Apple Juice Brine For Smoking Game

When my neighbor Simon popped round with a couple of ducks under his arm I quickly whipped up this apple juice brine and we agreed on a time for dinner the following day.

Simon had shot both ducks and Canada Geese (but more of that later) so we set about removing the breasts and preparing them for smoking. I accept that it's wasteful only to take out the breasts but given the time constraints that we were under and the fact that neither of us are expert "gutters" we felt that this was the best and safest option.

Especially when smoking wild duck it’s really important to marinade them first because wild duck has little fat on it so the marinade is essential in order to prevent the duck drying out. Compare this with my grilled duck breast recipe which really calls for a good fatty breast.

For the marinade you need the following ingredients and don't be afraid to experiment with different herbs depending on what you've got available. Mixed herbs work just a well as the thyme that I've used.

Ingredients:-

• 500ml or 1 pint apple juice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 bayleaf
• 2 teaspoon dried thyme

Method:-

Simply throw all the ingredients in a flat marinade bowl and stir until the salt dissolves. Normally I try to put a picture up on every page but I hope that you’ll excuse me here, I did take a picture but it didn’t turn out too well and to be honest it looked like a bowl of apple juice with a leaf in it!

The next day I set up the smoker with some apple wood chips, got out the patio furniture, broke open a couple of cans of beer one hour later we had perfect smoked duck breast.

Related Pages:-

Barbecue Marinades
BBQ Duck Recipes
Barbecue Goose Marinade

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