Chinese Style BBQ Duck

Duck is an under utilized food in american culture even though it's readily available and inexpensive. I love Peking duck and Chinese flavors but I also don't have time to chase down my Chinese friends to go out with me so as not to get stuck with the white guy menu. For the one above I first boiled the duck in water, Chinese five spice (consisting of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, szechuan pepper, and fennel seeds), and soy sauce. Once fully cooked (about 25min) I placed it on the grill over indirect heat, basted it with some of the broth and then coated it with hoisin and oyster sauce. The purpose of boiling first is threefold, it not only cooks the bird but it imbues it with flavor and renders much of the fat off. Ducks tend to be much fattier than chickens. On the grill you want to rotate it regularly and keep it moist. You can serve this with whatever you like. I put it over a bed of cabbage along with grilled salmon and a caprese salad. Apparently I was all over the map that evening with something of Chinese, French, and Italian dishes (seen bellow). This will happen when you cook with what is fresh on hand. Don't worry no one will complain.

The salmon above was prepared on the grill with the skin on, on the top shelf, and without flipping (best not to flip your grilled salmon, many times you will see some just put it on a block of ceder and cook it that way). The seasoning was just fresh lemon juice, mustard, honey, and s&p to taste. There was a flare up as the fat caught fire (probably some duck fat) but it only enhanced the flavor. I may have been tending to closely to my martini and not enough to the grill. If this happens to you don't panic just remove the fish as best you can from direct flame and then blow hard on the fire. Also, use the grill brush to get any excess fat off that might be burning on the grill. Don't throw water or beer or god forbid booze on it as one party-goer exclaimed. The skin acts as a nice natural buffer and keeps the fish from getting dry. Take care to not over cook salmon. As soon as you start to feel the flesh begin to firm up remove it from heat, because it will go from a great dish to "chicken of the sea" quickly. And in case you're wondering, the caprese salad was simply fresh tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and s&p to taste.

(the carcass)

• Whole duck
• Salmon filet
• Tomatoes
• Cabbage
• Mozzarella
• Basil
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Chinese 5-spice
• Soy sauce
• Hoisin sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Lemon
• Mustard
• Honey
• Salt and pepper