Barbeque Hoisin Duck

On Mother's Day, in addition to the Peking duck, I decided to do a barbequed duck as I didn't think the Peking duck would be enough to feed us all. I used the Hoisin Barbecued Duck recipe #116164 from recipezaar.com. For my Peking duck, I used a fresh duck with head, legs and tail still intact. For this, I used a frozen duck with the extremities removed.

I removed the excess fat from both ends of the duck, around the tail and the neck. Then I pricked the duck skin with a knife, going sideways, being careful to avoid going into the meat. This helps to remove excess fat during the boiling process. Then I put the duck into a boiling pot of water and then simmered it. Because I had not adequately thawed the duck, I couldn't remove the giblets and neck from the body cavity before boiling. So, whereas the recipe called for boiling it for 15 minutes, I boiled it for 10 or 12 minutes, then removed it from the water to remove the giblets and neck, then boiled it an additional 8 or 10 minutes. This was not ideal and dried out the meat more than it should have. I patted the duck dry with paper towels, inside and out, then seasoned it, inside and out, with salt and pepper. I did not tie the legs together as the recipe suggested.

I placed the duck on the outdoor grill, with the two outside burners on and the two inside burners off, so the duck would not be under direct heat. I grilled it on high heat for 45 minutes, then removed the duck and brushed it all over with 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce. I grilled it another 10 minutes, then removed it and let it sit another 10 minutes.

We ate it alongside the Peking duck, with Chinese pancake, scallion and hoisin sauce. Below, the carved up bird

and the carved off meat and intact legs and wings.

It was good, but not anywhere near as good as the Peking duck (which was also a lot more work to prepare). I intend to use this recipe again, because it was not as good as it would have been if I had adequately thawed the bird. It was not as juicy as it would have been. It is definately an easier preparation than the Peking duck.