Vacuum salted and smoked duck breast

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DRY SALTING 4 pieces. Duck breast a 300 g Seasoning salt mixture for 4 pcs. Duck breast 24 g fine table salt 12 g nitrite salt 0.6% 6 g brown sugar 4 g onion powder granules 4 g garlic powder granules 4 g black pepper from the mill 4 g paprika sweet ground 2 g cayenne pepper hot ground 2 g crushed cloves 1 g Sodium ascorbate powder E301 12 bay leaves whole Vacuum packs Vacuum bags or 28x600 cm rolls A duck breast measures approx. 20 x 10 x 3 cm See under Tip: 36 g of salt for 1200 g of meat gives a degree of salinity of 3%

I am an angler in Scandinavia Home Recipe No. 141 Seasoned duck breast ready for vacuuming and then smoking

Procedure without liability: 4 pieces. 300 g duck breasts are prepared for dry salting in vacuum bags. Take them out of the freezer 24 hours before they are to be salted and dry in the fridge. Trim the duck breasts for tendons and blood before salting. Dry them in a clean tea towel so that they are ready for the seasoning salt mixture. Prepare Seasoning salt mixture: Start by weighing out salt and all the spices and mix it well in a bowl. Wait with the bay leaves, they are placed on the breasts just before they are put in the vacuum bag. For those people who absolutely do not want to use nitrite salt, just use 36 g of fine table salt, so that the salting level of 3% is maintained. I can inform you that with 0.6% nitrite salt, a maximum of 60 mg nitrite per kg of meat is obtained. Dry salting: All duck breasts are rubbed well and thoroughly in a whole seasoning salt mixture and 2 whole bay leaves are placed on the skin side. Prepare a large vacuum bag for 4 duck breasts by welding one end, I usually weld 2 times with 5mm distance so the welding holds better. Place the 4 duck breasts in the bag with the meat side up, if there is any seasoning salt left in the bowl, distribute it over the duck breasts. The bag is vacuumed and welded in the same process - remember to weld an extra time. The vacuum bag is placed in the refrigerator for 48 hours and turned twice a day. Longer time gives a more salty taste and turning the bag several times gives a more uniform salting. I usually give full "Power" - 48 hours and 4 turnovers per day and of course Nitrite salt to achieve the beautiful red color in the meat. In addition, nitrite salt also gives meat a slightly longer shelf life. Hot smoking: When the time is up, take the duck breasts out of the fridge and brush/rinse under running cold water to remove excess salt and seasoning. Wipe the duck breasts with a clean tea towel and place them on a rack to dry while the smoker is being prepared. Scratch the skin crosswise in a fine pattern: Harlequin pattern. The smoking oven is heated to 80 °C - 90 °C. When the temperature has been reached, place the duck breasts on a rack with the skin side down and place the rack in the smoking oven on the top shelf. Give them approx. 1 hour without too much smoke. After that, a lot of smoke sawdust came over the embers, so that the smoke development can begin. With a duck breast of 300 g, they must be smoked for approx. 2 hours at a temperature between 70 °C - 80 °C. In total approx. 3 hours. The core temperature in the chest should be approx. 67 °C, go by the temperature rather than the time. I smoke with 90% beech sawdust and 10% juniper granules. Leave the duck breast overnight in the smoker while it cools down, so the smoke flavor can become more intense. Packaging: The duck breasts can be vacuum packed and frozen for several months - maximum 6 months. When they are to be eaten, you can heat them in a microwave, normal oven or on a pan with the skin side down. It promotes the smoke flavor. Serving: The smoked duck breasts can be served warm as a dinner dish with red cabbage, white/brown potatoes and a purchased duck sauce. Sour and sweet side dishes - understood. A good idea here at Christmas time. As a lunch dish with rye bread and butter, cut the duck breast into thin slices on the narrow joint. Served with: See under Garnish. Garnish: Egg stand, tomato slices and a sprinkling of chives. Salt? and Pepper from the mill. Drinking: As a dinner dish, I would recommend a dark and strong red wine, such as Dingac Roso from "Old Yugoslavia" specifically Croatia on the Peljesac peninsula, which is just north of Dubrovnik. The darkest, strongest and highest (alcohol 15.5%) red wine in the world. From my own experience, I can tell you that because of more than 15 notes in this wine, you don't feel the alcohol in the wine at all - BEFORE you get up. For lunch maybe a German Rauchbier from Bamberg, it is a dark lager with a smoky taste. Another option is a beer from Warwick Brewery in Varde. A "Kræ Riwer" which is a Porter with licorice flavor and 8% alcohol. Hint: I have created an Excel spreadsheet for calculating salt, nitrite salt, sugar and spices for any amount of meat and meat of any kind. But that's only for vacuum salting. I always hot smoke duck breasts because of the salmonella risk.