Wanaka restaurant Uncle Mike's BBQ is the only Otago restaurant in the Monteith's Wild Food Challenge finals, which will be judged in Auckland on Monday.
The restaurant's Kansas-style "Smokey Southern Duck" entry is one of three from South Island-based eateries among the seven competition finalists.
Restaurant owner and head chef Mike Oxley's creation consists of a half-duck portion smoked using apple wood-chips, topped with cranberry barbecue sauce accompanied by crispy plantains (fried banana chips) and matched to a Monteith's beer.
Recreating the slow-cooked dish during a "live" finalists cook-off presents an extra challenge for Mr Oxley.
"We can't exactly pack up our 800kg smoker with us.
"I don't think the airlines will let us away with that kind of oversize baggage."
Mr Oxley plans to courier a "family home smoker" north for the competition finals.
The "much smaller" smoker would help replicate the slow barbecue process of his kitchen for the finals, he said.
"It's really important for the judges to experience the duck right out of the smoker, so we'll be shipping up our family home barbecue to use on the day of the cook-off."
American-styled barbecues slow-smoke meat cuts, compared with the hot-plate grilling technique preferred in New Zealand, Mr Oxley said.
"We've got to take everything we need for the dish, up to Auckland.
"To make sure ours is perfect, we'll have to get in there early, because the ducks need to smoke for about seven hours."
