Page 31 - March 2021 Barbecue News Magazine

love for all things BBQ related has continued to grow year over year. I am passionate about BBQ and really enjoy all of the mem- bers of the MN BBQ Society. It's rare to find a group that encour- ages, helps, and cheers for each other as much as this group does.
In 2020, I assisted with logistics for MN in MayAugust (team reg- istrations, judge rosters, and communications), was a member of the Pro TOY committee, assisted the membership committee, helped to update website content, wrote a couple National BBQ News articles, and helped revamp the Society’s website.
I’m looking forward to 2021 and all the great events MN BBQ So- ciety has lined up! If we haven’t met yet, I hope to meet you at an event, on a virtual meeting, or out on the BBQ trail!
Cheers to great BBQ!
Our good friends at Croix Valley sent us some great recipes, take a look!
Chipotle Smoked Duck with Apple Barbecue Sauce
Smoking or grilling duck is quite different from other poultry for a couple of reasons. To begin with, duck has a thick layer of fat under the skin that needs to be rendered during the cooking process. To cook the fat out of a duck, one of the best methods is slow roasting on the grill or smoker, allowing the fat to drip out and baste the meat as it cooks. Additionally, duck has very rich and flavorful dark meat, which is difficult to penetrate with mari- nades for flavor, so rubs and a finishing sauce are a beautiful way to achieve additional dimension to the meat.
My recipe for Chipotle Smoked Duck with Apple Barbecue Sauce is quite easy to follow on a smoker or grill if you keep a couple of things in mind. First, use a foil drip pan placed on a rack below the bird. This will allow the fat to drain, but will prevent it from burning or causing a grease fire leading to a bitter, nasty smoke that you do not want. Second, cook the duck over indirect heat – this will take a couple of hours to complete and it’s imperative to render the fat prop-
erly without burn- ing the bird or drying out the meat. Also, con- sider that domestic ducks and wild game ducks can be vastly different. Wild game (de- pending upon the species) can have rather gamey or pungent flavors, while domestically- raised duck is much sweeter and has been bred to have a milder tasting meat.
For a change from the bland white
MARCH 2021
meat most people are used to cooking with fowl, this duck will blow you away with its natural flavors and will be enhanced by the smoke of the heat source, the mild spiciness of the rub and the tangy finish to the apple-based barbecue sauce.
Ingredients:
1 duck, split in half 1 Tbsp Olive Oil Chipotle Dust Apple BBQ Sauce
Damon’s Chipotle Dust BBQ Rub:
Ingredients:
1⁄2 cup Granulated Garlic 1⁄4 Cup Turbinado Sugar 1⁄4 Cup Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
1 1⁄2 Tbsp. Paprika
1 1⁄2 tsp. Ground Chipotle Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Apple BBQ Sauce:
Ingredients:
2 Cups Ketchup
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 Apples, peeled, cored and blended in food processor. 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp Seasoned Salt
Directions:
Combine Rub ingredients thoroughly.
Combine BBQ Sauce ingredients in sauce pan on stovetop and bring to gradual boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until ready for use.
Brush oil on duck and thoroughly coast in Chipotle Dust.
Place duck, breast side up, on 250°-275°F smoker. Place foil pan or drip tray under duck to prevent grease fire.
Smoke duck ap- proximately 2 1⁄2 - 4 hours, depending upon smoker type and temperature, until internal tem- perature reaches a minimum of at least 165°F.
Once duck has reached desired doneness, brush with Apple BBQ Sauce and let sauce set on the meat for at least 15 minutes before removal from smoker for serving. Let bird rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
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