Huckleberry Duck

This is a delicious way to serve a duck. It makes an impressive meal for only a moderate amount of work. We’ve used this recipe at Thanksgiving when we only have a small number of people. The huckleberry ingredients are available on-line. You may also find them in gift shops in tourist areas of the northwestern United States (such as near Yellowstone National Park). If you cannot obtain huckleberry products, then you may substitute blueberry products instead (blueberries are a close relative of huckleberries). Alternatively, you could make the glaze using regular honey, butter, and orange juice. We have not tried this variant, but it seems feasible.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 1 duck

Ingredients

• 1 (5 lb)  duck (five pounds or so)
•  lemon slice
• 2  garlic cloves (do not chop)

• for rub

• 1  teaspoon  ground thyme
• 1  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1  teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper

• for glaze

• 1  cup  huckleberry honey
• 1⁄2 cup  huckleberry apple butter
• 1⁄2 cup  juice (Huckleberry marmalade will work, but blueberry juice or marmalade are also fine. We've used blueberr) or 1⁄2 cup marmalade (Huckleberry marmalade will work, but blueberry juice or marmalade are also fine. We've used blueberr)
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325o F. Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small cup and mix together. Use a knife to prick several holes all over the duck’s breasts (this allows fat to drain out while the duck cooks). Rub the spices all over the exterior of the duck. Remove the gizzards from the interior of the duck and replace them with the garlic cloves and lemon slices. Place the duck in a roasting pan, uncovered. When the oven has preheated, put in the duck for 30 minutes.
2. While the duck cooks, combine all the ingredients for the glaze together in a sauce pan. Simmer until the glaze begins to boil, and then reduce the burner’s heat to its lowest level, to keep the glaze warm. After the duck has finished cooking for thirty minutes without the glaze, remove from the oven. Use a baster to remove any fat that has accumulated at the bottom of the roasting pan. Brush the duck with some of the glaze and then place the duck back in the oven.
3. The duck should cook for a total of 2.5 to 3 hours. Every 30 minutes, you should remove the duck from the oven, remove fat at the bottom of the roasting pan, and brush the duck with some of the glaze. We also recommend flipping the duck whenever you take it out of the oven so that both sides cook evenly. During the last 30 to 45 minutes, increase the oven’s temperature to 350o F. This will give the duck a nice crispy skin.
4. The duck is fully cooked when its own juices from the fattest part of its thigh or drumstick are pale yellow. If these juices are a faint rosy color, then the duck is medium rare.
5. When the duck reaches the desired doneness, remove it from the oven, cut it up, and enjoy!