Recipe courtesy of Shirley Fong-Torres

Tea Smoked Duck

Tea Smoked Duck is one of the most famous dishes of Sichuan Province, contrary to what most people believe it to originate from Hunan. Smoking was a culinary craft mastered by the Sichuan people as a better way to preserve flavor and the longevity of foods without refrigeration. A good tea smoked duck should have a haunting tea smoked flavor, well rendered, tender meat and a crackling skin. It can be served with buns and accompanied by a semisweet bean sauce.
  • Level: Advanced
  • Yield: 8 to 10 servings
  • Total: 3 hr 10 min
  • Prep: 30 min
  • Inactive: 2 hr
  • Cook: 40 min
Share This Recipe

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 whole cleaned duck (preferably Peking where the breasts are larger)

1 large piece ginger root, crushed

1 bunch spring onions

1 tablespoon ground cloves

1 (6-inch) piece cassia cinnamon, preferably Chinese

1 Sichuan red peppercorns

1/2 cup maltose sugar or honey

1/4 cup kosher salt

1 cup fine Chinese black tea (Darjeeling, Ceylon are fine substitutes)

1 tablespoon saltpeter (optional but in original recipes)

Water, enough to just cover duck in bath

Sesame /vegetable oil, for basting

Smoking oven:

1 pound of camphor wood (chips are fine) Other types of wood such almond can be used)

1 cup brown sugar

1 bag dried tea twigs, optional

Directions

Special equipment:
Smoking oven: 1 pound of camphor wood (chips are fine) Other types of wood such almond can be used)
  1. Combine all the ingredients, except sesame/vegetable oil, for the marinade in a bath solution and place cleaned duck in it overnight.
  2. Hang dry and rest for at least 2 hours. Hang duck in smoking oven with hook on the upper neck.
  3. Place the camphor wood, brown sugar, tea twigs, if available, on a pan at the base of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Some recipes call for tea leaves but tea leaves in the sugar/camphor mixture does not add that much tea flavor to the ducks. Roast the duck for approximately 40 minutes, but depends on size of duck, type of oven, etc. For best results for a crispy skin, the last 5 to 10 minutes should be at 400 degrees F, with a final basting of sesame/vegetable oil on the skin of the duck. Duck can be flashed in hot oil to finish, if timing for service is critical.
  4. Cut and serve hot, with buns and sauce, optional.

Fudge Factor

Review: Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert's Chocolate Bar Nov 16, 2012

Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert have teamed up with master chocolatier Christopher Curtin to create the "Good & Evil" chocolate b …

Sifted: Plan-Ahead Valentine's Day Desserts Feb 6, 2013

By: Lauren Miyashiro

Get our take on the best in food news, recipes and more from around the web, including the best Valentine's Day recipes.

The Craziest Chocolate Creations for American Chocolate Week Mar 17, 2013

It’s officially American Chocolate Week. Check out photos of mind-blowing chocolate creations.

Train Frontman Pat Monahan's Dark Chocolate Obsession Feb 11, 2013

By: Cameron Curtis

Train frontman Pat Monahan, an avid chocolate lover, shared with us his top five reasons for eating dark chocolate.

Over-the-Top-Delicious Treats to Satisfy Your Food Obsession

Are you infatuated with ice cream? Do you lust over lobster? Swoon at the sight of chocolate? Here's the best recipe for each food …

Chocolate Desserts

Indulge in our decadent chocolate desserts, from cookies and cakes to puddings, souffles and truffles.

Essentials: Chocolate Basics Sep 1, 2016

Satisfy that chocolate craving in your very own kitchen. All you need is baking chocolate and a little know-how. It also helps to …