Grilled Duck a L Orange, Montmorency

7. Transfer the duck to a platter and let sit not more than 5 GRILLED DUCK A minutes before carving. Serve with sauce on the side. L’ORANGE1 Serves 2 as an entrée

Total cooking time 1 h 45 to 2 h 15 I'm about to make an extravagant claim: There is no better way to cook duck than on a grill. This may sound iconoclastic coming from a cook who was trained in France, where duck is almost always roasted in the oven and where it is served fashionably rare, like steak. The truth is that the ducks we get in North America taste best cooked long and slow to tenderize the meat and melt out the fat. And indirect grilling is about the best way I know to produce crackling crisp skin and well-done meat that is virtually fat free and fall-off-the-bone tender. Besides, it takes the mess of cooking a fatty bird, like duck, outside your kitchen. Here's a basic recipe for grilled duck. The slits allow the fat to drain off, crisping the skin in the process. If you like a smoke flavor with duck, throw a cupful of soaked wood chips on the coals (or into the smoker box of a gas grill). Fruit woods, like apple and cherry, go particularly well with duck. The duck is wonderful served with one of the sauces that follow. Then again, it's pretty outrageous eaten just by itself.  1 duck (4½ to 5 pounds), thawed if frozen  Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste  Orange Sauce for Duck (recipe follows) 1. Set the grill up for indirect grilling, placing a large drip pan in the center, and preheat. 2. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body cavities of the duck. Remove the package of giblets and set aside for another use. Rinse the duck inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. 3. Using the tip of a sharp knife, prick the duck skin all over, being careful not to pierce the meat; then season the duck, inside and out, very generously with salt and pepper. Place orange zest (see sauce instructions) in the cavity of the duck. 4. Truss the duck (optional, but it does look better) 5. Place the duck, breast side up, on a rack over the drip pan. Cover the grill, close grill lid holes to ½ and cook the duck for 1¼ hours. 6. At this point, turn the bird on its end over a bowl to drain off any juices that accumulate in the cavity; discard the juices into drip pan (watch out for grease fire). Continue cooking the duck until the skin is mahogany brown and crackling crisp and the meat is well done and tender, another 30-45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner muscle of a thigh, not touching the bone, should register 170 F. If using a charcoal grill, add 10 to 12 fresh pre-lighted coals per side after each hour of cooking.

1 Adapted from The Barbeque Bible, which also lists a MONTMORENCY sauce with cherries (not as good) Latest edit 1/1/2012 Orange Sauce for Duck The sauce owes its unique sweet/sour- caramel flavor to the bigarade, a mixture of burnt sugar and vinegar. To reinforce the orange flavor, place a few strips of the orange zest before grilling inside bird.  1 large orange, preferably navel  2/3 cup orange juice  ¼ cup sugar  3 tablespoons water  ¼ cup red wine vinegar  1½ cups rich duck or chicken stock or canned low- sodium chicken broth  1 tablespoon orange marmalade  1½ teaspoons cornstarch  2 tablespoons Grand Marnier  Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1. Finely grate zest off orange. Cut the remaining rind and all the white pith off this orange to expose the flesh. Working over a bowl to catch any juices, and using a sharp paring knife, make V-shaped cuts between the membranes to release neat segments. Set the segments aside, first removing any seeds with a fork. 2. Combine the sugar and water in a small, deep, heavy saucepan. Cover, set over high heat, and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook until the sugar caramelizes (turns a deep golden brown), gently swirling the pan to ensure even cooking. This should take 6 to 8 minutes, but watch carefully-it can burn quickly. Stop at foaming stage. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vinegar. (Stand back: The sauce will emit a Vesuvian hiss, releasing eye-stinging vinegar vapors.) Return the mixture to low heat and simmer gently, whisking steadily, until the caramel is completely dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. 3. Stir the orange juice and stock into the caramel mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, to reduce 1 by half (down to 1 /8 cups). Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the orange marmalade. Simmer until melted, about 1 minute. Dissolve the cornstarch in the Grand Marnier and whisk this mixture into the sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Add the orange segments and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve or cover leftover sauce and refrigerate for up to 5 days; otherwise freeze. Makes about 2 cups, enough for 2 ducks