Grilled duck breast in Mediterranean herb marinade

Prepare the marinade
Finely chop the garlic. Finely chop the rosemary and thyme. Mix with olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper.

Marinate
Lightly score the duck breasts on the meat side. Rub with the marinade, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, ideally 12–18 hours.

Preparation
Remove the duck breasts from the marinade and pat dry thoroughly. Score the skin in a diamond pattern, being careful not to cut into the meat. Lightly salt only the meat side just before grilling.

Prepare the grill
Prepare the grill for two zones: – direct heat: 180–200 °C grill temperature – indirect heat: 140–160 °C

slowly release skin
Grill the duck breasts skin-side down over direct heat. Do not move. Render the skin slowly for 8–10 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Check for any flare-ups of fat.

Cooking over indirect heat
Turn the duck breasts over and place them in the indirect heat zone. Cook gently with the lid closed for 8–12 minutes, until an internal temperature of 56–58 °C is reached.

Let it rest
Remove the duck breasts from the grill and loosely wrap them in aluminum foil. Let them rest for 8–10 minutes. The target internal temperature is 58–60 °C after resting.

Serve
Slice the duck breast. Only now season it: – fine salt (sparingly) – optionally freshly ground black pepper – optionally a few drops of olive oil or a fine squeeze of lemon juice