# I want to make a duck. Do I brine it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790 "2007-12-21T03:36:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/1 "2007-12-21T03:36:08Z")
I make good burgers. Beyond that, I’m not that accomplished of a chef. I can follow a good recipe and I have made curries that Thai friends have raved over. More to the point, the one time that I brined a turkey was a mixed success (mostly, I think, because I was using my mom’s oven which didn’t get hot enough.) But I want to serve a duck for Christmas, and it seems like brining might be a good way to do it. Can anyone offer suggestions and/or recipes? ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/2 "2007-12-21T03:41:59Z")
[QUOTE=cornflakes] I make good burgers. Beyond that, I’m not that accomplished of a chef. I can follow a good recipe and I have made curries that Thai friends have raved over. More to the point, the one time that I brined a turkey was a mixed success (mostly, I think, because I was using my mom’s oven which didn’t get hot enough.) But I want to serve a duck for Christmas, and it seems like brining might be a good way to do it. Can anyone offer suggestions and/or recipes? [/QUOTE] I don’t know if I would brine it. Duck is all dark meat and doesn’t tend to get dry because it is rather fatty to begin with. A common complaint about duck is that the meat isn’t firm enough which is also a common complaint about brined turkey. I think brining it might turn the meat to mush. That being said, I haven’t actually tried it, so if you do brine it let us know what happens. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/3 "2007-12-21T03:47:23Z")
Be aware that duck is kinda greasy. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/4 "2007-12-21T03:57:07Z")
Both of you are right. I forgot that the brine kept the bird moist while allowing the skin to crisp. Duck is already moist enough without brining. How should I cook it? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/5 "2007-12-21T04:08:10Z")
Why a duck? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/6 "2007-12-21T04:11:27Z")
If you’re going to roast a bird for Christmas, you should make it a goose. It’s larger and so will satisfy more people, plus you’d be helping to revive an old tradition. [Goose Recipes.](http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=roast+goose+recipe&btnG=Google+Search) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/7 "2007-12-21T04:39:52Z")
My husband roasted a duck at Thanksgiving, since it was just the two of us. We didn’t have any leftovers. There’s really not much meat on a duck. He does it the way his grandma did. Stuff the duck with prunes. Yep, prunes. Place it on a rack in a shallow pan with an inch or so of water in the bottom of the pan. (The duck shouldn’t be in the water though.) Oven temp 325. I don’t remember how long it took – not more than a couple of hours. The kicker is that when the duck is almost done, brush it with butter, sprinkle some sugar on it and put it under the broiler until the skin bubbles and browns. Eat as much of the skin as you dare, depending on your cholesterol level. The stuff is like the best candy ever. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/8 "2007-12-21T04:46:08Z")
Last time I had duck, I deep fried it like a turkey. Ruined the oil, but boy was it tasty (and not at all greasy). ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/9 "2007-12-21T04:58:59Z")
Don’t mind me. I’m just looking for an echo. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/10 "2007-12-21T05:11:09Z")
Sure, and [Alton’s recipe](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_13045,00.html) (who else?) is quite good. Don’t try that with mallards, though. Frankly, if you’re planning on cooking up wild mallards your best bet is to order a pizza while you turn the entire bird into stock. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/11 "2007-12-21T05:34:18Z")
[QUOTE=Duckster] Don’t mind me. I’m just looking for an echo. [/QUOTE] Looking for an echo? ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/12 "2007-12-21T06:29:24Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] Looking for an echo? [/QUOTE] [Quack… quack… quack…](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_071.html) Why a duck? I just like the way duck can taste. A goose might be an option. We’re going to have a small Christmas this year. The bird just has to feed three adults and one child. All the same, it be worth going bigger so that we have some leftovers. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/13 "2007-12-21T07:39:35Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Why a duck? [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=cornflakes] Why a duck? I just like the way duck can taste. [/QUOTE] **cornflakes** , I believe **Bryan Ekers** was channeling Chico Marx. Actually, he beat me to it. Now look … all righta … I catcha on to why a horse, why a chicken, why a this, why a that. I no catch on to why a duck. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/14 "2007-12-21T09:25:19Z")
You can’t fool me. There ain’t no Sanity Claus. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/15 "2007-12-21T09:37:25Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] Be aware that duck is kinda greasy. [/QUOTE] I heard that was something else, but I can’t remember exactly what. Moose? Grouse? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/16 "2007-12-21T10:03:26Z")
Gordon Brown? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/17 "2007-12-21T10:22:08Z")
> [@](#): > > **I want to make a duck.** I know there’s a joke here, I just can’t quite… never mind. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/18 "2007-12-21T12:21:34Z")
And we appreciate your not doing so! 😃 Ok, any duck/goose recipes? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/19 "2007-12-21T12:29:06Z")
[QUOTE=cornflakes] Both of you are right. I forgot that the brine kept the bird moist while allowing the skin to crisp. Duck is already moist enough without brining. How should I cook it? [/QUOTE] Why not put it in a turkey bag, with some orange juice or Sunny Delight and perhaps other fragrant seasonings? Let me see what Alton Brown has for recipes for it, I think he had one with oranges and fragrant herbs. Yes, [here](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_13045,00.html). He uses pineapple orange juice. ETA: I’ve roasted a duck with the Original Sunny D flavor in a turkey bag instead of water. The orange flavor goes very well with duck, and the lime and other citrus in the Sunny D went quite well also. It wasn’t too sweet at all, it had a good flavor, nice tang, and not too gamey. ETA2: Otherwise maybe onions, garlic, and carrots for a more savory flavor. Duck is gamey, it has a strong flavor. You need strong flavors to complement/balance it. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790/20 "2007-12-21T12:55:39Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] I heard that was something else, but I can’t remember exactly what. Moose? Grouse? [/QUOTE] I’m disappointed. With your location you should be quoting chapter and verse on what’s greasy. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-make-a-duck-do-i-brine-it/430790.md?page=2)