No one knows the fine art of smoke-cooked barbecue better than Cheryl and Bill Jamison, who, in their fifth cookbook, feature 225 exciting recipes for backyard (or stovetop) smoking. Building on the basics laid out in their award-winning Smoke & Spice, which offers traditional American styles of smoke-cooked barbecue, the Jamison's now delve into a more contemporary approach to smoking, with an emphasis on leaner cuts of meat, chicken, fish, and vegetables. The result is a delightful array of dishes. Double-Smoked Salsa, Tandoori-Style Chicken, Sake-Soaked Snapper, Chinese Shrimp Noodles, Lemony Leeks, and Marinated Portobello Mushrooms are just a sampling of dishes that elevate the art of smoke cooking to new heights.
At least 10 hours and up to 24 hours before you plan to smoke the ducks, combine the paste ingredients with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor.
Rub the ducks generously with the paste inside and out, and over and under the skin, being careful to avoid tearing it. Place the ducks in a plastic bag and refrigerate them.
About 2 hours before you plan to smoke the ducks, remove them from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Prepare the tea for steaming the ducks, placing the tea leaves in a large bowl. In a large pan, bring the water to a boil, and pour it over the tea leaves. Let the mixture steep 10 minutes. Pour the tea through a strainer into a large saucepan.
Place the leftover tea leaves in a pie pan or other smokeproof dish and add the cinnamon, orange peel, and peppercorns. Reserve the tea leaf mixture.
Arrange a bamboo steamer over the saucepan of tea and place the ducks in the steamer. (If one steamer isn't large enough for two ducks, make a double batch of tea and use two saucepans and steamers.) Steam the ducks over medium-high heat for 1 1/2 hours. Discard the greasy steaming liquid.
Bring your smoker to its appropriate cooking temperature.
If your smoker has dual grates, place the pan of tea leaves and spices on the lower one and transfer the ducks to the upper grate. If your smoker has a single grate, arrange the pan and the ducks alongside each other, with the pan closer to the heat source. Cook the ducks until they darken to a deep mahogany and their leg joints move easily, about 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours at a temperature of 225 degrees F to 250F.
