Simple Whole Roast Duck (2024)

FAQs

How long do you cook a whole duck for? ›

How to cook duck. Roast (whole duck: 2 ¼ hours for ducks weighing 1.75-2 kg, 2 ¾ hours for ducks weighing 2.5-3 kg; breasts, 30 mins). Dry fry, grill or barbecue (3-4 mins on each side). Stir fry (cubes or strips, 5-7 mins).

When the duck is fully cooked the internal temperature at the junction of the leg and thigh should be 82°C (180°F) and thighs should come apart easily. Calculate about 60 min/kg. Let the duck rest, covered with a sheet of aluminium foil for about 10 to 15 minutes in order to tenderize the meat.

One thing that differentiates roasting a duck from roasting a chicken is the duck's prodigious layer of fat. This fat needs to render in the oven so it can baste the duck flesh and crisp the skin.

Duck legs are traditionally 'confit', this means they are salted overnight and then submerged in duck fat and cooked slowly so they are preserved by the fat. Because the cooking method is low and slow the meat remains succulent and doesn't dry out, and the fat isn't absorbed so the meat isn't fatty.

Place the duck on a rack in a roasting tin and roast in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes per KG plus 10 minutes extra. When the duck is cooked cover with foil and rest for 10-20 minutes before serving.

Crispy duck skin

We want the fat out and the skin crisp—if we don't render it properly, the skin stays squidgy and rubbery. What is a cook to do? First, we need to allow the fat to escape, and that means holes.

The Importance of Proper Prep

Vigorously simmering the leg and thigh meat on the stovetop before roasting the birds in the oven jumpstarts these tougher portions so that they finish cooking at the same time as the breast meat.

The boiling water helps pull the skin taut, making it easier to score in a crosshatch pattern. That, in turn, allows the fat to render out as everything roasts. The result is a perfectly cooked duck with pink, juicy meat and burnished, crunchy skin.

Duck breast fillets can be brined for six to 12 hours. If you're short on time, just a few hours in the brine will always help. Once brined, give your ducks a rinse with cold water, pat dry and start your favorite recipe.

The journey towards perfectly roasted or baked duck breast entails commencing with a searing process. This initial step sets the foundation for achieving the ideal oven-roasted duck breast—a tantalizingly golden and crisp exterior juxtaposed with a succulent, flavorful interior.

Does duck need to be covered when roasting? ›

Roast the duck, covered, for one hour. After one hour, turn the duck carefully with wooden spoons so that it is breast side down. Roast for one more hour, covered, then turn breast side up for an additional half hour.

To ensure even browning, turn duck twice during roasting. Use paper towels to lift bird from pan.

It takes approximately 2-3 hours to fully smoke a duck (depending on the size). When cooking duck, you are aiming for the internal temperature of the breast meat to reach 160 degrees F. I plan on about 30 minutes per pound of duck.

A mallard will roast in around 30 minutes or less and need between 5 and 15 minutes resting time, while a teal will cook in about 10 minutes with 10 minutes resting time. Check wild duck towards the end of its cooking time: the juices should still run red and the meat should be pink.

Give it a rest.

Like any large-format roast, a whole duck needs a break after exiting the oven—figure at least 30 minutes; the meat needs time to rest so the juices can redistribute throughout the bird.

NEVER cook duck meat past medium doneness. If it gets past medium it becomes tough. Medium rare, or even rare, is better.