This time next week Thanksgiving will be over and the march to the holidays commences. I think it's fitting I share my grilled duck recipe.

First get duck...preferrably a fresh Long Island one. 

Buy one gallon of apple cider and put it on the stove, low heat, to cook it down till syrupy. This will take at least eight hours so start this early in the day and the bonus is your house will smell great!

Wash duck thoroughly and remove and throw out the inerds.

Buy green apples, cut into quarters and stuff them inside the duck. I usually fit about two and a half apples in each bird. I season the ducks with some kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and a bit of my special BBQ rub.

Keep the stuffed, seasoned duck on your counter so it warms to room temperature before cooking. I find it cooks more evenly and gives the spices a chance to work their magic.

Get your grill ready. I prefer charcoal with apple wood as my smoke component. Make sure when you place the coals and wood that you leave space for a pan to catch the duck drippings unless you like black charred duck

When your fire is nice and hot...I usually grill at roughly 300º...place your ducks on the grill above the pan you placed in the middle of the grill and close it up.

Check back every 30 minutes to see where the the duck is cooking the fastest and rotate the birds so they can cook more evenly.

At roughly the two hour mark, the ducks are close to being done (usually about 2.25 hours). Get your apple cider syrup that you cooked down all day and slather it on. Then with the grill top off, place the ducks on top of the heat. Don't leave! They are going to start to flame up so pay close attention. Our goal is to get the skin nice and crispy NOT black and charred (unless you like that:)

When they are nice and crispy, move the ducks off the heat and take the temp. Keep cooking till it hits 170º. If it's 168 that's okay...pull it off and bring it inside your house and let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy~!