Cook a duck!!!
Discussion
I am going to cook my whole duck (2.5kg) today and I just wondered if anyone had any tips.
Nigel slater did a nice one this week where he simply placed a well stabbed duck on a bed of bacon, onion and sliced potato, claiming that the fat from the duck would crisp the potatoes up.
Problem is I have read that to get the legs cooked there is a danger of drying the breast out.
And would you cook it on high heat or low heat?
Or does anyone have any better ideas? Maybe with a sauce
Nigel slater did a nice one this week where he simply placed a well stabbed duck on a bed of bacon, onion and sliced potato, claiming that the fat from the duck would crisp the potatoes up.
Problem is I have read that to get the legs cooked there is a danger of drying the breast out.
And would you cook it on high heat or low heat?
Or does anyone have any better ideas? Maybe with a sauce
We're having duck for Christmas lunch. Give it a 20-30 min blast at full whack and then slow cook for 2-3 hours around gas 2-3 and as long as it's reasonable quality, you can't go too far wrong. Roasting a whole duck on a high heat is very hit or miss IMO unless you are very confident in the quality of the bird.
Pour off the fat 2 or 3 times during cooking, turn it breast side down at the end and rest for 30 minutes before serving.
Don't worry too much about the legs. I tend to take them off after roasting, save them for the day after and then put them in a really hot oven for 30 mins-ish so I can get another meal out of them.
Pour off the fat 2 or 3 times during cooking, turn it breast side down at the end and rest for 30 minutes before serving.
Don't worry too much about the legs. I tend to take them off after roasting, save them for the day after and then put them in a really hot oven for 30 mins-ish so I can get another meal out of them.
FestiveFreddy said:
We're having duck for Christmas lunch. Give it a 20-30 min blast at full whack and then slow cook for 2-3 hours around gas 2-3 and as long as it's reasonable quality, you can't go too far wrong. Roasting a whole duck on a high heat is very hit or miss IMO unless you are very confident in the quality of the bird.
Pour off the fat 2 or 3 times during cooking, turn it breast side down at the end and rest for 30 minutes before serving.
Don't worry too much about the legs. I tend to take them off after roasting, save them for the day after and then put them in a really hot oven for 30 mins-ish so I can get another meal out of them.
Thanks a lot, that is a big help.Pour off the fat 2 or 3 times during cooking, turn it breast side down at the end and rest for 30 minutes before serving.
Don't worry too much about the legs. I tend to take them off after roasting, save them for the day after and then put them in a really hot oven for 30 mins-ish so I can get another meal out of them.
the duck is a Tesco 'best of all the things in the world' or whatever their premium range is called.
eddo said:
You cannot make a meal with 2 duck legs! Theres bug@er all on em !
Granted, not a big meal for two but get them nice and crispy and you can make a very nice crispy duck salad for one, or add a mount of mash and pretend it's a confit.The legs on my 2.5Kg Christmas duck are plenty big enough for that
dazco said:
cheers everyone for your help.
I roasted it over bacon onion and potatoes. The legs were lovely bot the rest of the duck had a bit of a liver consistancy. Overcooked I should imagine.
It was rubbish and I shall not try again.
Been watching Nigel Slater by any chance? I roasted it over bacon onion and potatoes. The legs were lovely bot the rest of the duck had a bit of a liver consistancy. Overcooked I should imagine.
It was rubbish and I shall not try again.
Please, please don't be put off duck by this experience.
Tesco sell Pekin ducks. Nothing wrong with Pekins as a breed but they choose to sell them for a reason. They are reared indoors and pretty intensively, hence they are cheap for Tesco to buy so they can maximise their profit margins.
Duck is perceived as a 'luxury' meat, so you might well expect a 'Finest' duck is going to be pretty good. In reality, they cook and taste nothing like a good duck should. It's just the same as comparing a £4 Tesco chicken with a properly reared free range bird from a good supplier.
I wish you could come 'round to our house tomorrow to taste the duck I'm cooking as you would then see how fantastic duck can be.
It really depresses me what Tesco (in particular) is doing to this country's perception of what good fresh produce is supposed to be. They should stick to selling tins, packets and frozen pizzas and leave the rest to producers who give a damn.
End of rant. Happy Christmas everybody!
Chicharito said:
My duck's a Gressingham - a Pekin and Mallard crossbreed - and the most commonly found duck breed out there- at least in supermarkets.
Not done a whole one for years - but usually stick breasts on the BBQ in the summer.
There's nowt wrong with any of the breeds really. They all cook slightly differently but a good raw duck will give much better results when cooked than a mediocre one. IMO it's much more noticeable than the difference between a good and bad chicken.Not done a whole one for years - but usually stick breasts on the BBQ in the summer.
A Pekin lays a lot of eggs so the producer can rear a lot more birds in their 'free-range' shed in a shorter time and using less manpower, so Tesco can buy them in a lot cheaper than Gressinghams or Aylesburys.
There's now literally only 1 or 2 Aylesbury duck producers left because they've been priced out by the likes of Tesco. What happens when the only duck you can buy is the one Tesco deems fit for their business?
Will post some pics of our duck later so you can see how it turned out and hopefully that will inspire you to give it another go.
Didn't take any photos of ours.
But roasted it at 240-ish degrees for half an hour, then down to 120 degrees for 2 hours, breast side down - and finally left it to stand for half an hour covered in foil.
The meat was superb, but I didn't get crispy skin.
Have to say, I didn't find it particularly rewarding - although it tasted good, there just isn't enough meat on a duck.
But roasted it at 240-ish degrees for half an hour, then down to 120 degrees for 2 hours, breast side down - and finally left it to stand for half an hour covered in foil.
The meat was superb, but I didn't get crispy skin.
Have to say, I didn't find it particularly rewarding - although it tasted good, there just isn't enough meat on a duck.
The penalty for slow roasting and turning it breast side down is that you won't get a crispy skin. But you should get really succulent, moist meat, particularly if you rest it for at least 30 minutes breast down after cooking.
If you desperately want it then you would need to cook it breast up, on a rack and also maybe try skipping the initial sizzle and give it a blast at the end of cooking.
The other way would be to roast it on a higher heat for much less time aiming for pink breast meat but having to cook the legs separately.
Either way, before you put it into the roasting tin, pour a kettle of boiling water over the outside then pat dry with kitchen towel, prick the skin all over and season really well to help it crisp up.
If you desperately want it then you would need to cook it breast up, on a rack and also maybe try skipping the initial sizzle and give it a blast at the end of cooking.
The other way would be to roast it on a higher heat for much less time aiming for pink breast meat but having to cook the legs separately.
Either way, before you put it into the roasting tin, pour a kettle of boiling water over the outside then pat dry with kitchen towel, prick the skin all over and season really well to help it crisp up.
We had an Aylesbury for New Year - bought from Heal Farm. MrsM did a grand job, it was stunning.
Pricked it, loads salt & pepper, roasted for about 3 hours, draining fat every 30 mins or so, and used it for the spuds.
Top scran, and top supplier. They also did our 5 bird roast we had for Chrimbo dinner.
Pricked it, loads salt & pepper, roasted for about 3 hours, draining fat every 30 mins or so, and used it for the spuds.
Top scran, and top supplier. They also did our 5 bird roast we had for Chrimbo dinner.
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