RECIPE FOR: Tea-Smoked Duck
PAIRS WELL WITH: 2008 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Emery
From EatingWell: January/February 1992
4 servings, 2-ounces each
Active Time:1 hour
Total Time:1 3/4 hours
Ingredients
1 4-5 pound duck, washed and dried
6 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided
4 whole pieces star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 cup strong black tea leaves, such as Darjeeling
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Preparation
- Remove any fat from the cavity of the duck and prick the bird all over.
- Bring an inch or two of water and 4 tablespoons soy sauce to a boil in a wok with a tight-fitting lid. Add star anise and cinnamon.
- Place the duck on a rack in the wok, cover and steam over simmering water just until the juices run clear, about 40 minutes.
- Remove the duck from the wok, pouring out any juice from the cavity, and set the bird aside.
- Discard liquid, rinse the wok and dry it with paper towels.
- Line it with heavy aluminum foil, allowing foil to hang about 2 inches over the edge.
- Place rice, tea and sugar in the bottom of the wok and mix well.
- Place a rack about 1 inch above the rice mixture. (If you do not have a rack that fits properly, place four chopsticks across the wok so that they crisscross.)
- Place the duck on the rack, breast-side up.
- Cover with foil, allowing at least 1 inch between the duck and foil and letting the foil cover also hang about 2 inches over the edge.
- Cover with the lid.
- Turn heat to high (turn on exhaust fan) and cook until smoke begins to emerge from the wok, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Crimp the top and bottom edges of the overhanging foil together and smoke for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium and smoke for 20 minutes longer. Turn off heat and, leaving foil sealed, let sit for 15 minutes.
- Unwrap duck and discard tea mixture and aluminum foil.
- Remove and discard skin.
- Carve the breast meat into thin slices.
- Cut the legs from the carcass (discard carcass) and separate the thigh from the drumstick at the joint.
- Mix remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and sesame oil and brush over the meat.
