Flavorful duck gumbo with deep smokey undertones, thickened with both okra and file, and complimented with a simple and easy dark oven-baked roux.
MOOD MUSIC
The first time I made this sausage and duck gumbo recipe was the first night spent in a new house in Chicago. I had decided during the closing process that gumbo would be the celebratory meal. My new neighbors had other plans for welcoming me to the neighborhood. Anonymous neighbors reported me as a suspected burglar and sent Chicago's finest to greet me. Who wants to eat gumbo after such an ordeal.
Duck Gumbo Ingredients
I had copped my duck fat and duck legs after work near my office then grabbed the rest of the ingredients including the andouille sausage and the holy trinity from the grocery store closer to my house. My plan was to smoke the duck first and then finish the gumbo late that night after putting the kids down. I prefer to let my gumbo sit overnight in the refrigerator as the flavors come together even more.
- Duck legs
- Andouille sausage
- Onions
- Celery
- Red bell peppers
- Garlic cloves
- Canned Fire Roasted tomatoes
- Okra
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh oregano
- Fresh basil
- Bay leaves
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Dark roux (flour and fat of choice. I used duck fat)
- Green Onion
Duck Gumbo Cooking Instructions
Smoke the Duck Legs
Season duck with salt and pepper. Smoke on low heat (225-250 degrees f) for 1-2 hours depending on how much smokiness you want. I like to smoke my duck or chicken a dead ahead.
Pull the duck meat from the bones and set aside.
Make the Stock
Fill a 2-gallon stockpot with water. Add duck bones, bay leaves, and all three fresh herbs. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer cooking for 2 hours. Strain and reserve the stock.
Make the Oven-Baked Roux
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine 1 cup of duck fat and 2 cups of flour in a dutch oven pot and mix well. Add roux to the oven and bake until you achieve desired color. You may need to check and stir every 15-20 minutes until browned.
I like a dark chocolate roux, so tend to cook my roux longer than most. Once the roux is done place the pot on the cooktop (be careful as pot will be quite hot). Add onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, plus a third of the seasoning. Let simmer until vegetables are almost wilted.
Make the Gumbo
Slowly add stock to the roux along with a third of the spice mix and stir well to get that smooth consistency and dissolve the roux fully. Let simmer for an hour.
While simmering, chop up the reserved duck meat as well as the andouille sausage. Set aside.
Add the remaining seasoning plus the tomatoes, bay leaves, okra, duck meat, and andouille sausage.
Serve in a bowl over hot rice. Garnish with green onions and parsley.
COOKING CONSIDERATIONS AND TIPS
Bake the roux in the oven to save energy and time.
Smoke your duck, or if using chicken, ahead of time.
If available feel free to make your own homemade stock.
The duck fat combined with the duck leg and silky dark roux add intense richness to this sausage gumbo.
I used red bell peppers instead of green for a slightly sweeter profile. If possible use fresh ingredients only, which I did for all except the diced tomatoes I included. Tomatoes can be a hot button item when discussing gumbo recipes amongst many from Louisiana.
The argument goes that tomatoes have no place in gumbo. However, despite the fact that most Americans attribute gumbo to Creole influence, it, like most culinary efforts globally, is rooted in African cuisine. West Africans brought okra gumbo/stew with them during slavery. My grandmother frequently made reference to "okra gumbo" which she made with tomatoes and thus they make an appearance in my recipe.
Key Tips for Making Duck Gumbo
- You don't have to smoke the duck leg until it's done. You're not aiming to cook it fully, only to get that smokey flavor. The duck will have plenty of time to finish cooking when added to the gumbo.
- The gumbo roux is everything! Use a heavy cast-iron skillet for the roux. It holds heat well and will brown evenly. Aim for the dark roux to get that rich and classic authentic Louisiana gumbo taste
- Make your own chicken stock. Store-bought doesn't offer enough complexity nor depth of flavor
- Thickness is achieved via the okra or file. You can use one or the other or both if you're compelled, but generally one is enough. Adjust the amount of each depending on the desired thickness
- Make gumbo well in advance as it gets better with time.
- Choose a very heavy pot, preferably a big cast iron dutch oven when making a large volume of gumbo. Avoid lightweight pots as they do not conduct heat evenly causing the need for more frequent stirring to avoid burning ingredients on at the bottom.
Key Equipment Needed
MORE RECIPES
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Make This Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3 duck leg quarters
- 2 sprigs Fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs Fresh oregano
- 2 sprigs Fresh basil
- 4 whole bay leaves
- 2 cups dark roux using your preferred roux recipe or quick oven baked version
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 ribs celery chopped
- 1 large red bell peppers chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoons kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pound frozen or fresh okra sliced
- 14 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 pound andouille sausage
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Smoke duck according to manufacturing instructions. Once smoked, remove meat and reserve for gumbo, saving bones for stock. (The smoking may be done a day in advance)
- Cover duck bones with water in a 2-gallon stockpot. Add 2 bay leaves plus 2 stems and leaves of all three herbs and simmer for two hours. Strain and reserve stock.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 1 cup of duck fat and 2 cups of flour in a cast iron dutch oven and mix well. Add roux to the oven and bake until you achieve desired color. You may need to check and stir every 15-20 minutes until browned.
- Once roux is done place pot on the cooktop (be careful as pot will be quite hot). Add onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, and paprika. Let simmer until vegetables are almost wilted.
- Slowly add stock to the roux, stirring to create a smooth consistency and dissolving the roux fully. Let simmer an hour.
- While simmering, cut reserved duck meat and andouille into cubes. Set aside.
- Adjust seasoning if needed and add tomatoes, remaining bay leaves, okra, duck meat, andouille, green onion, and parsley. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Serve hot over rice of choice.
Notes
- If you don't have access to duck fat for your roux, feel free to substitute your oil of choice. Vegetable, canola, reserved chicken or bacon grease will all work.
- You don't have to smoke the duck leg until it's done. You're not aiming to cook it fully, only to get that smokey flavor. The duck will have plenty of time to finish cooking when added to the gumbo.
- The gumbo roux is everything! Use a heavy cast iron skillet for the roux. It holds heat well and will brown evenly. Aim for dark roux to get that rich and classic authentic Louisiana gumbo taste
- Make your own chicken stock. Store-bought doesn't offer enough complexity nor depth of flavor
- Thickness is achieved via the okra or file. You can use one or the other or both if you're compelled, but generally one is enough. Adjust the amount of each depending on desired thickness
- Make gumbo well in advance as it gets better with time.
- Choose a very heavy pot, preferably a big cast iron dutch oven when making a large volume of gumbo. Avoid light weight pots as they do not conduct heat evenly causing the need for more frequent stirring to avoid burning ingredients on at the bottom.