Grills will soon be heating up across the country for the Fourth of July holiday. Make your backyard barbeque a standout this year with duck. If you’re burned out on the usual beef, pork or chicken, duck is a versatile and delicious alternative to other meats — and it’s just as easy to prepare.

Just in time for Independence Day, Maple Leaf Farms has created a duck grilling kit complete with ready-to-grill duck products, duck grilling guide with duck recipes and an exclusive “Fire Quacker” apron. Its farm-raised White Pekin duck products have a tender, mild flavor that adapts to a variety of flavor profiles. Plus, duck is surprisingly healthy and is leaner and has less saturated fat than other meats.

The Fire-Quacker Duck Grilling Kit features 8 skinless duck breasts for a delicious filet flavor, 4 lbs. of all natural ground duck meat that’s great for burgers and 32 fully cooked duckbrats, a classic sausage made healthier with duck and Maple Leaf Farms’ newest product offering.

Duck has amazing, mouthwatering flavor when cooked on the grill and will be sure to turn up the heat at your next backyard get-together. This recipe using all new duck brats is a great way to introduce duck to your holiday celebration.

Find more recipes for the grill and information about cooking with duck at mapleleaffarms.com.

Tucker Family Duck Brats with Onion Jam

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium sweet onions, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rings
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 4–6 Maple Leaf Farms Duck Brats, thawed
• 2 cups beef stock or beer
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4–6 hoagie rolls, toasted

Directions:

1. In large pan, heat butter until foaming. On low heat add the onions, brown sugar, salt and pepper; stir and let onions caramelize for about 20 minutes. Add Dijon mustard and stir. Addduck brats to the pan and pour beef stock or beer over brats. Add apple cider vinegar and cook to medium heat; braise for 10 minutes. (Duck brats are already fully cooked).

2. Remove brats and let onion mixture simmer on medium while you finish the brats on a medium-high heat grill about 4–5 minutes on each side.

3. Serve brats in hoagie roll with onion jam on top.

Duck Wellington

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

About Maple Leaf Farms:

Maple Leaf Farms, Inc. is America’s leading producer of quality duck products, supplying retail and foodservice markets throughout the world with innovative, value-added foods. Founded in 1958, Maple Leaf Farms is a fourth generation, family-owned company. For more information, contact Maple Leaf Farms at 1-800-348-2812 or visit www.mapleleaffarms.com.