Smoked Duck Breast with Cherry Port Sauce

Our favorite way to make duck breast is on the grill and smoked with some of our local juniper wood chips, then combine the duck with a cherry port sauce that incorporates homemade duck stock, juniper berries from our trees, local honey, and a hot pepper for some heat. This combination of flavors is just awesome and goes with many sides, my favorite being duck fat potatoes.

Ingredients
2 duck breasts
Juniper wood chips
2 tbsp of Avocado or Olive Oil divided
1 small shallot sliced
1 Serrano or Jalapeno pepper cored and chopped
¼ cup duck or vegetable stock
½ cup of Port wine (red wine can be used instead)
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp local honey
1 tbsp butter
¼ tsp about 5 ground Juniper berries
1 tbsp cherry preserves
8 oz of pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan, add shallot and pepper and cook until they soften, about 2 minutes.
Add stock, wine, vinegar, honey, butter, Juniper berries, cherry preserves and pitted cherries to the pan, cook until the liquid is halved, and cherries are cooked down, about 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
While the sauce is cooking heat the grill (cast iron pan on the grate) to 450 °F along with a handful of juniper (or similar) wood chips on one side of the grate.
Score the skin/fat side of the duck breasts criss cross, careful to not hit the meat, salt and pepper both sides.
Place 1 tbsp oil in the heated pan, lay the breasts in skin side down, and cook until they brown and the fat renders (about 5-6 minutes). Move the pan away from the heat (turn off a burner for gas) and allow to heat through while the juniper is smoking for another 5-6 minutes (until the meat reaches 140 °F degrees for medium rare). Pull from the grill, allow to rest 8-10 minutes before cutting, then slice the breasts across the grain, lay on top of your preferred side, and spoon some sauce over each.