Glazed Oak Island Duck

It is glazed crispy rotisserie duck, served in thin pancakes with a plum cherry sauce, and julienned cucumber and green onions. Keep it simple and make a thin batter from your favourite pancake mix.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 – 5 pound ducks, rinsed and patted dry
  • 30 – 3″ thin pancakes (made from thinned pancake mix)
  • 1 cucumber, Julienned
  • 5 green onions, Julienned

GLAZE

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons chilli powder (Combine in a saucepan and reduce by half over medium heat)

PLUM CHERRY SAUCE

  • 2 cups cherries, pitted
  • 3 plums, chopped
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1 star anise
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock (Combine in a medium saucepan and simmer slowly until slightly thickened, about an hour)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Rotisserie Method: Arrange your barbecue as appropriate for the size of the ducks, removing grids and warming racks if necessary, and placing a drip pan on the vaporizer. Position drip pan so that it will be centred below the ducks. Preheat the barbecue on HIGH for 10 minutes.
  2. To place ducks on the rotisserie, slide one of the skewer forks onto the spit. Then, insert the spit rod into the centre of the bird, lengthwise, then dovetail the second duck. Centre the ducks on the spit and secure them in place with the remaining fork. Tighten the forks securely. Check that they are balanced and reposition spit rod if necessary. Position the counterbalance for even rotation. To do this, lay the rod with the ducks over the kitchen sink allowing the heaviest side to turn to the bottom. With the counterbalance loosened, rotate it to the opposite side…facing up. Tighten the rod handle. Set the rotisserie rod in the slots of the barbecue casting and reduce the temperature to LOW. Keep an eye on the heat indicator and try to keep the temperature around 375°F.
  3. Cook the ducks for approximately 1 1/2 – 2 hours, until the juices run clear, or 20 minutes per pound. During the last half hour of cooking, brush frequently with the honey and vinegar glaze. The only way to accurately tell when the duck is done is to use a meat thermometer. Do not allow the thermometer to touch the bone or the rotisserie spit. Duck is done when the internal temperature of the breast meat has reached 165°F and the legs 170°F. When using a rear rotisserie burner, you may need to also light the lower burners on LOW toward the end of the cooking time, depending on winds, external temperature etc. If so, add hot water to the drip pan before lighting. Let ducks stand for at least 10 minutes before carving/shredding the meat.
  4. To assemble the pancakes, layer pieces of duck with cucumber and green onion, and top with the plum cherry sauce.