How To Smoke Duck Breasts At Home

You have eaten smoked duck and you love it, now you want to try your hand at making some at home? Here's a simple recipe to get you started, although you will need a few bits of kitchen gear to get you going. 

To smoke your duck, or any meat for that matter at home you will need a deep wok, heavy duty foil and a circular wire rack that fits into the wok where you will put the duck on

Ingredients

2  Duck breast with the skin on
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or medium-dry Sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 1/2 teaspoons Maldon salt
1/3 cup loose black tea leaves
1/3 cup rice
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 Cinnamon stick, broken into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

Method

Pat duck breasts dry. Score the skin about 1/2 inch apart through the fat (do not cut into meat) in a cross cross pattern with a sharp knife.

Combine the rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger in a plastic bag that you can seal. Add the duck, skin side up, and press out as much air as possible before sealing. Marinate duck (skin side up), chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. Transfer duck breasts to a plate and pat dry, discarding the marinade.

Toast the peppercorns and salt in a dry small heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring and shaking the skillet occasionally, until the peppercorns are fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Coarsely grind mixture in grinder or a mortal and mortar and pestle. Rub mixture all over duck, then let stand, uncovered, at room temperature, 1 hour.

Meanwhile, line bottom of wok and inside of lid with a double layer of heavy-duty foil, leaving a 3-inch overhang along edges. Stir together tea leaves, rice, brown sugar, and cinnamon pieces in a small bowl, then spread in an even layer (1/4 inch thick) on bottom of wok. Invert rack and set in wok. (It will rest 1 1/2 to 2 inches from bottom of wok.)

Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then swirl in vegetable oil. Add duck breasts, skin sides down, and sear, without turning, until skin is deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer duck breasts, skin sides up, to center of rack in wok, arranging them 1 inch apart. Heat wok, uncovered, over high heat, until steady wisps of smoke begin to appear, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate, then cover wok and, using oven mitts, fold overhang from wok and lid together, crimping to seal tightly (foil will be very hot). Smoke duck breasts, covered, 8 minutes, then remove wok from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes for medium-rare to medium. Carefully unwrap foil (smoke and steam will billow out) and transfer duck to a cutting board. Let stand, loosely covered with foil, 10 minutes. Cut each duck breast across the grain into thin slices. Serve duck warm or at room temperature.