Monday, December 1, 2014

Tango Cajun Smoked Duck with Southwest Pear & Sausage Dressing!

On a beautiful day in November here on Long Island it was a great day for a test run of two new recipes!
The first time we have ever cooked duck and smoking it on the WSM seemed like a great first cook.
So Gosh Darn Good!

Cajun Smoked Duck
1 5 1/2 to 6 Lb Duck
2 Oranges / peeled and halved
2 Small Yellow Onions / peeled and halved
Tango Spice Cajun Rub

The bird was cleaned and stuffed with the oranges and onions. I cut a couple fine slits in the breast skin and along the back bone, then applied a nice coating of our Cajun Rub, this was in the hope of draining off some of the fat. Easy as that and it was ready for the smoker.
The WSM varied between 300 and 320 degrees for the entire cook. We did not baste or rotate the duck at all, just checked it after the first hour, then again at 20 minute intervals to make sure it was not getting too crispy. Yeah, I know, crispy duck is a good thing.
The cuts in the skin really helped with the fat, so the meat was moist and not overly fatty.
We will certainly be smoking up duck like this again a few times over the winter in order to get it down pat.

To go along with the duck what better side dish than a nice pan of smoked dressing?

Southwest Pear & Sausage Dressing
1 Cup Chopped Onion
1 Cup Chopped Celery
1 Cup Chopped Red Bell Pepper
5 Cloves Smashed Garlic
2 Asian Pears / peeled and diced
2 Cups Diced Smoked Sausage
Some White Wine
Some Chicken Broth
Some Bread Cubes / Martins Stuffing Bread is awesome!

The sausage we used was a fennel Italian from Tuscany Gourmet Market in Miller place, NY that we put on the Weber Kettle a few days prior, as we knew we’d be needing it for this recipe.
This is a standard type dressing.
Saute the onions, celery & belle pepper in some bacon fat for a few minutes, then add the garlic and pears.
Once the pears start to break down a little add the sausage and cook for a few more minutes.
Deglaze the pan with some wine and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Allow to cool for just a couple of minutes, then add the bread cubes. You can add some more wine or chicken broth to add moisture to the bread and get it to the consistency you like.
We placed the dressing in an aluminum pan then placed it on the Weber Kettle that was running about 275 degrees for an hour or so. Sometimes the more a dressing cooks on the grill the better.
Have to say that this made for a great dinner and we even recreated it for Thanksgiving dinner the a couple of days later.

I hope that you give these recipes your personal spin and let me know how great your turn out.

As Always, Thank You For Reading!

Tango Spice Cajun Rub!

Stuffed With Oranges & Onions!

Let's Get Smokin'!

Hear The Sizzle!

Autumnal Smoke Signals!

Dressing On The Kettle!

How Do You Like My Duck?

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