Dad’s Grilled Duck
My Dad was quite the hunter when he was living and was quite a cook! This recipe evolved over several duck hunting trips, but this final version is still my favorite way to prepare duck. My husband, on the other hand, is NOT a hunter, so I usually have to substitute domestic duck when I get a craving for this recipe. But this is just about as good done with domestic duck as it is done with wild duck. This recipe is NOT Induction friendly due to the wine. I just don’t think it would be good without it, so I recommend waiting to do this recipe justice. It’ll be acceptable once you get to Atkins Phase 2 (and beyond). I KNOW you’ll be glad you tried this!
INGREDIENTS:
2 wild ducks, de-feathered, cleaned and butterflied (cut up backbone and flattened out)
12 oz. dry white wine
¼ c. chopped parsley
1 stalk chopped celery
1 clove garlic
2-3 whole cloves (or 1/8 tsp. ground cloves)
1/3 tsp. thyme
6-10 black peppercorns
2 whole bay leaves
1 T. Olive Oil
DIRECTIONS: After plucking and gutting the ducks, cut up the back, flatten with a hammer or cleaver (to butterfly or spatchcock the birds). Place in glass or plastic marinating pan. Mix all marinate ingredients above (except bay leaf) in either a food processor or blender and pulse until all fairly fine. Pour marinate over duck and add bay leaves to the pan. Marinate for 6-12 hours, drizzling marinate over ducks or turning them occasionally.
Light charcoal fire. When coals are hot, place ducks on grill back behind the coals so they get INDIRECT heat. Place a foil “pan” under duck to catch the fat that drips out as it cooks. This is essential if using domestic duck which is VERY fatty! Adjust vents on your grill so you can close grill and smoke/slow cook the birds for 1-1½ hours. Time will vary depending on the size of the ducks. Check for doneness where leg joins body like you would a turkey. Be sure there is no blood at the joint. Duck flesh (even the breast) is dark meat and can be served slightly pink.
If you are at the grain rung of OWL or beyond, this is excellent with wild rice dressing: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/wild-rice-stuffing-2/ Wild rice is the lowest carb rice out there 109 NC per cup raw compared to 136 NC for a cup of raw brown rice. I’ll try to find and post my Sherry Pecan Bacon Stuffing recipe if I can run it down. Haven’t made it in eons but it’s really good with any fowl or game. Here’s that other stuffing I would recommend for this duck: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/sherry-pecan-bacon-stuffing/
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each containing:
675.3 cals, 44.5 g fat, 4 g carbs, 1.7 g fiber, 47.4 g protein, 2.3 NET CARBS
Buttoni's Low-Carb Recipes 