Grill-Roasted Duck on a Charcoal Grill
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 14, 2009
Yield
Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Use a sharp knife to trim away any skin that is not directly above meat or bone. Pull back any remaining skin in the neck cavity and cut away pieces of fat on the underside of the skin to expose the backs of the wing joints. The excessive amount of fat under the skin of the duck is rendered through two cooking processes: steaming and then grill-roasting. This method produces very thin, crisp skin and meat that is cooked through but still moist. If you don't have an aluminum pan to catch the dripping fat on the grill, fashion one out of heavy-duty aluminum foil. But, even with a pan to catch the drops, there may still be flare-ups, so it's best to keep a squirt bottle handy to douse any flames.
Instructions
- Soak the wood chunks in cold water to cover for 1 hour and drain. Or, if using wood chips, divide the unsoaked chips between two 18-inch squares of aluminum foil, seal to make two packets, and use a fork to creat about six holes in each packet to allow smoke to escape (STEP BY STEP).
- Meanwhile, using the tip of a paring knife, make several pricks in the skin over the entire body of the duck, making sure not to cut into the meat. Set a V-rack inside a large roasting pan (you can also set a round rack inside a wok large enough to contain the entire duck). Place the duck, breast-side up, onto the rack. Place the roasting pan over two burners (or one burner if using a wok) and add enough water to come just below the bottom of the duck. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, cover tightly with aluminum foil (or the pan cover, if available), and adjust the heat to medium. Steam, adding more hot water to maintain the water level, if necessary, until the fat beads on the pores of the duck and the bird is partially cooked through, 30 minutes. Lift the duck from the rack, pat the skin gently, so as not to break it, with paper towels to remove excess fat and moisture. Season the bird with salt and pepper to taste.
- Light a large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (about 6 quarts) and allow to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a layer of fine gray ash. Pour the charcoal out onto the bottom of the grill and separate into two piles on opposite sides of the grill using long-handled tongs. Place a drip pan in the center between the two piles. Add 1 soaked wood chunk to each of the piles, or place the chip packet on one of the piles. Replace the cooking grate, open the grill lid vents halfway, and place the lid on the grill. Let the grate heat for 5 minutes; use a grill brush to scrape the cooking grate clean.
- Position the duck, breast-side up, in the middle of the cooking grate between the two piles of charcoal. Cover the grill, turning the lid so that the vents are between the two piles of coals. Grill-roast until the skin is crisp, thin, and richly browned, about 1 hour. (The initial temperature inside the grill should be about 425 degrees. It will drop to about 375 degrees by the time the duck is done.)
- Meanwhile, bring the orange juice, lime juice, and honey to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Brush the duck generously with the orange glaze. Cover the grill and cook until the glaze heats through, 3 to 5 minutes. (Make sure the glaze does not burn.)
- Transfer the duck to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve and serve.
Yield
Serves 3 to 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
While developing our grill-roasted duck recipe, we found that steaming the duck before transferring it to the grill for roasting helped reduce the total cooking time. Too much steaming made the meat dry and stringy, so we cut back the steaming time from 60 to 30 minutes. Since we couldn’t render all the fat by steaming, we had to prick the skin to help render the rest of the fat on the grill and thereby produce the wonderful crispy skin that we desired for our grill-roasted duck recipe.
Before You Begin
Use a sharp knife to trim away any skin that is not directly above meat or bone. Pull back any remaining skin in the neck cavity and cut away pieces of fat on the underside of the skin to expose the backs of the wing joints. The excessive amount of fat under the skin of the duck is rendered through two cooking processes: steaming and then grill-roasting. This method produces very thin, crisp skin and meat that is cooked through but still moist. If you don't have an aluminum pan to catch the dripping fat on the grill, fashion one out of heavy-duty aluminum foil. But, even with a pan to catch the drops, there may still be flare-ups, so it's best to keep a squirt bottle handy to douse any flames.
Instructions
- Soak the wood chunks in cold water to cover for 1 hour and drain. Or, if using wood chips, divide the unsoaked chips between two 18-inch squares of aluminum foil, seal to make two packets, and use a fork to creat about six holes in each packet to allow smoke to escape (STEP BY STEP).
- Meanwhile, using the tip of a paring knife, make several pricks in the skin over the entire body of the duck, making sure not to cut into the meat. Set a V-rack inside a large roasting pan (you can also set a round rack inside a wok large enough to contain the entire duck). Place the duck, breast-side up, onto the rack. Place the roasting pan over two burners (or one burner if using a wok) and add enough water to come just below the bottom of the duck. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, cover tightly with aluminum foil (or the pan cover, if available), and adjust the heat to medium. Steam, adding more hot water to maintain the water level, if necessary, until the fat beads on the pores of the duck and the bird is partially cooked through, 30 minutes. Lift the duck from the rack, pat the skin gently, so as not to break it, with paper towels to remove excess fat and moisture. Season the bird with salt and pepper to taste.
- Light a large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (about 6 quarts) and allow to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a layer of fine gray ash. Pour the charcoal out onto the bottom of the grill and separate into two piles on opposite sides of the grill using long-handled tongs. Place a drip pan in the center between the two piles. Add 1 soaked wood chunk to each of the piles, or place the chip packet on one of the piles. Replace the cooking grate, open the grill lid vents halfway, and place the lid on the grill. Let the grate heat for 5 minutes; use a grill brush to scrape the cooking grate clean.
- Position the duck, breast-side up, in the middle of the cooking grate between the two piles of charcoal. Cover the grill, turning the lid so that the vents are between the two piles of coals. Grill-roast until the skin is crisp, thin, and richly browned, about 1 hour. (The initial temperature inside the grill should be about 425 degrees. It will drop to about 375 degrees by the time the duck is done.)
- Meanwhile, bring the orange juice, lime juice, and honey to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Brush the duck generously with the orange glaze. Cover the grill and cook until the glaze heats through, 3 to 5 minutes. (Make sure the glaze does not burn.)
- Transfer the duck to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve and serve.
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