The Best Types Of Wood For Smoking Duck

If you enjoy tender, juicy meat that is never dry, then you need more duck in your life. It's easy to assume that duck is fatty meat because when cooked properly, it cuts like butter. However, compared to other poultry, duck has no more calories than a turkey or chicken breast, per Noja. Plus, as the fat on duck meat is rendered, it becomes an oil that is just as healthy as olive oil and has even less saturated fat. Let's hear it for duck meat.

There are endless ways to enjoy your duck, including sliced on a salad, served as a main dish, as duck confit, or how about a little French duck croque? Oui. 

Thankfully, you can also cook duck in any manner of ways, just as you would any other poultry. Still, there are several tips to follow when cooking duck so you don't waste a beautiful piece of meat. You want to purchase fresh duck when possible for the best outcome, bring your duck to room temperature before cooking, and always score the duck when cooking with just the breast meat. Other than that, you can season your duck meat and roast, bake, grill, or — better yet — smoke it for the ultimate in juiciness and flavor.

Smoking meat has become quite popular, and for good reason. According to The Companion Group, meat contains collagen, and the smoking method breaks down that collagen, resulting in very tender meat. Smoking is fabulous because it cooks low and slow, you don't have to do much once it's going, and the outcome is usually an impressive meal.

The toughest part of smoking is choosing the right wood for the job. The Online Grill recommends using fruity hardwoods, such as maple, apple, cherry, or pecan, for smoking dark meat like duck. These add a wonderful sweetness to the meat. 

Per Oklahoma Joe's, it's best to avoid soft woods, such as pine and cedar. These don't pair well with food and will give your meat an odd flavor.

Duck is a wonderful, decadent food and is often seen as an indulgent treat because of its richness. Enjoy it as often as you can, and when possible, cook your duck meat low and slow in the smoker.