rinemb - Posted - 11/05/2018:  07:59:27

After returning from France, I have a hankering for roasting a duck. Years past when I was stilling shooting and cooking a lot of wild game, I roasted a few wild ducks and geese. In the past few years I have roasted a store bought goose.

Now, I want to roast a store bought duck. I would like your suggestions on selecting a farm raised store bought duck, and roasting ideas.

Thanks, Brad

Banjo Lefty - Posted - 11/05/2018:  09:22:22

There’s really no reason to complicate things. Put the duck in a covered baking pan, like a casserole dish, potatoes and other root veggies all round, oven at 350 (325 if it’s a convection oven), cook 20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes for the pot (my mother’s formula). Or you can use a meat thermometer: 170F internal temp and it’s done.

Edited to add: thaw it out first!

Edited by - Banjo Lefty on 11/05/2018 09:23:56

paco0909 - Posted - 11/05/2018:  09:44:55

I just cooked a terrific roast duck from our local Korean market. One thing to be careful about: store bought ducks (and geese) have a lot a lot a lot a lot of fat. You do not want to saturate your veggies with all that fat-- only some of it. Asian chefs will advise rinsing the duck with hot water over a sink, but that washes the fat down the drain which is a waste. Using a pan with a rack under it is a better way, and siphon off the fat as you go. Use that with your roasted veg. I agree with thawing (ha ha), and the 20-25 minutes a pound, etc. although I like to heat the oven to 435 for the first half hour to brown up the skin, then cover with aluminum foil until the last 15 minutes or so.

Play ducks on the millpond before serving.

rinemb - Posted - 11/05/2018:  09:44:57

I like that ol mom's rule, +20 min for the pot. Thx

Texican65 - Posted - 11/05/2018:  10:53:11

Neat! I just roasted a duck in the oven last night.

I put mine on a poultry/cooker type contraption that stands the bird straight up. all the fat drips down into a little metal bowl underneath.

I slather the bird with melted butter, then mix in a bowl: equal parts of salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, mustard powder, and onion powder. Then sprinkle/pat the seasoning inside and out the bird.

Put the bird in the oven pre-heated to 350 degrees F, and cook 30 mins. per pound. My bird was 5 lbs...so a total of 2 1/2 hours and all good to go. Not too dry, and the dark thighs are juicy and thoroughly done. internal temp of 180.

THEN.....and this is the best part to me.......spoon the fat and cooked blood that dripped down into the metal bowl, on top of mashed or baked potatoes, or rice.

I LOVE duck!

Dow

figmo59 - Posted - 11/05/2018:  11:00:05

Here's ah thought...

 

Texican65 - Posted - 11/05/2018:  11:02:21

quote:

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Originally posted by figmo59

Here's ah thought...

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That's awesome fig! Is that the main fireplace right in the middle of your living room? What kind of woods do you use for cooking?

Dow

mike gregory - Posted - 11/05/2018:  11:56:41

"How about we flip a coin, or spin the bottle, to decide who's for dinner?"

-Donald-

mike gregory - Posted - 11/05/2018:  11:58:46

"You goddam kids WAIT until I've finished praying for the repose of the soul of your Aunt Daisy!

mike gregory - Posted - 11/05/2018:  12:03:16

"I looked a lot better before Donald used his double-headed coin to BETRAY me!"

- Aunt Daisy-

Edited by - mike gregory on 11/05/2018 12:07:28

figmo59 - Posted - 11/05/2018:  12:06:34

quote:

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Originally posted by Texican65

quote:

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Originally posted by figmo59

Here's ah thought...

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That's awesome fig! Is that the main fireplace right in the middle of your living room? What kind of woods do you use for cooking?

 

Dow

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It is the main fireplace...the old house has 4 total..

Cherry wood fer cookin..mostly.. sometime apple..or hickory..

NO...PINE..OR CEDAR..FER COOKIN...!

Yuck on that...

figmo59 - Posted - 11/05/2018:  12:09:16

Oh... sorry..

It is the main fireplace as in the kitchin....
Beehive ovin too...

figmo59 - Posted - 11/05/2018:  12:10:41

Pics..

rinemb - Posted - 11/05/2018:  12:11:21

quote:

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Originally posted by paco0909

I just cooked a terrific roast duck from our local Korean market. One thing to be careful about: store bought ducks (and geese) have a lot a lot a lot a lot of fat. You do not want to saturate your veggies with all that fat-- only some of it. Asian chefs will advise rinsing the duck with hot water over a sink, but that washes the fat down the drain which is a waste. Using a pan with a rack under it is a better way, and siphon off the fat as you go. Use that with your roasted veg. I agree with thawing (ha ha), and the 20-25 minutes a pound, etc. although I like to heat the oven to 435 for the first half hour to brown up the skin, then cover with aluminum foil until the last 15 minutes or so.



Play ducks on the millpond before serving.

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I am confident that playing duck songs on the banjo is a good technic. ;-)    Yes, I agree in capturing the fat for other uses.  When I did the goose, I let the fat really soak the large chunked veggies.  All roots.  thx

rinemb - Posted - 11/05/2018:  12:15:30

quote:Originally posted by figmo59Pics..

Figmo, I bet your place smells great all of the time.  I am sooo jealous.  brad

Brian T - Posted - 11/05/2018:  13:14:43

Duck fat is bound to make some pretty fancy fries out of your veg (carrot/parsnip/yam/sweet potato/onion/beets.

I'd sling the beast into the smoker @ 280F for 3 hrs with some apple wood smoke and a fat drippings tray underneath. Use a dry rub with LOTS of ground cumin. Couple of quartered onions up the whazoo.
Probably wrap with HD foil for the last hour and let the bird sweat it out.

figmo59 - Posted - 11/05/2018:  13:38:23

Duck on the spit...kinda cooks itself...

Drippin all the fat n grease...

Not careful you gits flammin duck...

All most...
Flamingo.............

eagleisland - Posted - 11/05/2018:  14:10:58

I prefer my duck either as medium rare breasts or confit of the legs, and you can't do that by roasting. Which said, I cooked off a LOT of ducks in my restaurant days. Some tips:

- Start in the morning. This takes some time.

- make a bed of aromatic vegetables in the roasting pan - onions first, then celery, then carrot (carrot can burn and become bitter if it comes in contact with a hot pan.

- Trim off the wing tips and toss them in the pan.

- we'd usually roast at around 400 until they were done. How long? Beats me. We checked 'em after about an hour. Guessing it was usually about 90 minutes. Internal temp at thickest part of thigh to 160.

- Cool the duck(s) on a wire rack.  Hold the roasting pan at an angle and let as much of that wonderful fat collect along one edge. Toss the veg and the wing tips into a stock pot. Pour off the fat into a glass jar - it's worth its weight in gold for cooking up spuds, using as a fat for sauteeing other meats, etc.

- Return the roasting pan to the flame. Bring to heat and deglaze it with red wine. Add that to the stock pot.

- When the ducks are cool, split them down the breast bone. Remove the back bone from both sides and remove all remaining skeletal matter except the thigh, leg and wing bones. Toss those into the stock pot.

- Ducks into the fridge. Meantime, cover the bones and veg with water, add herbs, and bring to a temp just shy of a boil. Skim off any fat that comes to the surface. Simmer several hours. Strain and discard bones/veg.

- Reduce duck stock by 3/4. There's your base for a fabulous sauce. That's another topic, though I recommend sauteeing some shallot, adding a big splash of grand marnier, your stock, some chopped fresh sage, reducing somewhat, adding a handful or two of fresh cranberries and swirling them in the sauce until they just start to split, and then finishing the sauce with butter.

- Reheat the ducks in a very hot oven for about 10 minutes, then put under the broiler for about 3 more to crisp the skin.

Among yummy things to serve with this... I like to take peeled russet potatoes and scoop balls out of them with a melon baller (you can boil up the carcasses for mashed potatoes the following night). Add several tablespoons of that duck fat to a wok over medium heat and fry them, stirring every minute or two. The combination of the round spud pieces and the sloped characteristics of the wok means that they brown and cook nicely without getting sticky.

rinemb - Posted - 11/05/2018:  14:55:03

Wow, Skip. First sounds delicious. Second, you do most of the hard work ahead. So , you setting the duck directly on top of the layered veggies for the roasting? And that sauce.

What we liked and noticed about most of our French dinners were the intensities of flavors in sauces and pot dishes. I will pay more attention. To my reductions in the future, for sure. Thx, brad

brewerpaul - Posted - 11/06/2018:  05:11:50

I haven't done a duck in years. I'm gonna have to do one again soon, maybe in the grill with some smoke.

Last times I roasted a duck, I ran my hand under the breast skin before cooking it, with the idea that it might make it easier for the fat to drain. I also made some skin only slits in the skin for drainage. They still came out pretty fatty, but you can remove that at the table.

On a trip to China our tour guide told us to be sure to ask for Peking Roast Duck, not just Peking Duck. That's apparently a slang term for a male prostitute.

eagleisland - Posted - 11/06/2018:  08:02:31

Yes. The onions caramelize at the bottom of the pan and add color to the stock. As to stocks/sauces.... in Europe, they waste NOTHING in the kitchens, and there are always pots of stock going. It's the basis of their sauces.

BTW; the sauce mentioned really doesn't hold well; finish it as your duck is almost to temp - even about the time you're crisping it. As with most butter sauces, you can enhance stability by adding a TBS of heavy cream prior to mounting in the butter. The sauce won't be QUITE as pretty but it'll be less likely to break - and if a butter sauce breaks, you can't bring it back.

rinemb - Posted - 11/06/2018:  10:58:26

quote:

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Originally posted by eagleisland

Yes. The onions caramelize at the bottom of the pan and add color to the stock. As to stocks/sauces.... in Europe, they waste NOTHING in the kitchens, and there are always pots of stock going. It's the basis of their sauces.



BTW; the sauce mentioned really doesn't hold well; finish it as your duck is almost to temp - even about the time you're crisping it. As with most butter sauces, you can enhance stability by adding a TBS of heavy cream prior to mounting in the butter. The sauce won't be QUITE as pretty but it'll be less likely to break - and if a butter sauce breaks, you can't bring it back.

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Those are good points I would not have thought of.  Thanks, Brad

pickin_fool - Posted - 11/06/2018:  23:00:16

i did a duck on the bbq one time brad and it turned out just fine..i did it as follows...

i made diamond shaped slits in the fat...(better fat drainage, and it looks cool)..oh yeah..preheat the bbq first ....BUT...only use one burner...under the rack and on top of manifold on the unlit side i placed a metal cake pan to catch the drippings..i seasoned the bird inside and out with S&P, granulated garlic, paprika...basically whatever spices you think you will like..i then put the duck on the grill over the unlit side and let'er cook until it reached the desired internal temp..

the skin came out just dandy..crisp, not chewy and very tasty..the actual meat was good...but it was still duck meat..it may not be to everyones liking..it is stringy

rinemb - Posted - 11/07/2018:  03:46:23

Mike, what time and temp did you do your duck on the grill? Brad

figmo59 - Posted - 11/07/2018:  05:28:42

It is real easy to build a fire pit... n..spit...
Dose not need to be fancy....

lazyarcher - Posted - 11/07/2018:  07:01:29

quote:

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Originally posted by eagleisland

I prefer my duck either as medium rare breasts or confit of the legs, and you can't do that by roasting. 

I sooooo agree with Skip on this. I like to confit the legs/thighs and do a trad sear on the breasts for med rare.

I have roasted a ton of wild ducks though, and they are a different creature. My go to (simple) is to rub the bird down with olive oil, salt it.  In side the bird--1/2 piece apple, 1/2 small onion, bunch of garlic cloves, sprig rosemary.

Into a preheated 450F oven breast up in a cast iron skillet. Depending on the size of the duck (teal vs mallards) 10-15 mins. Remove, rest breast down for 15 mins. I like the breasts at 130F which after resting = rare which IMHO a wild duck needs to be or its ruined.

Remember to deglaze the skillet and serve the simple au juice (I use Madeira wine to deglaze) on the side.

monstertone - Posted - 11/07/2018:  15:21:23

quote:

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Originally posted by eagleisland

Yes. The onions caramelize at the bottom of the pan and add color to the stock. As to stocks/sauces.... in Europe, they waste NOTHING in the kitchens, and there are always pots of stock going. It's the basis of their sauces.



BTW; the sauce mentioned really doesn't hold well; finish it as your duck is almost to temp - even about the time you're crisping it. As with most butter sauces, you can enhance stability by adding a TBS of heavy cream prior to mounting in the butter. The sauce won't be QUITE as pretty but it'll be less likely to break - and if a butter sauce breaks, you can't bring it back.

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Skip, please define "break." Is that another term for burn? 

Edited by - monstertone on 11/07/2018 15:21:46

eagleisland - Posted - 11/07/2018:  16:25:33

quote:

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Originally posted by monstertone

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Skip, please define "break." Is that another term for burn? 

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No, although burning it is a sure-fire way to make it break.

Some sauces are held together by starch - a roux, cornstarch, arrowroot, etc. Emulsified sauces are another matter.

There are several families of these. Mayonnaise (cold) and Hollandaise (warm) - and their derivatives - use egg yolks as a base and either oil (mayo) or melted butter (hollandaise) as a fat. Without getting too technical, you add the fat to to the yolks slowly while whisking furiously to incorporate air and emulsify the liquid fat into the egg yolks. If you add too much fat - or add it too fast - the sauce will break - in other words, the fat will separate from the egg yolks. To rescue it, you simply start with another yolk or two, start whisking furiously, and slowly add the broken sauce into it.

FWIW, classic French vinaigrettes work much the same way, starting with mustard and whisking in olive oil. You can save those if they break, too.

Pan butter sauces are a different matter, chemically. Instead of adding liquid fat, you add solid - in the form of butter (room temp or cooler). Over very gentle heat, you whisk in the butter until it's just incorporated - and that's it. As noted above, adding a small amount of heavy cream to your reduction before whisking in the butter helps make it more stable (no idea why). Either way, the emulsion will hold as long as there's enough 1) acid or 2) sugar or 3) protein, in the form of gelatin, and provided that you don't overheat or put too much butter into it. Do either of these things and it breaks,  and there's not a damned thing you can do about it except start over.

Rawhide Creek - Posted - 11/07/2018:  16:56:54

Well, it’s whiskey, whiskey, whiskey

That makes you feel so frisky

On the farm, on the farm . . .

Well, it’s gin, gin, gin

That makes you want to sin

On the farm, on the farm . . .

Well, it’s cold roast duck

That makes you want a sandwich

On the farm, on the farm . . .

rinemb - Posted - 11/08/2018:  01:53:05

Skip, Then in your duck sauce, the cranberries add important chemistry, besides the flavor, eh. Who needs Alton Brown, we on BHO are fortunate to have Skip and other chefs. Cheers, Prohst, & Sante' to our chefs!

I mentioned this matter to my wife, the serious home ec chic of 1969. She asked me if I had noticed her sautéed mushrooms "broke" the other day. No I was busy attacking the steak.

Thx, Brad

eagleisland - Posted - 11/08/2018:  05:55:42

quote:

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Originally posted by rinemb

Skip, Then in your duck sauce, the cranberries add important chemistry, besides the flavor, eh.

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Actually, no - not really. They're in the reduction only long enough to barely cook through, which you'll recognize when the skins split open. But they don't have enough time to add acid to the sauce; it's really held together by the sugar from the grand marnier and the proteins from the reduced stock.

Pro chefs actually often finish butter sauces without whisking and over high heat. This is do-not-try-this-at-home territory; it's a technique that must be developed by watching others do it, and I can think of no way to describe it so that it's reasonably fool-proof.

One must learn to read what's happening in the pan, gauge the way the bubbles are forming as its contents reduce, and know when they look right so one can start adding the butter, And also to recognize, visually, when the sauce is done. 

Pro chefs also have an advantage the home cook doesn't: if they go too far and break the sauce, they can whomp up another serving in a jiffy because they've got the gear and the mis en place to do so.

pickin_fool - Posted - 11/08/2018:  08:55:02

I never checked the time or the temp brad..i did however use a meat thermometer when it appeared to be done tho..I think it was 160

monstertone - Posted - 11/08/2018:  17:05:14

Thanks for clearing that up Skip. Almost makes me wish I had taken home ec in high school. I'd most likely been the only male student in the class,,,& got ragged on pretty bad back in those days. Also doubt they ever got into roast duck with grand marnier cranberry sauce. Ha, ha.

eagleisland - Posted - 11/08/2018:  17:37:19

quote:

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Originally posted by monstertone

Thanks for clearing that up Skip. Almost makes me wish I had taken home ec in high school. I'd most likely been the only male student in the class,,,& got ragged on pretty bad back in those days. Also doubt they ever got into roast duck with grand marnier cranberry sauce. Ha, ha.

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 If I knew then what I know now, I would’ve signed up for Home Ec in a heartbeat, and taken the slings and arrows of other guys with a very big grin. That said, I assure you that they didn’t get this technical or subtle in those classes. I’m talking about pro level rechnique here. 

monstertone - Posted - 11/10/2018:  11:18:19

How often, I wonder, does a retired chef cook like that at home? And with all your experience, is it like falling off a log for you?