So like it says, I’ve got a whole farmed duck (can break it down if need be) san feathers and nasty bits. How should I cook it?
Others will suggest great recipes for roast duck and more. I have a process for microwaving everything including turkey and chicken. I never had a duck, but I’m sure it would work. This works for me because I have several microwaves and know how to deploy them. The one that works best for meat is a large old MW with no turntable. The wave distribution in this oven is very even. There are no hot spots, which is quite common. I would cut the duck into pieces and strip the skin first and any other fat I could cut off. I add plenty of water. I cook it first at 7" per pound and turn it and repeat.
I know this process won’t work for most people. Turntable ovens are most common today and people don’t like to experiment. I’m just throwing the concept out because it works so well for me.
:::horrified:::
Microwaved duck? In pieces stripped of fat? I’m pretty dubious.
Deep fry it like a turkey. Takes around 25 minutes.
I made duck for Thanksgiving. I just roasted it.
First I cut off the excess skin. I scored the remaining skin (without cutting the meat) and patted on a little salt. (I didn’t want too much salt, since I wanted to use the fat later.) Put a rack in a baking pan and put the duck into a 325º oven for an hour. Remove the duck from the oven and pierce the skin (not the meat) all over with a sharp knife. Turn the duck upside-down on the rack and cook for another hour. Remove, poke, turn over, and roast for another hour. Remove, poke, turn over, and roast for another hour. The poking and inverting drains the rendered fat so that the meat is not too greasy and the skin is nice and crisp. After the four-hour procedure, boost the temperature to 400º and roast for 15 minutes to finish.
While this is going on, cut up the skin you removed at the beginning into small bits. Put in a pan over low heat to render the fat. Stir and turn occasionally so you render as much fat as you can. Strain the rendered fat into a container for later use. When the duck has been roasted, save that fat as well. I used the fine mesh of my grease keeper and strained it into a measuring cup. When the sediment settled I used a coffee filter to strain it into the jar I put the other fat into. Now I have duck fat I can use later. (I started a thread asking for tips on how to use it.)
I’d like to try this sometime, minus the oysters:
It’s easy to cook a duck–I did it back in college. I simply roasted it in the oven, occaisionally putting a bit of butter on it. Meanwhile my roomate went out to tell all the poor students in the neighborhood what I was doing.
The result was an unexpected dinner party and me being assured by numerous uninvited guests that I was a great cook. I wouldn’t have known, because I never did get a bite of that duck.
Cassoulet
Peking Duck
Duck L’orange
No name for this one, roast in a slow oven for a while to let some fat drain, coat with currant jelly and basil, roast until done
Duck Jambalaya
Make Duck comfit to use later
Skin the duck, render the fat, make Chicken Fried Duck
Duck Soup, why a duck?
Many ducks can be farmed. What kind of duck is it ?
Why a duck?
Whatever you do, save the rendered fat. It’s great for frying potatoes.
Having just read the popcorn thread, try popping some with the duck fat!
Why a no chicken?
You could accidentally a whole duck.
Roast it in the oven. Keep in mind that a duck has a lot more fat than a chicken or turkey has. So put it up on a rack so it doesn’t end up in a puddle of grease. And chop a raw potato into chunks and put them inside the cavity to soak up the grease inside it. (Throw out the potatoes afterwards unless you’re really into duck fat.)
I would advise making a tent with aluminum foil until a lot of the fat is rendered. There is a LOT of fat and it splutters something awful - the only time I cooked a duck my oven was filthy and the smoke detectors went off.