Whole Roast Duck

(Roasting a duck can be a hassle sometimes because it can taste too oily, or too dry, or be under cooked even after it comes out of the oven. Here’s a straight forward recipe that involves boiling the Duck in flavorful broth first, then roasting it. Your duck will be succulent, not dry, and very tasty!)

**Medium Difficulty**
Serves 4 to 6

You will need a very large stock pot, roasting pan, roasting rack, kitchen twine, & kitchen skewers

1 large whole Duck (4 to 5 lbs / 1.8 to 2.3 kg), thawed if frozen
1 cup / 236 ml White Wine
8 cups / 1.8 L Chicken Broth, low sodium
8 Tbsp / 120 g Garlic, minced
8 Tbsp / 120 g Shallots, minced
1 Tbsp / 15 g cracked Peppercorn
1 Tbsp / 15 g Sea Salt
7 to 8 sprigs of Fresh Thyme
4 Cloves
2 Bay Leaves

1.) First, remove the duck from its package and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. If you purchased a Duck without the head and neck, skip to step 2. If you purchased a duck WITH the head and neck still connected, you can remove the head and neck now. Start by flipping the Duck onto its stomach and with a sharp knife or cleaver, cut the neck in half. The head should fall off easily. Discard the head. Next, with the knife, score down the back of the neck, and slowly, and carefully peel the skin on the neck off the bone. Then, take your knife and cut the neck bone off where the neck meets the rest of the spine on the Duck’s back. Discard neck bone. Flip Duck back on its back.

2.) With a fork, prick the Duck’s thick skin all over its body a few times, but try not to puncture the meat. This will allow the Duck fat drain off the duck easier when we cook it! Remove the Wing tips, Innards, and any left over feather bristles still on the duck. You can use a pair of kitchen pliers or some clean tweezers. Now, with some paper towels, pat the Duck’s body dry completely, both inside and outside.

3.) Time to secure our Duck. Fold the tail bone into the Duck’s cavity, and fold the flaps of skin over the tail bone. With the small kitchen skewers, secure the tailbone inside the duck. Then with kitchen twine, tie the legs together to help hold the tailbone down. See bottom pictures for reference.

4.) Flip the Duck over and secure the neck skin down against the Duck’s back. Don’t secure it too tightly though, because we want the broth to be able to get inside the Duck as it boils. Next, pin the wings against the body. See bottom pictures for reference. Set aside.

5.) In a large Stock Pot set on High Heat, add in a small amount of vegetable oil, the Garlic, and the Shallots. Brown the Garlic lightly then add in the Bay Leaves, Cracked Peppercorns, Sea Salt, Thyme, and White Wine. Mix gently. Then carefully add the Duck breast-side down into the Stock Pot. Pour in the Chicken Broth to cover the bird entirely. If you still need more liquid you can add in extra water until the Duck is just covered. If the bird floats, you can place a heavy plate, or Kitchen Weights onto the Duck to keep it submerged. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

6.) Carefully remove the Duck from the Stock Pot and transfer to a deep roasting pan with a roasting rack. Pat the Duck dry with paper towels carefully as to not burn yourself. Sprinkle a pinch of Sea Salt over the Duck and let sit for 30 to 35 minutes to dry. See bottom pictures for reference.

7.) Place Roasting Pan with Duck into a preheated oven set at 475 degrees F. / 245 degrees C. for 35 to 40 minutes or until the duck is browned nicely. Remove from Oven carefully and cover in Aluminium Foil and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful of hot juices still inside the Duck cavity! You can drain before serving. Then present to your family and/or guests whole and carve the Duck at the Table OR you can pre-Carve the Duck like in the picture shown for easier portioning. Enjoy!


Extra Info: I love Duck. Actually, I don’t think there is a fowl I don’t like if prepared correctly. Duck is great for making a meal just a little bit fancier. Unlike Goose and Turkey, Ducks aren’t too big so you can prepare this meal in just a few hours instead of taking all day. It’s a richer bird so it’s best to serve with a salad on the side.

The Duck will be succulent, and since it was boiled and flavored before hand, you’ll know it’ll be fully cooked. A little bit a pink is okay though.

There are a lot of steps to preparing Duck, but there is also a lot of time just sitting and waiting. So, it’s not as tedious as you might think. Using a kitchen timer with a loud bell or buzzer is ideal for this recipe. I personally got a lot of laundry, and housework done as I waited for my Duck to cook. I also caught up on watching Once Upon a Time episodes, I missed. Remember to wash your hands properly before and after handling the duck. XD

Happy Eating!


Cleaning the Duck
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13218644/

Securing the Duck with Skewers and Twine
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13218702/

Securing the Back and wings
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13218750/

Getting ready to Roast
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13218802/

Whole Roasted Duck! Yum!
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13218862/

Presentation Example
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13218922/