Juniper Duck Breast Pastrami

Make your own pastrami! Easy? Yes. Impressive? Yes. Delicious? YES!!!! This pastrami will bring Pacific Northwest flavors to your charcuterie board and guests clamoring for more. Juniper berries impart sweet, piney flavors with citrus top notes that play perfectly with European Coriander Seed. The smoky layers on the crust hint at a campfire flavored with Alderwood Smoked Salt and Upper Left Madrona Smoked Honey. This pastrami has turned many into duck lovers and will be the first to go on your smorgasbord. Use for charcuterie plates, sandwiches and pasta dishes. Tasty cold.

Ingredients

For the Pastrami Cure:

4 pounds duck breast, skin scored
1/4 cup Alderwood Smoked Salt
2 teaspoons ground Black Vietnamese Peppercorn
2 teaspoons ground European Coriander Seed
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground Juniper
1 teaspoon Curing Salt #1
1/2 teaspoon Powder Ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground Turkish Bay Leaf

For the Pastrami Rub:

1-1/2 tablespoons ground European Coriander Seed
2 teaspoons ground Juniper
1-1/2 tablespoons coarsely ground Black Vietnamese Peppercorn
1/2 cup Upper Left Madrona Smoked Honey

Directions

For the Pastrami Cure: For easy scoring of the skin, put duck breasts in the freezer for an hour before you begin. Then, with a sharp knife, cut parallel lines 1/4 inch apart, across the surface of the skin. Be careful not to cut into the meat. Once lines are scored in one direction, turn duck breasts to score lines in the other direction. Your goal is to have a crosshatch pattern of tiny squares cut across the skin.

Combine all of the cure ingredients into a bowl, mixing well. Rub duck breast on both sides with cure, and allow to cure in refrigerator for 3 days on a rack placed over a sheet pan. Leave uncovered to allow air to circulate around the duck breast. As it cures, the liquid from the duck breast will drain into the pan.

After 3 days, rinse the duck breast and pat dry. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.Combine the rub ingredients together in a bowl, mixing well. Rub in the dry rub mix, then brush the skin with honey. Place the duck breast skin side up on a sheet pan with a baking rack.

Put the duck in the oven and cook for 25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 138 degrees. The center should still be pink. Allow the breast to cool completely and thinly slice on a bias.

Note: For easy basting of the honey, warm it up slightly before brushing on.

Tags: Alderwood Smoked Salt Appetizer Bay Leaf Black Pepper Coriander Curing Salt Duck Ginger Powder Holiday Juniper