Barbecue duck with sticky berry glaze

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 4 duck legs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

For the berry glaze
• 200g mixed berries, fresh or frozen
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated or crushed
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp black pepper

Method

1. Get the duck ready

Pat the duck legs dry with kitchen paper and season them well all over with sea salt and black pepper. Rub with the olive oil, then leave them uncovered in the fridge for a few hours if you have time. That helps the skin dry out a bit, which is always useful when crispness is part of the plan.

2. Make the berry glaze

Put the berries, honey, redcurrant jelly, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, thyme and black pepper into a small saucepan. Set it over a medium heat and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the berries have broken down and the glaze has thickened slightly.

Press it through a sieve into a bowl if you want a smoother finish, or leave it a little rustic if that suits the mood. Either way, it should be glossy, sticky and sharp enough to cut through the richness of the duck rather than just making things sweeter.

3. Start the duck gently

Set up the barbecue for indirect cooking at a medium heat. Put the duck legs skin-side up on the cooler side of the grill, close the lid and cook for 35–45 minutes, turning once, until the duck is cooking through and the fat is rendering nicely. You are giving it time here, not trying to blast it into toughness.

4. Crisp the skin

Once the duck has started to render and feels nearly cooked, move it over to the hotter side of the barbecue, skin-side down first. Grill for 3–4 minutes until the skin is crisp and taking on good colour. Keep an eye on it, because duck fat and open flame can get overexcited quite quickly.

5. Glaze properly

Brush the duck generously with the berry glaze, turn it, then brush the other side. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, turning and glazing again once or twice, until the glaze is sticky, lightly charred at the edges and properly clinging to the duck. You want lacquered and glossy, not burnt into bitterness.

6. Let it rest

Transfer the duck to a board or platter and leave it to rest for 5–10 minutes. This gives the glaze a chance to settle and the meat a chance to calm down before carving or serving.

7. Serve

Serve the duck legs whole, or shred the meat slightly and pile it onto a platter with an extra spoonful of glaze over the top. Very good with grilled new potatoes, charred spring onions, slaw or something sharp and leafy to keep things balanced.

A couple of helpful notes

- Duck legs work especially well on the barbecue because they stay juicy and take well to a slower cook before finishing over higher heat.
- If your barbecue runs hot, keep the duck away from direct flame until the very end. Duck fat has a habit of causing drama.
- The glaze can be made ahead, which makes the whole thing feel much more relaxed once the fire is going.