Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Feature

Smoky Seared Duck Breast with Gnarly Head Red Sauce Recipe

By: Andrea Alden

Simple and elegant, this recipe for Smoky Seared Duck Breast with Gnarly Head Red Sauce is the perfect dinner to serve your favorite person to show you care. Ideal for springtime and ushering in summer, this dish would be perfect to present your mother figure in celebration of Mother’s Day. The dense and aromatic fruit notes in the Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin, a medium-bodied red Zinfandel, pairs beautifully with the gamey and rich nature of the duck. Serve with a glass of Zin, some simple baby potatoes, and a delightful green for an easy-to-make, gourmet meal that really shows that you care.

Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
40 min
Yield
4
Difficulty
Medium

Smoky Seared Duck Breast with Gnarly Head Red Sauce Recipe

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Ingredients

Method

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Ingredients
  • 4 fresh duck breasts, not smoked
  • 8 fresh figs, halved
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • ½ cup (118 ml) Zinfandel red wine, we used Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin
  • ½ cup (118 ml) chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp. (40 g) fig jam
  • 2 tbsp. (40 g) butter
  • Black pepper to taste
Method
  1. Select a light smoking wood for this recipe. Find the perfect woods to smoke with here. Soak your selected wood chips in water or some of the wine being used for the recipe. 
  2. Start by setting up the barbecue. You want to remove a set of grids and replace a sear plate with your Napoleon Stainless Steel Smoker Box or place a Smoker Tube on the sear plates over a burner. Fill the smoker accessory with your soaked wood chips. Ignite the burner below the smoker box and set to low, preheating your barbecue to 150°F (66°C). 
  3. While you are waiting for your barbecue to come up to temperature, prepare the duck by seasoning well with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Place the duck breasts close to the lit smoking burner to smoke until an internal temperature of 105°F (41°C) is reached. 
  5. While you are smoking make the sauce. Place a saucepan over your side burner or onto your stovetop and, using medium-low heat, cook the shallot in 1 tbsp of butter. Once the shallots are translucent, pour in the red wine and chicken stock bringing the liquid to a simmer until it is reduced by half. Toss in the fig jam, stirring to melt, then finish with the remaining butter and a few cracks of black pepper. Keep warm.
  6. Once your duck has smoked and come to temperature, remove it to a board and allow the duck breasts to rest. Turn the burners up and preheat the grill to high. Slice the skin of the duck in a crosshatch pattern and optionally season again. Place the breasts, skin side down, in a cold cast iron frying pan and place the pan over the hot burners. Cook the duck breasts for 6 to 7 minutes, or until and internal temperature of between 130°F (54°C) and 140°F (60°C) for medium. Flip and quickly sear the bottoms, then remove from the grill. Once that temperature is reached, remove the duck from the barbecue to rest for at least 5 minutes. 
  7. Just before you are ready to serve season the figs with salt and then sear them, face down, over direct heat until grills marks form, about 1 to 2 minutes. 
  8. Serve the duck, sliced with the figs and a drizzle of the red wine sauce. Remember to reserve any duck fat from the frying pan, it’s perfect for roast potatoes and cooking veggies.

There’s nothing better than pairing a sweet and syrupy pan sauce with this simple and smoky seared duck. It’s perfect for celebrating, showing off, or just being a little extra one evening. Enjoy this recipe with your favorite mother-figure in celebration of Mother’s Day. How do you you’re your Mom (or mother figure) that you care? Share your barbecue-based Mom-recognition recipes, ideas, and photos on our social pages like Facebook and TikTok, using the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrill.

Happy Grilling! 

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Ingredients

Gather your ingredients together

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Grill1

Smoke using low, indirect heat

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Grill2

Rest the duck and preheat the grill for searing

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Grill3

Sear until golden and crispy

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Serve1

Plate and drizzle with Red Zinfandel Sauce

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Serv2

Serve with grilled figs, roasted fingerling potatoes, and seasonal veg

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Serv3

A glass of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel would pair perfectly

AndreaAlden
Andrea Alden

I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.

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Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Ingredients

Gather your ingredients together

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Grill1

Smoke using low, indirect heat

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Grill2

Rest the duck and preheat the grill for searing

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Grill3

Sear until golden and crispy

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Serve1

Plate and drizzle with Red Zinfandel Sauce

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Serv2

Serve with grilled figs, roasted fingerling potatoes, and seasonal veg

Recipe Blog - SmokyDuck - Serv3

A glass of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel would pair perfectly