Seared and Smoked Duck Breast (Only 2 ingredients!)
Would you believe that Duck Fat is one of our top selling seasonings! The duck fat spray that we sell consistently falls into our top 5 seasonings almost every month of the year. That is because duck fat is delicious, so when you think about that it makes me wonder why I don’t cook duck more often! I love the taste of duck and it’s also easy to cook. The breast is the most sought-after piece of meat on the bird, so that’s what we are going to tackle today. We are going to be searing the duck breast and then finishing it on the smoker to a perfect medium rare.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 2 each Duck Breasts
- ¼ cup Yonedas White Seasoning
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat the smoker to 400 degreesStart by removing the duck breast from the packaging or from the rest of the carcass. Next you want to use your knife to score the skin, making sure not to cut all the way through into the meat, you just want to create lines where the fat can melt away a little easier during the searing process. These lines will separate as the duck cooks and allow the fat to escape into the pan and self-baste as it frys.
Seasoning the duck breast
- When I am cooking duck, I like to taste the duck, not a bunch of additional pecan or other sweet flavors. Its like how you would treat a nice piece of Wagyu beef, you want the meat itself to shine. So for this Duck, we are using the new Yonedas White seasoning. This Salt, Pepper, Garlic (SPG) rub is perfect for bringing up the flavors of the meat without outshining it. You want to coat the duck all over on both sides with the Yonedas White and then let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes before getting it on the grill.
Searing the duck breast
- Making sure to use a frying pan that has a metal handle and can safely go into the oven, start with your pan cold. A cold pan will help to create the best sear on the duck and allow the fat to slowly come up to temperature. If you put your duck into a hot pan, it will lock in the fat and prevent it from escaping, so a cold pan is the way to go. Start with the duck fat side down and the heat on medium, let the duck mellow in the pan until it starts to sizzle. Now increase the temperature to high. Once the duck has a nice crust on the fat side, flip it over and let it sear on the meat side for about 1 minute. Once the meat side is seared, flip the duck back over to the fat side and transfer the pan to the smoker.
Smokin’ duck, coming through!
- Place the pan with the duck directly on the smoker at 400 degrees. Close the lid and let it smoke for 7-9 minutes. Depending on the size of the duck breast you can adjust your cooking time accordingly, I did mine for 7 minutes and they were done to a perfect medium rare. Once you are happy with your internal temperature, remove the duck from the smoker and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Step By Step
- Score the duck breast on the fat side
- Preheat the smoker to 400 degrees F
- Season the duck breast with Yonedas White seasoning
- Let the duck sit out for 20 minutes
- Sear the duck in a cold frying pan, fat side down, slowly increasing the heat as the fat is released
- Flip the duck over and sear on the meat side
- Flip the duck back to the fat side and transfer to the smoker
- Smoke for 7-9 minutes until medium rare
- Restfor 5 minutes, slice and serve
Notes
Is it safe to eat medium rare duck?
The jury is out on this one, the USDA and other food regulators say that you should cook all poultry to 165 degrees internal. But this is very similar to how oysters are always served with a warning not to consume uncooked shellfish. With proper care and attention to detail, you can safely consume medium rare duck, but you need to make sure the duck came from a food safe environment which regulators cannot control, so of course they are going to warn in the interest of safety. So if you follow this recipe, do so under the watchful eye of a professional or make sure you have a good understanding of your duck supply chain.Where can I buy Yonedas Seasonings?
If you check out www.yonedas.com they are expanding their sales across Canada and hopefully to break into the USA soon. You can also buy it on our website, where we ship seasoning orders over $150 for free Canada wide.What if I am Gluten Free?
This duck breast recipe is entirely gluten free and celiac friendly. Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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