Tea-smoked duck

Here's my sad little duck, done to a fare-thee-well in my jury-rigged stovetop smoker. He's smoked, alright. Look at those sad little legs!

Actually, I think I overdid it, although I followed the recipe closely. The skin has a bitter, burned flavor and the meat has none of the luscious texture of the tea-smoked duck I enjoyed at Harmony. The color is similar but the taste and texture are quite different. It's certainly smoky but so would a simple barbecued chicken have been - and it would have had more moisture left.

The loose tea I used was not what was recommended in the recipe - perhaps that made a difference.

Nonetheless, I'm peeling off the skin and using the meat in different dishes - a stir fry the first night, a salad the second night - and I might freeze some to try in other dishes once my initial embarrassment and disappointment have faded a little. It's not bad, just not worth all the rigamarole it took to produce it.

Stick a fork in him, Mama, he's done!