Ready to replace that holiday Turkey? We’ve been cooking this beer can Duck for Thanksgiving and Xmas for the past few years and it’s a hit.

The Brine

Many people are fans of a dry brine because they feel that a wet brine adds water to the meat. I personally do a dry rub for my brisket – which essentially is a light brine (depending on the amount of salt in the dry rub).

“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
a bunch of people…

For this duck recipe, I have been taking the traditional wet brine approach and it’s come out wonderfully. Next time we cook this, I’ll do an A/B comparison and we’ll report back what differences we see.

16 Servings

Beer Can Duck

Name: Beer Can Duck
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 16 h
Yield: 16
Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients: 2 Gallons Water; 2.5 Cups Kosher salt; 1 Cup Brown Sugar; 4 Bay Leaves; 1 Tablespoon Thyme; 1 Tablespoon Basil; 1 Tablespoon Sage; 2 Tablespoons Garlic; 2 Tablespoons Black Pepper; 8 lbs Duck; 32 oz Cider; 2 16 oz cans Beer; 2 Pear (or Orange); 1.78 Tablespoon Kosher salt; 0.89 Teaspoon Black Pepper; 3.56 Tablespoon Onion Powder; 1.78 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

Prep Time: 1 hour

Brine Time: 12 hours

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 16 hours

This is a great substitute for Turkey for your big holiday parties. The recipe is for 2 ducks. We're using a traditional brine but can easily swap with a dry brine.

Ingredients

Duck Traditional Brine

2 Gallons Water
2.5 Cups Kosher salt
1 Cup Brown Sugar
4 Bay Leaves
1 Tablespoon Thyme
1 Tablespoon Basil
1 Tablespoon Sage
2 Tablespoons Garlic
2 Tablespoons Black Pepper

Duck

8 lbs Duck
32 oz Cider
2 16 oz cans Beer
2 Pear (or Orange)
1.78 Tablespoon Kosher salt
0.89 Teaspoon Black Pepper
3.56 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1.78 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

Instructions

In two large stock pots, dissolve the salt and brown sugar
Let cool and transfer brine to two large tupperware containers
Put a duck into each container
Add the rest of the ingredients to the containers
Store containers in a refrigerator (or cooler with ice) for 12 hours
Remove from brine. Pat dry or air dry
Preheat Oven at 425 F
Season ducks with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic
Drink about 25% of the beer and replace extra liquid with cider.
Place cans in a deep baking pan on top of a grate.
Stick Pear (or Orange) into the neck of the duck. Flap skin to cover the fruit
Stand the ducks up on the cans of beer. Use butcher's twine to tie the legs together and make them stable.
Pour a liberal amount of cider into broiler pan and place in oven.
After 1 hour, baste the ducks and lower temperature to 375 F
After 1 hour, base the ducks and lower temperature to 325 F
After 1 hour, remove from oven. Let rest, then chop and serve.

Notes

For crispier skin, make sure to thoroughly air dry - you can let it air dry for up to 2 days.

I like to use a light fruity beer. My favorite is the Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen Grapefruit Bier. It's a good shandie and they sell them in 16 oz cans. Citrus Mistress Can is another good one.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 888Total Fat: 65gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 38gCholesterol: 191mgSodium: 18552mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 44g

Posted in Recipes