Get duck right every time with this method from Chef Eric Gephart from Kamado Joe. Impress your friends and family with this simple yet flavorful recipe.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Scoring the duck skin in a diamond pattern: Cutting through the skin and fat without hitting the meat opens up channels for fat to render out and lets the skin crisp evenly, rather than staying thick and rubbery in spots.
- Starting the duck skin-side down with no oil: Placing the breasts fat-side down on the cast iron before it's even fully hot lets the fat render slowly into the pan as everything heats up together, self-basting the skin without needing added oil.
- Cooking almost entirely on the skin side: Spending 90% of the cook skin-down and only flipping briefly to finish gives the fat maximum time to render and the skin maximum time to crisp, while the flip side barely needs any additional time.
- Building the sauce while the duck renders: Simmering the chilis in stock on the other side of the grill at the same time the duck cooks means the sauce is ready the moment the duck finishes resting, with no extra wait.
Chocolate Cherry BBQ Duck
Eric Gephart
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Servings
2
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
786
Chef Eric Gephart's method for cooking duck will result in perfect duck every time. Impress dinner guests with this gourmet-caliber duck that is full of flavor, thanks to this simple yet authentic recipe.
Ingredients
-
(2) 8 oz. Duck Breast
-
3 each Ancho Chilis
-
2 Cup Chicken Stock
-
1/2 Cup Chili Dawg’s Habacherry Spread
-
3 oz Bitter Sweet Chocolate
Directions
- Light your fire and stabilize your grill at 400°F.
- Score the skin and fat of the duck in a diamond pattern and season with salt and pepper.
- Place a half moon cast iron griddle on the highest setting of the Divide and Conquer System. Before the cast iron heats up, place the duck breasts scored skin side down with no oil on the accessories and allow the duck to begin to render as the grill and cast iron comes to temp. 90% of the cooking process will occur skin side down. Cook until you reach an internal temperature of 130°F. Then flip and sear the other side until the duck reaches 140°F.
- As the duck is rendering, place a Grill Grate at the lowest level on the other side of the grill. Place the chilis and chicken stock in a grill safe pan and allow the chilies to simmer and reconstitute for roughly 10 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken stock and reconstituted chili to a blender and blend on medium until fully liquified. While the blender is rolling, add the Chili Dawg’s Habacherry and chocolate, blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add chicken stock until you like the consistency. Strain and reserve warm to room temperature.
- Remove the duck when it reaches 140°F and allow to rest for 10 minutes then slice.
- Use a paint brush to decorate and sauce a plate, top with the sliced duck.
- Garnish the plate with chopped chocolate, rough chopped parsley and dashed up chocolate.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why score the duck skin in a diamond pattern before cooking?
Cutting through the skin and fat without hitting the meat opens up channels for fat to render out as it cooks, letting the skin crisp evenly instead of staying thick and rubbery in spots.
Why place the duck skin-side down on cold cast iron with no oil?
Starting before the pan is fully hot lets the fat render slowly into the pan as everything heats up together, self-basting the skin as it crisps without needing any added oil.
Why cook the duck almost entirely on the skin side instead of splitting the time evenly?
Spending about 90% of the cook skin-down gives the fat maximum time to render and the skin maximum time to crisp. The flesh side only needs a brief sear to finish, since most of the cooking has already happened from the skin side.
Why build the chocolate cherry sauce on the grill at the same time as the duck?
Simmering the chilis in stock on the other side of the grill while the duck renders means the sauce is ready the moment the duck finishes resting, with no extra wait between the two components.
What internal temperature should the duck breast actually reach?
This recipe pulls it at 140°F after flipping. Whole-muscle duck breast, similar to beef, is commonly served medium and doesn't carry the same minimum cook temperature requirement as ground poultry — 140°F is a safe, standard target for this cut.
Why rest the duck for 10 minutes before slicing?
Resting lets the juices redistribute through the meat, so slicing doesn't send them running out immediately onto the plate.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — a hot cast iron skillet on the stovetop can render and sear the duck exactly the same way, and the sauce comes together in a blender and saucepan; the grill mainly adds convenience for cooking both components side by side.
Recipe Highlights
Diamond-scored skin: Opens channels for even fat rendering and crisping.
Cold-start rendering: Self-bastes the skin without added oil.
Skin-heavy cook time: Maximizes crisping before a brief finishing flip.
Parallel sauce-building: Ready the moment the duck finishes resting.
Recommended Recipes
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 8 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 786
- Carbs
- 59 grams
- Protein
- 40 grams
- Fat
- 40 grams
- Sodium
- 959 milligrams
