How to Cook Whole Duck
Ingredients
1 x Saveur or Gameford Lodge Whole Duck, fresh or frozen & thawed
Description
We are always asked how to cook a whole duck, so we have included some tips below.
If you would like more photos and a video demonstration on cooking a whole duck, go to nzduck.co.nz
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Always thaw your duck thoroughly before cooking.
Remove the tail and any vent fat - this reduces the amount of fat that will render during cooking.
Score the skin of the duck all over - this will allow the fat layer under the skin to render during cooking.
Season with salt & pepper.
The easiest way to cook a whole duck is to roast it. Simply place the whole duck breast side down in a low temperature(160°C) oven for approximately 1½ - 2 hours.
About ¾ of the way through the time, turn the duck over. A lot of fat will render out of the duck, from underneath the skin. This is normal.
You can use an oven rack when roasting a whole duck, so that the duck doesn’t sit in the rendered fat, if this is not desirable.
At the end of cooking, check that the juices run clear and remove the duck from the oven and rest for 10 minutes.
Hint: a long pronged fork is a useful utensil when removing the duck from the oven tray, as it allows all the juices inside the cavity to drain out easily.
The rendered duck fat can be sieved through a paper towel and stored for later use. The most common use for duck fat is to ‘confit’ duck or use it when roasting potatoes, to flavour the potatoes.
Categories
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