Barbecued Duck with Wilted Greens

To cold-smoke the ducks: Pull all the loose fat from the duck cavities, and remove the wishbones from inside the neck cavities. Cut through the ball joints of the wings and chop off the wings at the elbows. Cut through the ball joints of the thighs to remove the legs and thighs in one piece. Cut the breasts in half along the center breastbones, and remove the breast halves with attached wings from the backbone. (The wingtips and backbones may be reserved for making duck stock for another recipe.)

Heat a smoker to 300 F. Place the dry hickory chips (do not soak them) in the chamber. Season the ducks with salt and pepper and place the legs, with the thighs still attached, on one rack. Place the breasts on a separate rack.

Place the racks with the duck pieces in the smoker, placing the rack with the legs lower than the rack with the breast meat. Close and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the breasts and let cool. Let the legs remain in the smoker for another 1-1/2 hours, or until the leg meat is very tender and smoked through. Remove and let cool. Remove the meat from the bones. Scrape the skin back from the breasts and remove the fat, then smooth the skin back into place. Pull the meat from the legs in shreds; discard the leg skin. Set aside.

To make the barbecue sauce: In a large saucepan, combine the ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and cook the sauce for 1 hour, or until the flavors are well combined. Transfer the sauce to the bowl of a food processor and blend well. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

To make the corn sauce: Using a sharp knife, remove the corn kernels from the cobs and put into a bowl. Using the back of the knife, scrape along the cobs to remove any remaining pulp or juices, scraping into the bowl. Put through a juicer (if desired, the corn may be used as is). In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion, shallot, and bell pepper until tender but not colored, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the corn juice (or corn) and water, stirring to blend. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, 8 to 9 minutes, stirring constantly. If the sauce becomes too thick, thin by adding a little additional water. Season with salt, pepper, and mustard. Pour into the container of a blender or a food processor and puree. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a small saucepan. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat or a warm water bath; if reheated, the corn will become starchy again.

To cook the greens: Remove and discard the coarse stems from the greens. Wash the leaves thoroughly and drain well. Stack the leaves and cut crosswise, then cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch pieces. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the greens and cook 1 to 5 minutes, until just tender. The younger the greens, the less time required. Drain thoroughly.

To cook the duck and finish the dish: Film a cast-iron skillet with the olive oil and place over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add the duck breasts, skin-side down. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes, allowing the skin to crisp. The slow cooking process renders any excess fat remaining in the duck breast. Increase the heat to high and turn the duck breasts, searing the skin for about 1 minute. Slice the breasts on the bias into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

In a saucepan, warm the smoked duck leg meat with the barbecue sauce over medium heat. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat and add the greens; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve: Place seasoned greens in the center of each serving plate, reserving one third of the greens. Divide the duck leg meat among the plates and place over the greens; top with the remaining greens. Fan the duck breast slices over the greens and finish each plate with a sprig of thyme. Ladle warm corn sauce around the greens.