Smoked Whole Duck

Season both sides of the duck with salt, pepper, oregano, fennel, and ground mustard

For extra moistness and flavor, you can rub a small amount of sesame oil on the duck prior to the cook, and also add some softened butter with one of my favorite seasonings Somethin to Cluck About and a bay leaf underneath the skin. These are optional steps.

Next, fire up your smoker with your pellet or charcoal / wood flavor of choice. I personally like an intense flavor so I do a mix of mesquite and cherry, but please note, that may be too intense for you depending on what you like.

If you have a pellet smoker, set it for 225-250 degrees. If you are using charcoal and wood, go low and slow. One of the reasons you want to go low and slow is there is a lot of fat to render down.

You definitely want to probe in two places. One in the thigh, and the other in the breast.  The FDA will want me to tell you to go 175 in the leg and 165 in the breast. That is not my go to - I do not like any protein cooked that high, so I will leave that one up to you. What I will tell you is that when the duck gets to 145 in the breast, that is when you want to add the glaze (here is the recipe for that). The reason you are waiting is because it has soy and honey, so these can burn if put on too early. I also recommend spraying the duck every hour - my go to is apple juice for this cook.

When your digital probe reads at 145 in the breast, add the glaze and turn up the heat on your smoker - around 300 degrees. 350 max.

The high heat will now start to bring out the beautiful color and create a crispy beautiful skin.
Once the breast and thigh get five degrees before your desired temperature, take the duck off of the smoker and let rest UNCOVERED for 10 minutes. If you cover it, you will end up softening the skin as well as steaming it. We don't want that. Carry over heat will cook it the rest of the way. 

Now you are ready for the best part. Carving it and eating it. I would pair this with a warm spring salad or on a bed of creamed spinach or cauliflower mash if you want something lighter, but that is up to you. Have fun with this and soon  you will be saying "Hey, I Can Cook That" (too)!