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Boozed Duck
A tasty alternative to typical orange sauce methods; as tested Christmas 2008
1 Duck/Duckling, Fresh Or Frozen
1 Small Can Crushed Pineapple In Syrup
1 Can Beer (full flavor, not light)
4 oz Cheap White Wine
4 oz Cheap Applesauce
1 Lemon
1 Clove Fresh Garlic
1 Small Onion
Poultry Seasoning
Salt & Pepper
Applewood Or Similar For Smoking
1 Grillipede
First thaw the duck if frozen and remove giblets, neck, etc, Make sure the duck has been rinsed and patted dry inside and out. Using a sharp knife carefully separate the skin from the duck in a few spots. Slice the onion into thin slices, then cut into half moon shapes. Heavily sprinkle poultry seasoning over the onion slices, then insert underneath the duck's skin. There should be more than enough onion--save the leftovers. Follow this by using any kitchen gadget you like (we used a butter knife) and press as much of the applesauce under the skin as practical. Next rub the outside of the duck with the crushed fresh garlic.This is messy but should go quickly. Open the beer and sample liberally. Remove the top of the beer can and retain about 4 ounces of beer. Make sure the outside of the can is squeaky clean. Pour in the white wine. Open the pineapple and pour in enough pineapple and syrup to almost fill the beer can. Gently stir this concoction. Heat your grill until it is seriously hot. Keep a spritzer nearby to deal with flare-ups. Flip your Grillipede upside down so it is ready for use in the "kabob" mode. Cut the lemon into quarters. Juice two of the quarters into the duck's body cavity and salt and pepper the bird all over. Being careful not to make a mess, insert the beer can into the duck and rest on the Grillipede so the duck is sitting upright. Gently place him on the pre-heated grill and rotate him a few times as needed to assure even browning. You may want to start out over direct heat and then ease away from the heat source as flare-ups become harder to control. Regularly spin the duck while cooking at well over 400 degrees for about ten to fifteen minutes. This should have the skin starting to crisp in spots. For the last couple minutes, baste the bird very liberally with the pineapple and syrup. This quickly starts to caramelize and make a nice coating over the skin. You will lose most of the pineapple, which is fine. Reduce the heat and introduce some applewood for smoking. The duck should smoke over low indirect heat for about an hour. About every fifteen minutes baste the bird. Place some of the remaining onion slices over the bird (most will fall off during cooking) and return to low heat. By now you should have a duck that has many crispy spots and good looking color, but probably isn't totally cooked. Increase the heat to around 300 and use up any remaining baste--being careful not dislodge all of the onions. Once the duck's basting looks nice and set, usually about ten minutes is plenty, juice the remaining lemon sections over the bird and return to the grill. When completely cooked the juice should run clear when the bird is tested with a fork or knife, the legs should move freely, and the skin should be crispy all over. During testing the bird was cooked for a total of two hours and twenty minutes at temperatures ranging from 180 to 450. This method could be simplified with similar results, but the fun of fiddling around the grill would be diminished. During cooking much of the beer can's contents will evaporate, boil over or spill. You will also notice that the can will catch a lot of run-off from the cooking process. Remove the can and discard it carefully. The applesauce can be omitted if you like. Amongst test-diners the texture and flavor it added was widely debated.
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