How to properly marinate a duck for hot and cold smoking in a smokehouse

In this article we will tell you a recipe for hot smoked duck marinade. There are many marinades, here are the most interesting and delicious ones. Choose for yourself which marinade recipe for hot smoking duck you like.

Classic marinade

A classic marinade for hot smoked duck, it is also the simplest and fastest marinade.

To marinade one kilogram of duck you will need:

• Water – 1 l.
• Bay leaf – 1 piece
• Garlic – 5 cloves
• Lemon – half
• Salt – 1 tsp. with a slide
• Mixture of peppercorns – 0.5 tbsp. l.
• Sugar – 0.5 cups

Marinade recipe:

1. We crush the garlic with a knife, you don’t have to peel the husks, it will already give its taste to the marinade
2. Place all ingredients in water and bring to a boil.
3. Stir constantly until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
4. Let it cool, immerse the duck in it for at least 4 hours and put it in the cold.

That’s all the marinade for the duck before smoking; marinating won’t work, since the whole carcass is still marinated.

Ginger-soy marinade

This marinade is suitable for smoking duck: hot smoked, cold smoked and liquid smoke. With its help, you can marinate both individual pieces of the carcass and the whole duck.

We will need:

• Soy sauce – 100-150 ml.
• Ground ginger – 1 tbsp. l.
• Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.
• Garlic – 5 cloves
• Rice or apple vinegar – 4 tbsp. l.
• Mixture of ground peppers – 0.5 tsp.
• Sol – 0.3 h. l.
• Sugar – 1 tbsp. l.

How to make a marinade for smoking:

1. Peel the garlic and finely chop it. or better yet, press through the press.
2. Mix the liquid ingredients of the marinade and add salt and sugar to them.
3. Stir until sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
4. Stir in the remaining spices and garlic.
5. Rub the duck carcass inside and out and leave it in a cool place overnight.

As you can see, the marinade recipe is not complicated, but it requires a certain amount of ingredients. If you want to smoke the legs or breast separately, just grate them on all sides.

With honey and lemon juice

This marinade will make the duck more flavorful, and honey will give it a tasty and crispy crust.

We will need:

• Honey – 3 tbsp. l.
• Lemon juice – 2 tsp.
• Unscented vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.
• Garlic – 5 cloves
• Thyme – 1 tsp
• Ground black pepper – 1/2 tsp.
• Salt – 1 tsp. with a slide
• Water – 2 tbsp. l.

How to do:

1. Honey, if thick, melt and mix with water, oil and lemon juice.
2. Three garlic on a fine grater or press through a press.
3. Mix all the ingredients and let them brew and open for about 10 minutes.
4. First pierce the skin of the duck and rub with marinade on all sides.
5. It is better to marinate the duck overnight before smoking, at least 4-6 hours.

You can also add lemon zest to the marinade.

Marinade for wild duck

Wild duck meat is less fatty and firmer than domestic duck meat. In addition, it may smell like fish and algae, and therefore the process of marinating wild duck is slightly different.

We will need:

• Dry red wine – 1 bottle.
• Garlic – 1 head
• Laurel – 2 pcs.
• Star anise – 1 pc.
• Rosemary – 1-2 sprigs
• Mixture of peppercorns – 1 tbsp. l.
• Salt – 1 tbsp. l.
• Water – 1 glass

How to cook:

1. Mix water with water and put on fire.
2. Crush my garlic with a knife right with the husk and throw it into the water and wine.
3. Add all the other ingredients without chopping them entirely.
4. After boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring.
5. Cool and pour into a baking sleeve or food bag, the main thing is that the duck fits there.
6. Every two hours, carefully turn the duck in the bag over to ensure even marinating.
7. Marinate for at least overnight.

Now you know how to marinate wild duck for hot smoking. The wine marinade will soften wild meat and remove the unpleasant smell, making it more noble and aromatic.

Smoking brine

Brine and marinade are practically the bottom and also their task is to give the meat a certain taste and aroma. For yourself, you will choose what tastes better to you, duck in brine (essentially in a liquid marinade, if the brine is with spices) or in a dry marinade.

These types of marinade and brine are divided into:

Dry salting (dry marinade)

It involves rubbing the duck with a dry mixture of salt and spices and leaving it for a longer period. This kind of duck needs to be turned over sometimes and the marinade washed off before smoking.

Wet Ambassador

In such a marinade, spices impart their flavors and aromas to the liquid in which the carcass is marinated. This could be water, wine, soy sauce, or a mixture of these liquids.

Combined Ambassador

The most common option is to rub the duck with a mixture of dry spices, and inject the liquid component into the meat using a syringe. This can be soy sauce or a brine made from water and salt.

In conclusion, I would like to say that the recipe for marinade for smoking duck is simply necessary. Without it, you won’t get that wonderful and beloved taste of smoked duck.