip tray
- You may want to check on the duck later, to make sure the fat is draining the way you want to. Poking a few more holes in the skin may be necessary.
- The rule of thumb is roughly 60 minutes per pound at 200 degrees. Adjust if you’re running hotter or cooler.
- Leave yourself 10 to 15 minutes toward the end of your cook to let the oxygen in, drive up the temperature, and crisp the skin. Note: Keep a close eye on the duck to avoid over-cooking.
- As with chicken, 165 internal temperature is considered safely cooked. But given the slow cook, you should have no issue there.
I served Duck last night with a side of nothing, and imaginary sauce, then followed the meal with an ice cream sandwich. Try getting THAT at Cafe Martinique.
I was raised in the country, and I can’t believe we never barbecued a duck! LOL! I think I will send this to my dad, and see what we can cook up. My Fam loves to barbecue, so this should be fun to try.
I cooked duck using both of your recipes. Both were excellent. Thank you. One question though. I think I could have taken the ducks off earlier. Is it safe to take the duck off the grill before it gets to 165?
Figueroa, I don’t really like to comment on “safe” or “not safe.” I think that’s a topic better left to experts. So, for an official response, check elsewhere. As for me? I do find the duck to be a tad overdone (for me, personall) at 165.
Ok. Above is a gross exaggeration. Smile. However, I have found very few cases of salmonella etc in game birds even farm raised ones. Whenever I cook goose or duck anything over 150 and my birds are terrible. But if I leave it at 145 or so, they are tender. Never been sick and do not personally know anyone to get sick from 145 degree duck or goose. I suppose it’s possible-
The difference is that if you cook chicken or turkey to 145 and try to serve it you deserve to get sick. You are far less likely far far less likely to get sick from game birds served at that temp. See amazing ribs.com for more.
Thanks Tony, but I’m confused. First you say cook it to 145 and you should be ok. But then you say if you try to serve at 145, then one deserves to get sick. Can you please clarify?
Aberlian – Tony was making a distinction between Duck and Goose vs. Chicken and Turkey. His assumption is that the domestic birds are more likely to be carrying Salmonella bacteria in significant numbers than the wild birds.
Did you score the skin before putting it on the grill, or just poke the holes? Great instructions; very clear and easy to follow. Thanks!
I just poked the holes. That said, I haven’t tried scoring the skin, so can’t really say if that’s better, worse or the same. Best of luck!
Salmonella is killed by heating it to 131 degrees for one hour, 140 degrees for 1/2 hour, or heating it to 167 degrees for 10 minutes. It is by following the old rules of thumb that we end up with dry over cooked meet. Most cook books see you have to take pork to 160° by then it is so dry and tasteless you might as well be eating leather. If your duck is over 140° at its core for over thirty minutes on its way to 160 you can relax about the chances of salmonella http://cookingfortwo.about.com/od/tipstricksforcooking/a/safe-food-temps.htm
I’ve an easier way for BBQ duck,give me a call on 0406 852 186 I’ll show you how it’s done.
Hi Telmo … I probably won’t make the call, but would love to hear your ideas! Do share.
Salmonella?!?!? I personaly like duck tartare, and there is a lot of good recipe over the net! minimum cook and heat is only for convenience… I think.
Agree at your own risk. For all I know, afoin is himself a Salmonella simply disguised as a lover of good food. 🙂
My grill stabilized at 250 and I propped my duck up vertically so the fat would drain better. Took about 3 hours to cook and I used our favorite barbeque sauce, fresh from the bottle. Rave reviews. Best duck ever.
Excellent! Did you use this rub, or just the sauce?
I usually roast my duck to an internal 135 never had a prob slow cooking it to 135. Wild or farmed. But with farmed I rub with a butter rub of all my favorite fresh seasonings. Wild I use wild sage thyme and mushrooms.