Duck Bacon Recipes

DUCK BACON

Steps:

• Weigh each duck breast in grams. Now weigh out 2 to 2.5 percent of that weight in salt; I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Sea salt is good, but you want a fine grained salt with no iodide. Weigh out 0.25 percent of the breast's weight in curing salt no. 1. Massage that into the meat. Repeat for the next breast, and so on if you are doing many.
• Vacuum seal the breasts with any excess salt. Set them in the fridge for at least 3 days, and up to 10 days. This cure will not make them too salty. I generally go 5 days to make sure the cure has reached the center of the meat.
• Rinse and pat dry. Cold smoke the breasts for at least 8 hours, and you can repeat this process every day for several days if you want a very smoky product. Slice with the skin side down. Use like regular bacon.

BACON WRAPPED DUCK BREAST WITH CRANBERRY DUCK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Working with 1 duck breast at a time, spread a butterflied breast skin down on a work surface. Sprinkle the breast with salt and pepper. Place the cooked spinach down in a thin layer along the center the breast. Then top with a row of Onion Petals, followed by a row of cranberries in the center of the breast. Fold the duck breast meat over onto itself to form a roll. Place 4 lengthwise overlapping slices of bacon on the work surface and place 2 slices perpendicular to the 4 slices so they overlap by 1-inch to form a cross. Place the duck breast in the center, parallel to the 2 bacon slices, fold the bacon over the duck, and then roll it up to make a neat package. Repeat with the remaining duck breasts.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large ovenproof saute pan. Carefully place the bacon wrapped duck breast in the pan and cook on all sides for about 6 minutes to render and brown the bacon. Drain off most of the fat from the pan and put into the oven to finish the cooking, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let the duck breast rest for 5 to 8 minutes before slicing. Slice each duck breast into 4 even slices. Place the sliced duck breast on the plate with the Cranberry Duck Sausage. Drizzle with the Cranberry Maple Syrup.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Carefully place the onions in the pan cut-side down. Cook until golden brown, 2 minutes on each side. Add the butter and continue to cook the onions in the foaming butter for about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock and place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the ground duck meat, sun-dried cranberries and thyme, and mix well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the sausage mixture into a piping bag. Find the end of the casing and slip it over the end of the piping bag and push the casing over the tip of the piping bag so that it forms an accordion-like pleat. Keep the casing wet throughout this process (keep dipping your hands in warm water). Applying pressure to the piping bag with one hand, stuff the casing with the sausage. As a sausage is formed, make links by twisting the sausage, and then pipe again. Regulate the flow of the sausage into the casing by applying different amounts of pressure to the piping bag. This will determine how tightly packed the sausage is; if you try and pack the sausage too tightly the casing will burst. If the casing does burst, tie it off at that point and start again.
• In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add the oil and sausages. Cook evenly on all sides until golden brown, about 6 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the maple syrup, cranberries and vanilla bean and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes.

ONE-PAN DUCK WITH SAVOY CABBAGE

Steps:

• Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts, then generously season with the peppercorns and a sprinkling of salt. Lay the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a non-stick sauté pan, then place over a low heat. Leave the duck for 15 mins to brown and release its fat, then flip over onto the flesh side for 5 mins.
• Remove the duck from the pan, then turn up the heat. Add the potatoes to the pan, fry until brown and crisp, then scatter over the parsley and garlic. Scoop out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, then season with salt.
• Keep the pan on the heat. Fry the bacon until crisp, then add the cabbage. Cook for 1 min, add a splash of water, then fry for 2 mins, just until the cabbage is wilted. While the cabbage is cooking, whisk any juices from the duck with the vinegar and olive oil. To serve, carve the duck breast into slices. Fan out on large dinner plates, spoon a neat bundle of cabbage on one side, then pile a serving of potatoes on the other. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.

COFFEE AND MOLASSES CURED DUCK BREAST BACON

Steps:

• Cure duck:
• Stir together water, coffee, kosher salt, brown sugar, and Insta Cure in storage tub until solids are dissolved, about 3 minutes, then add molasses and stir until dissolved. Add ice and stir until cure is cold (ice may not melt completely; keeping liquid cold slows salt absorption).
• Add duck to cure and weight down with a large plate (to keep submerged). Chill, tub covered with a lid or plastic wrap, 6 hours.
• Rinse duck and pat dry, then discard brine.
• Prepare grill and cold-smoke duck:
• Prepare grill and cold-smoke duck followingprocedure for grilling and cold-smoking chicken legs . (Duck will not be cooked.)
• Cool duck completely, uncovered, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap until ready to thinly slice and fry (seeduck breast bacon and frisée salad recipe ).

BACON WRAPPED DUCK BREASTS

Steps:

• Mix together salt and water. Set aside 2/3 of the mixture, and pour the rest into a glass baking dish. Soak the duck in the salt water overnight to remove the gamey. Change the salt water twice, or until mostly clear.
• The next morning, discard the salt water, and pour salad dressing over the duck breasts, and marinate for at least 8 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Wrap each breast half in one strip of bacon, and secure with a toothpick. Place the breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Bake for about 1 hour, or until bacon is crisp, and duck is cooked through.