Ember Pit
All cuts

Poultry · Moulard or Pekin, skin-on

Duck breast

Cooked like a steak, not like chicken. USDA 165°F ruins it. Aim for a rose center.

Internal target

132°

Medium-rare

90°Probe220°
Pit
225–400°

Render then sear

Time
30–45 min

Clock, not a scale

Rest
8 min
USDA
165°

Safety floor

USDA poultry is 165°F. Duck breast at 165°F is shoe leather. Medium-rare is the point.

Watch it cooked

DUCKCHAR · How to Smoke Duck Breast on a Traeger Grill

How to Smoke Duck Breast on a Traeger Grill

DUCKCHAR

Watch on YouTube

Recipes

Doneness

Pull a few degrees early. Carryover finishes the cook while it rests.

How to cook it

  1. 1

    Score the fat in a crosshatch without cutting meat. Salt.

  2. 2

    Start skin-side on a cold pan or low grill to render, or smoke to 115°F then sear skin-down.

  3. 3

    Pull 128–132°F. Rest. Slice on a bias.

Probe & cues

Center of the breast, from the side.

  • Fat is liquid under a crisp skin. Center is rose, not gray.

Start a cook

Logs the target and runs a pit timer. Saved on this device.