Project Description
Pellet Cooked Chinese Roast Duck
- Duck
- Half a cup of brown sugar
- a couple of spoons of Hoisin sauce
- Star anise
- Chillies
- First you’ll need to make a glaze: half a cup of brown sugar, a couple of spoons of hoisin, star anise, and chilli. Boil it all down till its sticky.
- Cut the duck backbone out, this method of butterflying the duck puts the breasts together in the middle protected by the bones of the carcase. If you cut down the breastbone, the breasts end up on the outside and they can dry out in the cooking.
- Paint the Duck with the glaze, don’t forget to do the backbone and the underneath of the duck as well, the bones from this will make awesome stock! Put the Duck in the fridge uncovered, you want the glaze to dry! Give the duck a second coat when you can and back into the fridge.
- A couple of days later and you are good to go! The skin of the Duck will be dry and sticky with a nice pellicle (that’s what the smoke will stick to).
- Into the pellet BBQ (Kettle or Kamado) at 70°C, if your BBQ won’t go that low, don’t sweat, just do it at as low a temperature as you can.
- When the Duck reaches an internal temperature of 65°C it’s time to take it out. Chop it up. Serve it hot or as a cold (warm) salad as I did.
Wood pellet fired BBQs are becoming popular as a replacement to gas and an easy “Set and Forget” way to cook the US BBQ styles. In Australia we are just beginning to develop an interest in US BBQ, but we have a long history of influences from our Asian neighbours.
I decided to misappropriate a Chinese Roast Duck recipe and adapt it for Pellet BBQs.
First you’ll need to make a glaze: half a cup of brown sugar, a couple of spoons of hoisin, star anise, and chilli. Boil it all down to make your glaze.
Cut the duck backbone out, this method of butterflying the duck puts the breasts together in the middle protected by the bones of the carcase. If you cut down the breastbone, the breasts end up on the outside and they can dry out in the cooking. Next time you are at the local Piri Piri chicken joint, you can tell them that!
Paint the Duck with the glaze, don’t forget to do the backbone and the underneath of the duck as well, the bones from this will make awesome stock! Put the Duck in the fridge uncovered, you want the glaze to dry! Give the duck a second coat when you can and back into the fridge.
A couple of days later and you are good to go! The skin will be dry and sticky with a nice pellicle (that’s what the smoke will stick to).
Into the pellet BBQ at 70°C (158°F), if your pellet BBQ won’t go that low, don’t sweat, just do it at as low a temperature as you can.
When the Duck reaches an internal temperature of 65°C (149°F) it’s time to take it out. Chop it up. Serve it hot or as a cold (warm) salad as I did.
