Marinated and smoked Chinese duck legs from the pellet smoker with a noble rice core – a recipe that will enchant your taste buds! I recently tried this delicious dish and was delighted by the intense flavors. The marinade made from soy sauce, Chinese rice wine and 5-spice powder gives the duck meat a unique flavor. The whole thing is based on one of my most popular recipes here on the blog, which I’m sure you already know: crispy, delicious Chinese duck breast!
The 5-spice powder is the insider tip for that special taste.
It consists of a blend of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, Szechuan pepper and fennel seeds. This combination of spices brings a perfect balance of sweet, spicy and slightly hot notes into play.
As a side dish for Chinese duck legs, I pan-fried some freshly picked wild mushrooms with onions. The sweet gorse is a delicious wild mushroom with a nutty, slightly peppery flavor. It goes perfectly with the smoky duck legs and rounds off the dish wonderfully. However, other wild mushrooms, such as oyster mushrooms or shiitake, would also work wonderfully.
The recipe: Marinated and smoked duck legs
I love this recipe for succulent Chinese duck legs from the smoker. The marinade and smoking make the meat incredibly tender and aromatic.
Preparation of the duck legs
First, I rub the duck legs with salt and pepper. Then I put them in the marinade for at least 4 hours. I then preheat my pellet smoker to 160°C. The marinated legs are placed on the grill and remain in the pellet smoker at this temperature for about 45 minutes. Which type of pellet you use is of course up to you, I decided to use apple pellets here.
I check the core temperature from time to time with a penetration thermometer. The legs are perfect at 75°C. At the end, I briefly increase the heat to make the skin nice and crispy. The result is butter-soft meat with a smoky aroma.
The role of the marinade
My marinade consists of soy sauce, Chinese rice wine and 5-spice powder. The soy sauce adds umami and saltiness. The rice wine adds a slight sweetness. The 5-spice powder adds depth and complexity.
This mixture penetrates deep into the meat and makes it juicy. At the same time, it supports the formation of a delicious crust. The Asian flavors go great with duck. They enhance the flavor without masking it.
The magic of the 5-spice powder
I love cooking with 5-spice powder. This spice mix is really great! It consists of cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan pepper and cloves. The taste is sweet, spicy and a little hot.
A big advantage of 5-spice powder is that I only need one ingredient instead of five individual spices. This saves time and space in my kitchen. What’s more, the mixture is always perfectly balanced. I like to use 5-spice powder for marinades, but also for seasoning stir fried dishes. It absorbs well into the meat and gives it a great aroma. I find it particularly delicious with grilled or smoked meat.
Side dish: pickles with onions
Shredded onions are a great side dish for Chinese duck legs. Due to their great taste, only salt and pepper are needed as seasoning. These delicious mushrooms go perfectly with the smoky duck legs and bring a wonderful forest flavor to the plate. Other mushrooms also work very well as a side dish, such as shiitake, porcini mushrooms or oyster mushrooms.
Knowledge of noble irritants
Edelreizker are one of my favorite mushrooms. They have an orange-red color and a firm, crunchy bite. When I cut them, they release an orange milky juice. This is typical of this species. The taste of Edelreizker is simply great. They taste nutty and slightly spicy. Some say they are reminiscent of carrots. I think they have their very own, unmistakable mushroom flavor.
The noble irritant grows in coniferous forests in symbiosis with pine trees, which is why they are sometimes called pine irritant. If you only gather mushrooms with orange milk, you will definitely only get edible mushrooms, but none of them are as tasty as the edible milk mushroom.
Preparation of the mushroom garnish
To prepare the mushrooms, I clean them carefully with a brush. Then I cut them into slices. Finely chop the onions. Heat some clarified butter in a pan. Fry the onions in it first until translucent. Then I add the mushrooms. Fry them over a high heat, then fry them over a medium heat until they are lightly browned. Finally, I season with salt and pepper. Sometimes I also add fresh herbs such as parsley or thyme. This gives the dish a fresh note.
Flavor profile of the duck
The marinated and smoked Chinese duck leg is a real taste sensation. The juicy, tender meat has a slight smoky note. The marinade made from soy sauce, rice wine and 5-spice powder gives the duck a great seasoning. I particularly love the taste of the 5-spice powder. It brings together sweet, salty and spicy notes. The mixture of star anise, fennel, cinnamon, pepper and cloves goes really well with the duck. The skin becomes beautifully crispy and has a great umami flavor. The meat remains juicy and tender thanks to the slow smoking process.
Flavors of the Edelreizker
The roasted noble ricer is a perfect side dish for duck. I like their mild, nutty flavor. They have a firm texture and a slightly peppery aftertaste. When fried in a pan with onions, the mushrooms develop their full aroma. They absorb the spice of the onions and develop a slightly sweet taste. The combination of tender duck meat and spicy mushrooms is simply delicious. The earthy notes of the noble salsify perfectly complement the rich flavors of the duck.
Asian duck dishes
Duck is an important part of Asian cuisine. I have tried many delicious duck dishes in different Asian countries and you will also find them on my blog: Vietnamese duck legs, Asian pulled duck hot dog or hot-smoked duck breast with 5-spice powder.
The importance of duck in Asia
In China, duck is a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Through my travels and my involvement with Asian cuisines, I have learned that it is often served at festivals and special occasions. In many Asian countries, the whole duck is used – from the beak to the feet. Duck is popular because it is succulent and aromatic. I particularly like how versatile it can be prepared. In traditional Chinese medicine, duck meat is considered to be warming and nourishing.
Asian duck preparations
Peking duck is certainly the favorite dish of many. The crispy skin tastes heavenly! I tried grilled duck with rice noodles in Hoi An. In Thailand, there are delicious curry dishes with duck. Steamed duck is popular in southern China. I also like roast duck breast strips with vegetables. In Japan, duck broth with noodles is very popular. The variety of preparations is impressive.
If you would like to see a particular Asian duck dish on my blog, please write it in the comments.
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Chinesische Entenkeulen aus dem Smoker an frischen Edelreizkern
Die Entenkeulen waschen, trocken tupfen und für ca. 4 Stunden marinieren. Das geht am besten in einem Gefrierbeutel oder Zip-Lock, da so die Keulen über all gut mit Marinade bedeckt sind.
Den Smoker oder Pellet Smoker auf 160-170 Grad vorheizen. Die Entenkeulen dann für 40 – 50 Minuten bis zur gewünschten Kerntemperatur 65 Grad (rosa) bis 75 Grad (durch) im Smoker belassen. Während des Smokens einmal mit der aufgefangenen Marinade bestreichen.
In der Zwischenzeit die Pilze putzen, mundgerecht schneiden. Die Zwiebel grob hacken und in Butterschmalz glasig braten. Die Pilze hinzufügen, scharf anbraten, anschließend bei mittlerer Hitze für 5 Minuten weiter braten. Mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen, frische Kräuter oder Algen-Topping darüber streuen und mit den Entenkeulen servieren.
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
2 Entenkeulen
Für die Marinade
5 EL helle Sojasauce
3 EL chinesischer Reiswein (Shaoxing)
1/2 TL 5-Gewürz-Pulver
Für die Pilzpfanne
400 g frische, aromatische Pilze wie Edelreizker, Steinpilze, Shiitake, etc
1 kleine rote Zwiebel
Salz und Pfeffer
Butterschmalz
frische Kräuter oder Algen-Topping
- Prep Time: 20 Minuten
- Cook Time: 50 Minuten
