Duck, duck, duck
It’s the last few days of duck season in California if you happen to hunt, as some of us do. Fans tend to think of duck as the steak of the poultry world, as it’s so much more robust in f lavor than, well, chicken. I’ve taken my share of pintails, gadwalls and teals. ( Though I try to avoid diver ducks, as they can taste a little fishy.) Although the cooking options are almost endless — do you want to sauté, braise, roast or even stew your duck? — now is the perfect time to give your grill a little love by smoking your birds. Bathe your duck overnight in a brine flavored with maple, rosemary, mustard and bourbon ( the cook should always sample the liquor to make sure it’s satisfactory, more than once if necessary), then slow- smoke the bird over hickory. It’s magical. Even if you don’t hunt, store- bought ducks are just fine — in fact, they’re bigger than most of the ducks you’ll find out in the wild and, thankfully, they’re already plucked and cleaned.