Smoked Duck

This recipe is superb and has never failed to please those who have tried it! To avoid the copious amounts of grease associated with duck, remove the skin and any fat on the bird before marinating.

1 duckling - skinned and fat removed
½ cup sugar
½ cup non-iodized salt
1 tbs ground black pepper
1 tbs sage
1 tbs thyme
1 tbs rosemary1 cup apple juice

Combine the above ingredients in a 4 pint plastic container and add water until full. Cap and shake well to dissolve the salt and sugar. In a plastic bowl, marinade the skinned duckling for 24 hours in the solution. Keep refrigerated. Remove the duckling form the marinade and place back in the refrigerator for 1 hour on a plate, uncovered. Place the duckling into a food smoker which has been heated and is smoking well. Smoke for 2 hours using 1-2 handfuls of apple or oak chips every 30 mins, or use 1-2 wood chunks every 30 mins . Remove from the smoker, place in a pan and bake in the oven at 325°F for about 60 minutes. Make sure the meat has reached at least 165°F using a meat thermometer. If using a smoker/cooker such as the Pro Q, the additional baking step is unnecessary - just smoke/cook using several handfuls of chips or a couple of chunks over a 3-4 hour period until the internal temperature reaches 165°F or higher. Remove and let cool. Slice the meat away from the bone and enjoy!

Marinated and Smoked Wild Goose 

(This makes enough marinade for the breasts from 2 Greaters)


Clean up the breast halves. Check closely for shot...steel shot is hard stuff to be biting on. Slice the goose breasts into 1/2 inch thick strips, cutting lengthwise, and soak them in the marinade for eight hours.

Get your smoker going. Use your favorite wood to smoke the strips...goose has a lot of flavor and can handle a heavy smoke, so hickory and oak are well acceptable.

Smoke the goose at 200-225 Fahrenheit for one to two hours, or until the internal temperature is 170F. Try not to let these smoke too long. They will start to dry out, and the sugar from the marinade can scorch.

Apple Smoked Duck Breast

Remove the bone and skin from the duck breast halves. Rinse well. For the brine, you will need...

2 pints of apple juice or cider
1/4 cup kosher salt, or 3 Tbs salt
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns, cracked
Up to 750g of duck breasts

Mix the ingredients, making sure the salt is completely dissolved. This will be enough brine for up to 1 and 1/2 pounds of duck breast halves. Soak the duck in the brine at least two hours, and overnight if possible.

After brining, give the duck a quick rinse and then pat dry with paper towels. Coat each breast half with melted bacon grease (from you grill or pan).

Place the duck breasts into a 225 degree Fahrenheit meat smoker for one or two hours, depending on the size of the breast sections. Use a small amount of apple or pear wood for the smoke.

Duck is ideally eaten medium rare, but if you prefer well done, take them out when the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees.

Jerky is air dried, so you are not cooking the meat.  It is safe to eat as it reaches pasteurization heat level. It is important not to add any water or other liquids to your water bowl in the smoker, as you are drying the venison strips out. You will need to leave for a few hours in your smoker to dry, however only smoke with wood for around 1-2 hours, as venison is better delicately smoked. Good woods to use are hickory or fruit woods, such as apple and plum, even oak will work. You can alter the spices and the like you add to your jerky and even use beef instead of venison. Jerky is very expensive to buy in stores, so now you can make your own, here in England and it tastes much better!
Slice flank steak diagonally with the grain of the meat into very thin slices, 2-3mm is good (If slightly frozen it slices more easily).  Combine ingredients and marinate meat overnight or 12 hours.  Be sure all pieces are covered (coated) with marinade (putting in a zip lock bag and sealing is the best way).  Drain excess marinade.  Place meat on paper towels to soak up marinade. Meat should be squeezed as dry as possible in paper towels.  Place the strips of meat in smoker at 140 to 180 degrees for 4 to eight hours, or until meat is dry throughout (the pro Q smoker Basket is ideal for this job). Humidity conditions play a part in how long the meat takes to dry, there's nothing you can do about them, so don't let it bother you.  Meat can be hung on the cooking grill by placing a wooden toothpick in each piece and strung from the grill. The jerky is done when it bends with some resistance, but doesn't snap and is tough and chewy. It takes on the appearance of rough leather. Store finished jerky in an airtight container.  It keeps for several months, but it is likely that it will be consumed by the master hunter, kids, or the cook within a few days. Great with a cold beer! (not the kids though!).