Content
Duck is much less popular than chicken and turkey. However, dishes from this bird are also tasty and healthy. It is prepared in different ways, there is, for example, an uncomplicated recipe for hot smoking wild duck at home. It is not more difficult to smoke a bird in a cold way. The finished delicacy looks very presentable, it has an exquisite taste and aroma. The main thing is to comply with the technology of the chosen method of smoking wild duck and the rules for its storage.
Benefits and calories
Compared to other types of poultry, wild duck meat is high in iron and unsaturated fatty acids. The first is critically important for the formation of red blood cells and maintaining the level of hemoglobin, with its deficiency, almost all vitamins are poorly absorbed. The second is a valuable source of energy for the body (they are "processed" by it almost completely, and do not turn into fatty deposits), a powerful natural antioxidant.
Wild duck is rich in vitamins:
- A (necessary for tissue regeneration, restoration of the body, maintenance of visual acuity);
- group B (help to keep the body in good shape, have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, improve the condition of the skin, nails, hair);
- C (supports immunity, stabilizes the cardiovascular system, improves blood microcirculation);
- K, PP (normal metabolism is impossible without them).
Smoked wild duck is a delicacy without exaggeration, but it is not recommended to abuse it
The presence of minerals is noted:
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- sodium;
- phosphorus;
- calcium;
- copper;
- Selena;
- zinc;
- sulfur;
- iodine;
- manganese;
- chrome.
The calorie content of both hot and cold smoked wild duck is quite high - 337 kcal per 100 g. It cannot be attributed to dietary products. The fat content is about 28.4 g, proteins - 19 g per 100 g. But there are no carbohydrates at all.
Hot or cold smoked wild duck is served as an appetizer or as an independent dish
How to prepare a wild duck for smoking
Preparation for smoking wild duck looks like this:
- Scald the carcass with boiling water, pluck out all the feathers and remove the "hemp" from them under the skin (boiling water greatly facilitates this task). Singe a wild duck over a fire or over a stove to get rid of the cannon.
- Make a longitudinal incision on the belly (from the tail) and along the sternum, remove all the insides. The gallbladder requires especially careful handling. If damaged, the meat will be irrevocably spoiled, saturated with the bitterness of its contents.
- Cut off excess adipose tissue, head, tail and wing tips. After separation of the head, the goiter is removed. If desired, the carcass is divided in half along the spine.
- Rinse the inside and outside of the mallard carcass thoroughly.
Important! To ensure that bile does not get on the duck meat before smoking, it is recommended to cut out the gallbladder only when the liver is completely removed from the belly.
How to pickle a duck for smoking
Salting is carried out both dry and wet. Both of them, in contrast to using the marinade for smoked mallard duck, maximize the preservation of the natural flavor of the meat.
The dry salting process takes 5-10 days, depending on the weight of the duck.The carcass is carefully rubbed with coarse salt (optionally mixed with ground black pepper), placed in a container on a pillow from it, and sprinkled with salt on top. For the required time, the wild duck is kept in the refrigerator, turning daily.
Dry salting of wild duck is most often practiced if cold smoking is chosen - this is how maximum moisture is removed from the tissues
To prepare brine for smoking, you will need:
- drinking water - 1 l;
- coarse salt - 100 g;
- bay leaf - 3-5 pieces;
- black peppercorns - 8-10 pieces;
- allspice - optional.
All spices are added to water, the liquid is brought to a boil, after 3-5 minutes, removed from the heat and cooled to room temperature. The wild duck is poured with the prepared brine so that the carcass is completely covered with it.
You can start smoking duck soaked in brine after 3-4 days
How to pickle a wild duck for smoking
There are a lot of recipes for marinade for smoking wild duck: they allow you to give the meat an original taste, make it juicier and more tender. It is quite possible to experimentally find the most suitable option for yourself. Marinating is practiced mainly for hot smoking. But you should not get too carried away with spices and spices, otherwise the natural taste of wild duck will simply be lost.
With garlic and spices:
- drinking water - 0.7 l;
- table vinegar (6-9%) - 2 tbsp. l .;
- salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
- sugar - 1 tbsp. l .;
- garlic - 3-4 cloves;
- bay leaf - 2-3 pieces;
- ground ginger and cinnamon - 1/2 tsp each.
All spices, vinegar and minced garlic are added to boiling water. After 4-5 minutes, the container is removed from the heat, the wild duck is poured with marinade. The carcass is ready for smoking in two days.
With lemon and honey:
- olive oil - 200 ml;
- liquid honey - 80 ml;
- freshly squeezed lemon juice - 100 ml;
- salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
- garlic - 4-5 cloves;
- any dry herbs (sage, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram) - 2 tsp. mixtures.
The ingredients are thoroughly mixed (the garlic is finely chopped or chopped into gruel beforehand), the wild duck is coated with marinade. You can start smoking in 8-12 hours.
With tomato paste:
- drinking water - 0.2 l;
- tomato paste - 200 g;
- apple cider vinegar (or dry white wine) - 25-30 ml;
- salt - 1 tbsp. l .;
- sugar - 1 tsp;
- garlic - 3-4 cloves;
- paprika - 1 tsp.
The ingredients for the marinade just need to be mixed. Before smoking, the duck is kept in it for 24-48 hours.
Wild duck smoking recipes
Smoking wild duck at home is possible in two ways. The chosen method determines the type and taste of the finished product. When smoked cold, the meat turns out to be more elastic and dense, while hot - crumbly and juicy. The first method emphasizes the naturalness of the taste, while the second makes the used seasonings and spices more pronounced.
How to smoke hot smoked wild duck in a smokehouse
Hot smoking of wild duck is the most suitable method for those who do not have much experience. Here you can use both open and closed, as a home-made and factory smokehouse.
How to proceed:
- Prepare the smokehouse by sprinkling several handfuls of wood chips on the bottom, greasing the grates with vegetable oil (if the design provides for their presence), installing a pan to drain excess fat.
- Make a fire, a fire in the barbecue, connect a smoke generator. Wait for a slight white or bluish haze to appear.
- Place the carcass on a wire rack or hang on a hook. In the first case, the wild duck is, as it were, unfolded with a "book" and placed with its back up. When the bird is ready, remove it from the smokehouse.
Important! You cannot eat hot-smoked wild duck right away. The carcass will need to be ventilated for several hours outdoors or in a well-ventilated area to get rid of the persistent smoke smell.
How to cold smoke a wild duck
It is better to smoke wild duck in a cold way in a special smokehouse. Ideally, using a smoke generator, so that you do not have to constantly monitor the temperature.
In general, the smoking technology does not differ from that described above. The smokehouse itself is prepared in the same way, the bird is also placed in it on a wire rack or hook. Wild duck must be prepared for cold smoking. Salting is most often practiced.
The only difference is that the smoke source must be 3-4 m away from the smoking cabinet. Passing this distance, the smoke has time to cool down to the required temperature. Therefore, the smoking cabinet (it must be closed) is connected to a smoke generator, a fire, a barbecue pipe.
Cold smoking of wild duck requires strict adherence to the technology, otherwise pathogenic microflora may remain in the meat
Professional advice
The recommendations of professional chefs help to improve the taste of the cooked hot and cold smoked duck. Seemingly insignificant nuances that are not known to non-specialists are very important.
Choice of wood chips
Professional chefs recommend smoking wild duck on wood chips, and not on thin twigs or sawdust, after slightly moistening them with water. Chips do not burn, smolder well, there is enough space and air between its particles for the pyrolysis process to proceed normally.
As for the wood species: alder is most often chosen. This is a good option, but in order to give the wild duck an original aroma and taste during the smoking process, you can mix alder with chips of juniper, fruit trees (apple, plum, cherry, apricot, pear).
In addition to fruit trees, beech or oak chips can be used for smoking.
It is categorically not suitable for smoking not only wild duck, but also other poultry, fish, meat, any coniferous tree. When sawdust or chips smolder, resins are released, giving the finished product a very unpleasant aftertaste.
Smoking time and temperature
The smoking time depends on the smoking method chosen and the size of the mallard. On average, for hot smoking it varies within 2-5 hours, for cold smoking - 1-3 days. Moreover, in the latter case, the process cannot be interrupted during the first 8 hours.
That is, to cook cold smoked wild duck, it takes much longer to smoke it. This time difference is due to the smoking temperature. With the cold method, it is only 27-30 ° С, with the hot method - 80-100 ° С.
You can understand that the wild duck is ready by the beautiful golden brown color that the carcass acquires. If you pierce a hot-smoked bird with a sharp wooden stick, the puncture site will remain dry. Cold-smoked wild duck, when it is ready, releases clear juice.
Excessively dark, almost chocolate color means the duck has been overexposed in the smokehouse
Storage rules
Duck, like any other wild waterfowl, has a thick layer of fat under the skin. Because of this, the finished product is considered perishable. Cold-smoked wild duck will stay in the refrigerator for 7-10 days, hot-smoked - 3-5 days. The fact that the meat has deteriorated can be determined by the stickiness of its surface, the appearance of mold, and an unpleasant odor. The shelf life is increased by 2-3 days if you place the wild duck in a sealed plastic bag and "pump out" the air from it. A similar effect is given by waxed or oiled paper, foil.
In the freezer, also in a hermetically sealed package (bag, container), smoked duck will lie for up to six months. It is impractical to store it longer - despite the fact that the container is tightly closed, the moisture gradually evaporates, the duck becomes dry, the taste is lost.
Conclusion
The recipe for hot smoking wild duck is very simple, so even those who do not have much experience in working with a smokehouse can cook a delicacy on their own at home. The finished product is not only tasty and original, but also very healthy, if not overused. With cold smoking, useful substances in wild duck are stored even more, due to the low temperature of the smoke. But here it is required to strictly adhere to the technology, while the hot method allows improvisation within reasonable limits.
