Oak Smoked Breast of Duck With Port Wine Reduction

Submitted by Chef Joey Z.

"This is another wonderful recipe that was served to us at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. Richard Hetzler, who is the Executive Chef at the Mitsitam Cafe in the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. prepared this dish. What an honor and a treat to have such a master in the house. I loved the smoky flavor of this dish. Richard says not to over smoke it and the middle of the duck should be pink. You will need 1/4 pound of oak wood chips for this recipe. I noticed that he used both dry and wet chips for this recipe. He said that soaking the chips is done to maintain a longer smoke. Zaar wouldn't let me say 2 duck breasts, so I repeated it twice. Please note: I didn't include the cooking time for the Port Wine Reduction in this recipe. You could probably prepare it ahead of time as long as you keep it warm."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 5
• Serves: 2-4

ingredients

• FOR THE DUCK

• 1 duck breast
• 1 duck breast

• FOR THE PORT WINE REDUCTION

• 3 cups port wine
• 1⁄4 cup dried currant
• 1 large shallot (finely diced)

directions

1. For the duck:

2. Soak the wood chips in water for about 1 hour.
3. Season the Duck Breasts with salt and pepper and sear in a hot pan skin side down on medium low heat for 10-12 minutes to render the fat from the skin.
4. Remove from the pan and place in the smoker with the dried chips and soaked chips and smoke at 350°F for 5-7 minutes for medium rare.
5. Remove and let the duck rest for 3-5 minutes before serving.

6. For the Port Wine Reduction:

7. In a medium size sauce pan, place shallots, currents and port wine on medium high heat.
8. Reduce the wine to 1/2-3/4 until thickened.
9. Removed from heat and reserve. Keep warm and serve over the duck.
10. Bon Appetit!

Reviews

[Dr. Jenny]

We made this for dinner a couple of nights ago and adapted it to the cooking time suggested for a stovetop smoker. We smoked with oak as suggested. This was very easy to prepare, with little prep required and few ingredients, making it perfect for a weeknight. I really liked the smoky flavor of the duck. It was nice. For some reason, we found the sauce to be a little too sweet--like it was a little too much for us---which surprised me because one of my favorite duck recipes is with dried cherries and a Zinfandel. Maybe it is because port is a sweeter wine? All in all, this was a good meal and was very easy. Thanks, Chef Joey!