In our family, smoked duck is the “must have” holiday dish.  Every year our turkey gets a little smaller and instead we try to squeeze another duck in the smoker.  This year we finally hit the limit – both the smoker and the family were completely full of duck.

I buy our duck from Costco.  Their ducks are very meaty and come with all the giblets.  They cost a bit more than the local Asian grocery chain (who shall remain nameless) but it’s worth it because the quality is so much better.  Hey, it’s a special occasion.

We use a vertical gas smoker, but you can use any smoker you like as long as you can control the temperature.  Before we bought the smoker we had great results with a gas grill and a tin foil package filled with woodchips.

For Thanksgiving, we serve smoked duck in addition to turkey.  All of the traditional turkey sides pair well with duck.  For other occasions  (Superbowl, Christmas) we serve our smoked duck “Peking duck” style.  We put out little steamed buns (from the Asian grocery), hoisin sauce and sliced green onion.

But beware, once your family and friends taste this you’ll be stuck making it all the time!

For this recipe you’ll need:

• 2-4 whole ducks – one duck is never enough!
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns

3-4 days in advance

If your ducks are frozen put them in the refrigerator to defrost.

2 days in advance

In a large pot combine the salt, sugar and 8 cups of water (or as much water as will fit in your pot, don’t stress about the amount).  Bring the water to a boil then turn off the heat.  Stir until the solids are completely dissolved.  Add the peppercorns.

Let the brine cool.  Store in the refrigerator overnight.

Check your ducks.  If they are still frozen solid then transfer them to a water bath to defrost.  Use the same safety rules you would to defrost a turkey.

1 day in advance

You’ll need a large,clean, food-safe bucket (and enough room in your fridge to store it) or a large, clean cooler and a lot of ice (which does not need to sit in the fridge)

Takes the ducks out of their packaging and set the giblets aside.  Put the ducks in the bucket or cooler and add the brine.

If using a bucket add more water until the ducks are completely covered.  If the ducks float weigh them down with a glass pan to keep them fully submerged.  Store the bucket in the fridge overnight.

If using a cooler, add ice instead of water.  Use a glass pan to weigh down the ducks if they float.  Store the cooler in a cool place overnight.  Check the ice level occasionally and add more ice if needed.

8-9 hours in advance

Soak your wood chips in water for 1-2 hours.  We use 1-2 cups of apple wood chips, but any hard wood will do.

7 hours in advance

Remove the ducks from the brine and dry them off with paper towels.

Fire up your smoker and start heating to 225 degrees.  You do no need to wait for the smoker to heat up before adding the duck.

Place your ducks directly on the racks of the smoker.  Duck has a lot of fat, so make sure your drip trays can handle it.

Smoke for about 6 hours at 225 degrees.  The ducks are done when the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees.

Remove from the smoker and let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving and serving.  Serve warm or cold.

Optional – if you like a crispier skin you can put the duck on a very hot grill (or in a very hot oven) for a few minutes to brown the skin.  But you’re not going to have roast-duck style skin with this recipe.  We don’t bother trying to brown the skin on our smoked duck, we just focus on the meat and set the skin aside.

The duck liver tastes great smoked.  The recipe is here.  The remaining giblets can be used for gravy or soup.

Enjoy!