Tired of chicken? Try Duck.

What you will need

1 dead duck
1 rotisserie
1 metal or wooden skewer
seasoning

Step 1: Prepping the Duck

Remove Duck from wrapper. Empty body cavity, rinse with cold water and pat dry with clean paper towels.

Using a sharp skewer prick the skin of the duck all over the body. Do not pierce the meat. Duck unlike most store bought chicken has a very thick layer of fat between the skin and meat. These holes help the fat drain out during the cooking process.

Also unlike store bought chickens, ducks come with the neck skin still attached. This freaked me out a bit just because I was not expecting it.

Remove neck skin and wing tips. You may want to keep the wing tips on if using a spit type rotisserie.

Step 2: Seasoning the Duck

If you have a spit type rotisserie you can elect to skewer the duck now. After adding the seasoning you can tie up the legs and wings.

The wet rub:

2 T. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. sage
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Combine all ingredients and brush unto bird.

Step 3: Fire Up the Grill

If you plan on doing a lot of rotisserie cooking I suggest purchasing an EZ Que rotisserie system for your grill. Instead of a spit or rod they use a basket and clamps. They are very easy to use and can be cleaned in the dish washer. You also don't have to worry about the meat being balanced.

Set your grill up for rotisserie cooking. Cook duck until the internal temp is 165 degrees at it's thickest part. Unlike chicken duck is all dark meat and I tend to cook it longer than chicken, 2-3 hours.

Like I said before there is a lot of fat under the skin of a duck. You must have something under the duck to catch the grease. This is extra important if you are using a gas grill.

Step 4: Carve and Enjoy

Please remember to use bbq gloves or oven mitts to remove the spit from the grill. It will be HOT!!!

Once the duck has acheived the desired internal temp and you feel that it's done remove the entire spit and let the duck rest rest on a clean cutting board tented with foil. After 10-15 minutes remove the spit. I'm saying to let the spit stay in the duck for a while because if you remove it immediately you can loose a lot of juice. This does not apply if you're using an EZ Que.

Carve bird by removing the legs and dividing the thighs and drumsticks. Fillet the breast meat from the bone. Pick over the carcass for extra meat.

Do not expect it to taste like chicken. Duck is duck not chicken.

Step 5: Alternative If You Do Not Have a Rotisserie

You can usually find a universal rotisserie kit for most gas grills for around $20.

If you do not have a rotisserie you can follow all the of directions except use a beer can chicken holder or just a beer can inserted into the body cavity using the legs like a tripod. Just be sure to place a pan under the chicken to catch the grease.