# Duck!



## Claire

Today I am putting a duck on the charcoal grill (remember when it was easy?  You said "Barbecue Pitt" and everyone knew what you were talking about!).  I love duck, but won't cook it inside, since my circa 1900 kitchen has no exhaust fan and duck gets pretty smokey.  Anyway, I haven't really decided how to season the birdie and it's been awhile since I cooked one (on my little smokey joe weber, in Lafayette, LA, when we were on the road in a trailer .... it was actually very funny, because we were on a lake shore and a bunch of ducks came up on shore to watch us.  Kinda creepy when you think of it!).  Any advice would be nice.  I'm thinking of halving it (or better yet getting my husband to butterfly) then piercing the skin a bit to help the fat to dissipate.  For seasonings I'm thinking of my regular poultry combo of sage, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme.  But if anyone out there can come up with something by mid-afternoon that sounds good to us, I'm willing to try something different.


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## Uncle Bob

Sounds good Miss Clair....I would only say..don't over cook... Make a stock out of the carcass/trimmings, and you'll be on your way to Smoked Duck & Andouille Gumbo!!

Have Fun & Enjoy!


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## justplainbill

Are you going to put a drip pan under the bird and cook covered with charcoal around the perimeter (indirect heat)?


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## Kayelle

> Anyway, I haven't really decided how to season the birdie and it's been  awhile since I cooked one (on my little smokey joe weber, in Lafayette,  LA, when we were on the road in a trailer .... it was actually very  funny, because we were on a lake shore and a bunch of ducks came up on  shore to watch us.  Kinda creepy when you think of it!).



  Thanks for the mind picture.


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## howzit

I happen to love duck too.  I cook mine on the BBQ's rotisserie.  It unly takes about 45 minutes to an hour to cook a whole bird.  I slice the skin and/or fork it all over to assist in draining the fat.  No spices are necessary, make a sauce of equal parts honey and orange juice (also great to mash in a fresh orange to get lots of pulp) and spice with nutmeg and cloves to taste.  Brush the sauce liberally on the duck before serving (if you halve the duck and leave the halves on the grill, the sauce will turn a beautiful golden brown) and serve up the unused sauce in a gravy boat or something similar.  I'm getting hungry just writing this....


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## Loraco

Yum we just did duck on the weber on Sunday!!


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## kylie_oo

Slow cook with plumb sauce


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## Harry Cobean

duck is sooooo good i would keep it simple.prick it all over to let the fat drip out,rub it all over with tons of mashed garlic,inside too,salt,pepper then roast,bake,smoke,grill whatever.
other way i do it is....as above but instead of garlic etc mix some chinese five spice powder with honey & slap that on before cooking and add more during cooking.gets it that peking duck type flavour & nice crispy brown skin.....drooooool!


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## Skittle68

I've never tried commercially raised duck- only wild caught, where I don't think you have to worry too much about the fat. I should buy one to make in my new smoker!! I used to think duck was pretty good, but my dad always just fried it up with salt and pepper. It was probably way overcooked, as it was sort of rubbery. He always did like to cook things to death.


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## CWS4322

Skittle68 said:


> I've never tried commercially raised duck- only wild caught, where I don't think you have to worry too much about the fat. I should buy one to make in my new smoker!! I used to think duck was pretty good, but my dad always just fried it up with salt and pepper. It was probably way overcooked, as it was sort of rubbery. He always did like to cook things to death.


Domestic duck tends to be much fattier than wild. I have only eaten mallard. We baked ours (breasts and legs) in cream of mushroom soup with red wine added. It was very moist...miss duck-hunting season.


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## Hoot

I have only cooked duck one way: in a dutch oven at Rendezvous.
I told the tale when I first joined D.C.
The particulars are here:
The Tale of Hoot's Rendezvous Duck
It was mighty good and there weren't nary a bit of it left over.


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## redfish_33

You could try filleting the breast off and grilling them to med rare. The rest of the duck can be roasted and turned into a great stock. All the fat that is rendered from roasting a duck is great to save and cook with later. Also duck is very rich and goes great with something sweet.


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## Skittle68

What exactly is "rendered fat"? I hear that term a lot in various threads and I don't really know what that means...


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## Hoot

When you cook bacon the fat melts, for example...it is rendered as they say.
Basically, it is melted fat.


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## FrankZ

Rendering basically is taking a tissue (say the duck skin) and melting the fat out and leaving the rest (protein) behind.  

Bacon renders its fat when you cook it and then you eat the protein leftover (or send it to me to say thank you for this post).


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## Greg Who Cooks

I like my duck roasted whole. Just prick the fattier parts with a fork to provide an exit path for the fat to dribble out during cooking. I roast them at a lower temperature compared to whole chickens and for a longer time, to get maximum advantage of defatting them.

And the sauce? You had to ask???  A l'Orange!!!  A classic recipe!


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## Kylie1969

This is all making me want some duck.....and soon


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## chopper

I make duck for Christmas every year. I stuff it with oranges, season well, and score the duck(cross-cross). I set it on a broiler rack and roast it in the oven. And...I have set off the smoke alarm.


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## Kylie1969

Chops that sounds delicious!

Does the skin come up all nice and crispy?


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## chopper

Kylie1969 said:
			
		

> Chops that sounds delicious!
> 
> Does the skin come up all nice and crispy?



Yes. And the duck stays moist too.


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## Kylie1969

Now I am salivating Chops 

Since we are ahead of you time wise, we will have our Christmas lunch and then fly over to join you at yours, is that OK?


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## chopper

Kylie1969 said:
			
		

> Now I am salivating Chops
> 
> Since we are ahead of you time wise, we will have our Christmas lunch and then fly over to join you at yours, is that OK?



There you go. Except that it won't work out this year. My son and DIL have decided to do Christmas at their place and have turkey. 

Oh, wait...maybe we will do duck for new years day. That gives you more time to get here!


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## Kylie1969

Awww, you are a sweetie xxx


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## vitauta

I usually cook a duck for thanksgiving and it has always been one of my favorite holiday choices.  but since i'm by myself this thanksgiving, and still on the mend with my back, i had to come up with an alternate plan.  my usual second place choice is pork loin roast.  you know the one--with the scored and crispy skin on top?  but no, i can't seem to let go of my craving for a thanksgiving duck.  

whole foods sells a nice rotisserie ducking, with black cherry sauce.  you can even buy a half-rotisserie duck that way.  i had almost decided to go with that, when an add popped up on my computer for grub hut.  well, i still don't know what their deal is, but from grub i found out that there are 42 restaurants listed in my area, ready to deliver almost any food i might fancy to my doorstep--wow!  i'm still marveling over this epiphany two days later!  ain't technology wunnerful though?  

okay, after perusing literally dozens of menus online, i came across this Asian restaurant that caters to uva students (well, they all do) and offer Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisine--lots of sashimi and sushi and stuff....and DUCK--of course!  Chinese peking duck is what i'll be having on thanksgiving day!  with pancakes and i don't know what else.  i'm so psyched about this turn of events and my peking duck.  i will be back to tell you all about it on Thursday--well, maybe Friday.  i hope everyone here has a wonderful holiday this thanksgiving, one with all the trimmings!


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## Addie

Son #2 loves Peking Duck. If my sister didn't make one every year for his birthday, he would order one from a Chinese restaurant in town.


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## Kylie1969

We have had peking duck in a restaurant...lovely


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## Chief Longwind Of The North

Addie said:


> Son #2 loves Peking Duck. If my sister didn't make one every year for his birthday, he would order one from a Chinese restaurant in town.



Your sister's a trooper!  I've only made Peking Duck once, with all of the traditional items that go with it, served in courses.  It was so much work, especially sewing up the skin and inflating it, then painting it with the honey glaze so many times, and air drying between each coat.

She made that every year?  You son is very lucky to have such a good aunt.

I'd like to have duck again.  My DW insists on an oven-baked turkey for Thanksgiving.  I may have to cook one when it's not for a special holiday.  I'll have to make something else for her though.  But that's ok, more for me.  But yu can bet, it won't be Peking Duck.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Addie

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Your sister's a trooper! I've only made Peking Duck once, with all of the traditional items that go with it, served in courses. It was so much work, especially sewing up the skin and inflating it, then painting it with the honey glaze so many times, and air drying between each coat.
> 
> She made that every year? You son is very lucky to have such a good aunt.
> 
> I'd like to have duck again. My DW insists on an oven-baked turkey for Thanksgiving. I may have to cook one when it's not for a special holiday. I'll have to make something else for her though. But that's ok, more for me. But yu can bet, it won't be Peking Duck.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


 
I had a houseful of company. It was Christmas day. All of a sudden in the middle of getting dinner ready, Son #2 decided to come for dinner. My sister delivered him. About a half hour later I got up and finished making dinner while he layed in the bassinet wrapped in newspaper over the hot air register. I chose her to be his godmother. So my son was always very special to her. And she to him. He always made it a point to go to her house during every winter storm to make sure she didn't have to do any shoveling. Anytime he heard that she was ill, he made it a point to run all her errands for her. She only got to do the duck about five times before she got so sick, she had to stop cooking for even herself. 

She too had four kids at the time. When her oldest son was killed in a Christmas holiday crash, both of my boys were there at her side to help her any way they could. Four days prior, she had had a major fire in her home. She was the one who let son #2 know he had a birthday when he was seven years old. 

She had given him two  presents. One wrapped in Christmas paper and one in birthday paper. He asker her if she ran out of Christmas paper. That is when he found out his birthday was Christmas. He never knew he had one.


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## Greg Who Cooks

Somebody dug up the duck topic again.  Just as well, you've reminded me I have a couple duck leg quarters in the freezer, just wating for that day when I gotta have duck and don't wanna drive. Evidently Thanksgiving for me will be rack of lamb... Maybe I should throw in the duck legs too. Gotta get my protein you know....


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## vitauta

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Somebody dug up the duck topic again.  Just as well, you've reminded me I have a couple duck leg quarters in the freezer, just wating for that day when I gotta have duck and don't wanna drive. Evidently Thanksgiving for me will be rack of lamb... Maybe I should throw in the duck legs too. Gotta get my protein you know....





even with just their legs, ducks will gamely fly....


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## chopper

vitauta said:
			
		

> even with just their legs, ducks will gamely fly....



Lol


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## FrankZ

Duck was on sale!  Duck was on sale! 

I have a duck in the freezer!


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## Skittle68

FrankZ said:
			
		

> Duck was on sale!  Duck was on sale!
> 
> I have a duck in the freezer!



+1 

I wish duck was on sale here! Best I have is a free turkey. I plan to smoke it


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## Dawgluver

FrankZ said:
			
		

> Duck was on sale!  Duck was on sale!
> 
> I have a duck in the freezer!



*ahem*:    "Happy Duck Day to You, Happy Duck Day to You, Happy Duck Day, Dear Frank and Kathleen, Happy Duck Day to You!"


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## vitauta

FrankZ said:


> Duck was on sale!  Duck was on sale!
> 
> I have a duck in the freezer!




Nuh uhh!  ducks are Never on sale!  this i Know for a fact to be true--sad,  but i think it's an immutable law of the universe or something....

jk--but know this, that i am mallard green with envy.


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## Greg Who Cooks

FrankZ said:


> Duck was on sale!  Duck was on sale!
> 
> I have a duck in the freezer!



Who cares when duck is on sale? When I wanna duck I wanna duck! Get out the Gran Mariner and start stabbing the damned thing so its fat will leak out, and start early because a good duck takes a long time.


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## vitauta

i do!  i cares about when ducks is on sale, i've been waiting all my life for that oft-rumored day to arrive.  my hope is kept alive by sightings such as frank's, right around thanksgiving season--i remain a believer in duck sale mythology....


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## chopper

Let's see, I need to go to the store today and turkeys are on sale. Maybe ducks will be on sale here too. I cleaned out the freezer and there is room for an extra turkey and a duck or two.......


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## FrankZ

Obviously I care.  When it is on sale it is an extra good reason to buy one to store.  If they have the fresh ones this weekend I might get one of those too.


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## Greg Who Cooks

FrankZ said:


> Obviously I care.  When it is on sale it is an extra good reason to buy one to store.  If they have the fresh ones this weekend I might get one of those too.



I don't care because I live in a place with about 200-300 square feet and if I wanted a freezer I would have to put it in the parking lot and run an extension cord. And any drive by could help themself to my freezer.

I was admiring deep freezers at Lowe's yesterday and found a perfect size for about $219-$239. I'm gonna get it as soon as I have a garage.

I think a freezer like this and a Costco membership could pay off in just one year! (I'm including electricity in my guesstimate.)

My neighbor who has a Costco membership took me shopping a couple days ago, and I decided to join the next time I wanna go over there. I've been "guest shopping" for years but I guess it's time to pay my dues... For the ability to go shopping alone!


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## chopper

With my second pantry and freezer in the basement I save money by buying in bulk at Sam's. I'm sure it would be the same for costco.


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## Greg Who Cooks

I always love quackers for dinner.  Particularly with Gran Marinier... they can bring their own or I'll be happy to sauce them in my kitchen!


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