Oak smoked air dried Duck breasts

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It’s true that the simplest things in life are sometimes the best, and Oak smoked air dried Duck breasts are no exception. I had the pleasure of preparing 4 of these wonderful duck breasts recently with the aim of bathing these little darlings in some lovely, traditional 0ak cold smoke.
Well, what can I say! 18 hours in a salt/herb cure and after what seemed an infinite wait air drying in muslin, I finally had the pleasure of opening one of the treasures after drying it for 10 days. The suspense was killing me. Opening the package was just like birthdays and Christmas all rolled into one. A gastronomic delight to fill the senses! I have to say I was surprised at what I found.
I was not disappointed! The Duck breasts had firmed up really well and had darkened considerably. The fat had also lost a lot of moisture and had yellowed on the surface. It even smelled of charcuterie which was reassuring to say the least.
I was my pleasure was complete when I opened the other breasts to find they were all in excellent condition. I had to go for a taste ahead of exposing them to the Oak smoke. A flavour explosion and not too salty. Unmistakably Duck but with a more concentrated and cultured flavour. I knew I was eating something special here. There’s an old saying with smoking and it goes something like this “ You can’t make bad food taste good by smoking but you can make good food taste great” Well, I had the good food right in my hand and I was about to test the theory once again.
Into the coldsmoker for 4 hours on a slow burn with some Oak dust. Temperature in the smoker was the same as ambient for that day (17C) and the addition of a slow burn only added a couple of degrees to the smoker. Although the duck breast had air dried for just less than two weeks it had retained a thin film of natural oil on its surface. With this surface oil at around 20C the surface of the duck was just right to accept smoke.
Four hours Coldsmoking to some may seem a little light in the loafers. It’s worth remembering, Oak has a very strong flavour and is a heavy smoke which doesn’t require a long time to do it’s business. Smoking times are a matter of taste anyway and I personally feel less really is more, especially when dealing with a delicate flavour like Duck. More robust meats like beef and pork can take more smoke without it drowning out the natural flavours but I didn’t want to completely loose the Duck flavour on this occasion.
The finished product is worth the wait to transport this humble duck breast (If there is such a thing) to a completely different place.  The skin of the Duck had darkened slightly taking it’s hue to light tan. One could see the breast had been smoked, but only just. Sliced thinly this charcuterie is perfect on its own with some cherry tomatoes or tossed in a green salad with croutons and a nice French dressing. This was a culinary experiment I will be repeating in the very near future. I can’t imagine not having this delight at my fingertips.

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