Heavenly duck legs can be cooked very easily on an outdoor grill, too. If you are already grilling, or if you would simply rather turn on the backyard grill than the kitchen stove for dinner, this is a perfect solution. Not to mention that grilling adds extra flavor and wonderful smoky aromas to an already very tasty duck leg. Perfect grilled duck legs, made simply.
Preparing the legs — the secret to success
When making grilled duck legs, I think one of the most important steps is proper preparation. The fact that duck legs are quite fatty is very useful for traditional oven roasting. On the grill, however, the excess fat would simply render out and drip away, which is a problem in two ways.
First, the fat and all the delicious flavor in it would be completely wasted. Second, a large amount of fat dripping onto the grill only makes cooking harder, especially on a charcoal grill. Or, if you are using a gas grill, it collects unnecessarily at the bottom of the grill.
That is why, before grilling the duck legs, you should cut away the thick, hanging fat along with the skin attached to it. Set it aside and render it into duck cracklings. This way, the cracklings make a delicious appetizer while the legs are cooking, and you can use the rendered duck fat later.
To make duck cracklings, cut the fat into smaller pieces. Put it in a cold saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the fat has rendered out.
Pre-searing in a skillet
Although this recipe is about grilling duck legs, I still recommend pre-searing them in a skillet on a regular stove. Of course, it is easy to say on impulse that this is not really grilling. But even so, it is not an unnecessary step, because it makes the final result perfect and easier to control.
This step — starting skin-side down in a cold skillet — ensures two things. First, the duck skin browns nicely. Second, the fat that would only be unnecessary during grilling renders out. On top of that, you can optionally make a very tasty sauce for the meat this way.
Start the pre-sear skin-side down in a cold skillet. Heat it over medium-high heat and cook the legs for 6–8 minutes without moving them at all. After the 6–8-minute pre-sear, turn the legs over and cook them in the skillet for half a minute before putting them on the grill. On the grill, continue cooking them the same way, skin-side up.
After pouring off the rendered fat, you can make a very tasty sauce from the browned bits left in the skillet. Optionally, sauté half a finely chopped onion in a little duck fat for 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle in a little flour and cook it for another minute. Pour in a little red wine, stock, or water. Reduce it, and season with salt or ground pepper if needed. Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. It goes very well with grilled duck legs!
Seasoning grilled duck legs
Of course, you can vary the seasoning however you like. Here I give you a simple but still very delicious spice blend. It is made with salt, pepper, dried rosemary, and thyme. Naturally, it will also be very good with just the classic salt-and-pepper combination, and garlic also goes well with it.
Use the spices in whatever quantity you like. What is important, though, is that, as with all roasted meats, grilled duck legs need more seasoning than people usually think at first.
Grilled Duck Legs
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs
- Salt
- Pepper
- Dried rosemary
- Dried thyme
Instructions
- To make grilled duck legs, first heat the grill to medium heat, or about 390–430°F (200–220°C).
- Cut the excess fat and hanging skin off the duck legs. On the grill, the rendered fat would only drip down.
- Salt the skin side of the legs and place them skin-side down in a cold skillet. Season the other side in the skillet with salt, pepper, dried rosemary, and a little dried thyme.
- Cook them for 6–8 minutes over medium-high heat on a regular stove in the skillet, without moving them. When the legs move easily in the skillet when shaken, and the skin is nicely golden, pour off the rendered fat. Turn the legs over and cook them in the skillet for another half minute.
- Take the skillet to the preheated grill, and use tongs to place the legs on the grill skin-side up.
- Cook the duck legs on the grill over low heat, covered, for 45 minutes. Serve fresh.
