Smoked Duck Gumbo with Crispy Duck Skin Chicharrones

I used a domestic duck for this cook but wild ducks would be great!  One of the main reasons I love smoked duck is the gumbo I make the next day with the leftovers.

I went simple with the duck, slathered in butter and sprinkled with coarse salt and cracked black pepper..

Smoked in my drum smoker til the juices ran clear.

enjoyed a few slices for supper that night....

The next day I removed the smoked duck skin, separated the meat from the bones,
saved the drippings/duck fat from the pan...

made stock with the carcass and trimmings...

gathered the gumbo ingredients...
onions, scallions, garlic, celery, bell pepper, parsley..

I went with Conecuh spicy smoked sausage this time...

I like to brown off the sausage first, I just like the flavor that the caramelized sausage adds to the pot..

I start my roux using the smoked duck fat and flour...

cooked the roux to a fairly dark color...

added the veggies, cooked til just about tender....

strained my smoked duck stock...

stirred the stock into the pot, just enough to get the thickness I wanted. Then added the smoked sausage (with pan drippings) and the smoked duck meat..

I added a few slices of okra from the garden. This was a last minute decision. I didn't want them to go to waste. 

I check for salt, add cayenne for a bite, then let the pot simmer for a couple of hours...

while the gumbo simmered, I fried the smoked duck skins til crisp...

These things are addicting! 

The smoked duck and Conecuh sausage gumbo, topped with duck skin chicharrones...

I love this stuff. I pretty much love all gumbos but the smoked flavor of the duck and the crisp fried duck skin sends this one over the top for me.

Deer season started yesterday. I'm not in any hurry to bring one in, I have two weeks. The weather has been really nice. It looks like the moon won't interfere with the deer movement this year. Sometimes it's so bright, they move at night instead of early morning or in the evening.
Whether I get one or not, it's a bonus just being out there enjoying the quiet. :)

Hope everyone has a safe season and a great week. Thanks for the kind comments via email too, I appreciate it. :)


Thanks for stopping by!

Smoked Venison Shoulders n Grits

I know many people are already deer hunting, my season starts next week. I smoked these shoulders awhile back, sort of braised them like I do goat legs.
These were from a whitetail doe.

I let the shoulders marinade overnight in some Allegro...

onto my old horizontal wood burner....

after a couple hours of smoke, they had nice color. I placed them in a pan, meat side down..

added beef stock...

onions, garlic, jalapenos, Shiner Bock and a good dose of Special Sh*t...

I covered the pan with foil and let em go til fork tender...

they smelled SO good... :)

I had to take a taste or two... 

I bottled up the "liquid gold" drippin's from the pan....

slapped some venison on a fresh hot tortilla with a few sauteed onions and peppers...

Love it! This is the best way to handle venison shoulders (imo). They take so much time to cut up for burger, etc.. It's easier for me to cook the shoulders whole and let everyone carve off what they want..

The next day I carved more meat from the smoked shoulder, to have with my morning grits...

heated some of the smoked venison drippin's, added scallions, garlic, onions and some of my morel mushrooms...made a cornstarch slurry to thicken.  I let the sliced venison simmer in the sauce til heated through...

made a pot of cheesy grits...

served the hot, smokey venison over the cheesy grits...

It was one of those meals that makes me thankful that I live in an area where I can hunt and gather... I feel fortunate to be able to bring home good food for the table. 

Almost a meal from the land.  I need to make my own grits. :)

Deer season is closing in fast. Hope all of you hunters have a safe and successful season.

Thanks for stopping by!