Smoked duck breast with honey glaze and cracklings

I [Jeremy] first came across this recipe when I was working in Paris. They certainly know good food there. I recently made a simplified version on the BBQ. It does not have to be a Michelin level dish in terms of difficulty, but it can absolutely taste like one.

Preparation method smoked duck breast

• Score the fat layer of the duck breasts in a criss cross pattern. Trim the sides, including a thin strip of meat. Cut this into cubes and set aside.
• Season the breasts with salt and pepper.
• Smoke the duck breasts with the fat side up for about 35 minutes with a handful of cherry or applewood chips (indirect on a cast iron grate, 80C) until they reach a core temperature of 45C.
• Meanwhile, bring the honey, hoisin sauce, coriander seeds and chopped thyme to a boil in a small pan for about 2 minutes.
• Remove the duck breasts from the BBQ and brush the fat layer with the honey glaze. Looks delicious, right.
• Place a small cast iron saucepan on the grate and bring the BBQ to 180C. Add the cubes of trimmed fat and meat and cook slowly until almost crispy.
• Finely chop the garlic and shallot and add them to the cracklings. Let this simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Grill the duck with the fat side up until they reach a core temperature of 57C. If you place the fat side down, the fat will melt and cause too much flame.
• The honey glaze burns quickly because of the sugars, so keep a close eye on it.
• Let the duck breasts rest well, at least 10 minutes in foil.
• The fat on the duck will not be crispy, which is why we make cracklings to sprinkle over the top for extra texture.
• Duck goes well with everything but is especially delicious with winter vegetables.