Smoking a whole duck - when to remove from heat?
I am going to be smoking a duck on my grill in the next few days, and I'm finding a ton of conflicting information. I was hoping you all could help sort it out.
What breast/thigh temperature am I trying to get to for medium rare? I'm looking for the real answer, not the FDA approved politically-correct 165 degree answer. I've seen anywhere from 130 for rare, to the 165 for a hockey puck. There seems to be a lack of decent recipes.
I'm thinking a 200-225 degree smoker for at least a few hours should get rid of any actual danger from salmonella (though I honestly doubt duck is as much of a concern as, say, turkey or chicken since duck tartare and duck prosciutto aren't too hard to find).
Best Answer
You cannot find the correct final internal temperature for a whole duck, because it doesn't exist. If you stop the cooking when the white meat is tender, you'll have very tough red meat. If you cook until the collagen is melted, you'll get very tough white meat.
With whole birds, it is more popular to go the collagen route. Especially a duck, with its darker meat overall and sufficient fat in the breast area to insulate the breast meat during smoking and then lubricate it, is a very good candidate for it.
To melt the collagen, wait until the duck thigh has gone up to 70 Celsius (160 Fahrenheit) and from then on smoke for 2-4 hours. In this case, the lower part of the range (2 hours) is probably better, to have a chance of a little bit of juiciness to remain in the breast.
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Quick Answer about "Smoking a whole duck - when to remove from heat?"
at the lowest possible temperature for your smoker. If you want to, you can place a drip pan underneath your duck, and later brush the bird with the fat from the drip pan. After three hours, turn the temperature up to 150° F and smoke for three more hours. After this, you can remove your duck from the smoker.What temperature do you take duck out?
A whole duck or goose must reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 \xb0F throughout the bird. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.What temperature should smoked duck be?
Traditional smoking temperatures are quite low\u2014200-275\xb0F (93-135\xb0C). But duck needs a higher temperature to render the fat well. A cooking temperature of about 300\xb0F (149\xb0C\xb0C) is recommended.How long do I smoke a whole duck?
It takes approximately 2-3 hours to fully smoke a duck (depending on the size). When cooking duck, you are aiming for the internal temperature of the breast meat to reach 160 degrees F. I plan on about 30 minutes per pound of duck.How long and what temp do you smoke duck?
If you're new to smoking game, start with hot smoking. Ideally, hot smoking temperatures are around 170 degrees, give or take 10 degrees or so. Duck breast fillets typically take about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours to reach the desired internal temperature of 135 degrees (medium-rare).Smoked Duck Recipe | How To Smoke A Whole Duck Malcom Reed HowToBBQRight
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