Pineapple Chile Lime Braised Duck Legs

Here’s a way to make use of all your hard-earned duck meat that’s tender, tangy, spicy, and sweet

By author of Timber 2 Table Wild Game Recipes Print Recipe
prep time
cook time
2-4
serves
Medium
difficulty

There are lots of recipes out there for duck breasts, but not so many for the legs and thighs. In fact, a lot of hunters don’t even bother keeping the legs and thighs from their waterfowl. That’s a shame. There’s a lot of tasty meat on a duck leg. We love to serve them as appetizers, or save several and make a main course out of them.

Top the duck legs with additional jalapeño slices before serving.

For this recipe, we tenderize the legs by first braising them in the oven using a mixture of pineapple and lime juice, lime zest, a bit of honey for sweetness, and a few sliced jalapeños for a bit of kick. Once the legs have braised for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, pat them dry and place them on a hot grill for a minute or two per side to crisp up the skin. I like to brush the quarters with a thin layer of sweet teriyaki sauce as they grill.

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Ingredients

 

4 to 8 duck leg quarters, skin on

1/2 cup sweet teriyaki sauce

 

Braising liquid

1/2 cup pineapple juice

Juice of 2 limes

Zest of 1 lime

3 tablespoons honey

Several slices jarred jalapeño plus about a tablespoon of the juice

Cooking Instructions

Put the duck leg quarters in a single layer, skin side up, in an ovenproof dish. Mix the braising liquid and pour it over the duck. You want the liquid to come up about halfway on the leg quarters but not to cover them. Add additional pineapple juice, if necessary, to bring the braising liquid to the correct level. Spoon pepper rings over leg quarters.

Add enough liquid to cover half to two-thirds of the duck legs, but leave the skin exposed.

Braise the duck legs, uncovered, in a 300-degree oven for 2 hours. Remove from the braising liquid, cool slightly, and pat dry.

Braise at 300 degrees until the legs are tender.

Place the ducks, skin side down, on a 350-degree grill. Brush the top with sweet teriyaki sauce. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip to skin side up. Brush again with teriyaki sauce and grill for an additional 2 to 3 minutes to set the glaze. Top with fresh jalapeño slices before serving. 

Brush with teriyaki sauce as you grill to crisp the skin.

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