Got a smoker? Make this slow-cooked duck recipe

Sohail Zandi is the executive chef and owner of Brushland Eating House. His light-hearted approach to cooking and dining, paired with a reverence for his Iranian heritage, has earned Brushland numerous accolades. Sohail’s penchant for adventure has manifested as stints in Paris, Martha’s Vineyard, and New Orleans, although he's fondest of feeding his wife, daughter and neighbors in their mountain town of Bovina, New York, which is where you’ll find him most.

The smoker is my preferred way to slow cook. Game birds are abundant in our neck of the woods, and my favorite of them all are the wild ducks because they feed on the local farm corn so they lend themselves to being quite tender, and a slow smoke only enhances their rich flavor. As a general rule of thumb, the tougher the meat, the longer I’ll cook it at a lower temperature.

Smoking your food will impart savory, succulent flavors that you simply can’t achieve in an oven. While smokers can be fickle beasts—that is, because they require a great deal of temperature management— I enjoy cooking with them very much.

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What You Need

Ingredients

1 whole 3-lb. duck
¼ cup black pepper
¼ cup kosher salt

Tools

Smoker, like Reviewed’s favorite, the Traeger Ironwood 650
Baking sheet
Digital meat thermometer
Cooling rack
Cutting board
Carving knife

Time Needed

2½ to 3 hours

Difficulty

Easy

How to Make Slow-cooked Duck in a Smoker

Step 1: Preheat the smoker

Make your fire and get the smoker to hold a steady temperature of 325°F with a constant stream of clear smoke. Place the duck on a baking sheet, then sprinkle it with salt and pepper evenly. Let the duck sit until the fire is ready.

Step 2: Smoke the duck

Place the duck on the grate in your smoker and smoke the duck for one to one and a half hours, or until the breast has an internal temperature of 130°F. Once this internal temperature has been reached, remove the duck and let it rest on the cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Step 3: Serve

Carve your duck on a cutting board with a carving knife and serve with radicchio salad, cabbage slaw, or some chili crisp.

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