Recipes

Smoked 5-Spice Duck Leg

    Shuai Wang

    Owner

    King BBQ

    Charleston
    S.C.
    Rate this recipe
    Average: 1 (2 votes)
    Yield
    1 each
    Ingredients
    2
    tbs
    Kosher salt
    1
    tbs
    Granulated white sugar
    1
    tsp
    5-spice powder
    1/4
    tsp
    Freshly ground white pepper
    1/4
    tsp
    MSG (optional)
    1
    c
    Chinese cooking wine
    1
    tbs
    Honey
    1
    each
    Bone-in duck leg and thigh quarter
    1

    For the rub, in a bowl mix together the salt, sugar, 5-spice powder, white pepper, and MSG (if using). (You can up the recipe and make a very large batch.) For the spray, in a separate mixing bowl mix the Chinese cooking wine and honey together thoroughly. This works best in a spray bottle to apply, but a brush would work in a pinch.

    2

    For the duck leg, using a meat tenderizer, the ones with many small needles, gently poke the duck leg through the skin and lightly into the meat all around. This will help with the texture, fat breaking down when cooking, and getting more cure into the meat itself.

    3

    Rub the poked duck leg generously in the cure, then place it on a resting rack with a pan underneath. Allow it to air-dry in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to 36 hours. (The longer it drys the crisper the skin.)

    4

    At King we use a off-set, reserve flow smoker. We mainly burn white oak, with some red oak in there too for flavor. Oak will give it a great smoke without adding too much other flavors to it, as you want the duck to shine. If you don’t have oak, pecan or apple would also work. You would not want to use anything too strong like hickory, or charcoal.

    5

    Get smoker to 250ºF, then place duck in smoker skin side up. Spray or brush on the cooking wine and honey mixture on the skin side only. Place duck in the smoker where the heat hovers around 250 to 275ºF; do not set it in a hot spot. You want the fat and connective tissues to render slowly and break down. Smoke the duck until it reaches the internal temperature of 160ºF. Then pull it out of the smoker and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before using.

    6

    Before serving, preheat oven to 400ºF. Place smoked duck leg on a resting rack on a sheet pan. Roast in oven for around 6 minutes or until the skin starts to get crispy. When the skin is crispy, pull the duck out and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

    Average: 1 (2 votes)

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