Do you want to impress your guests with a tasty and succulent dish? Cooking a whole duck in the oven may appear to be a difficult chore, but with the appropriate techniques, it can be a gratifying culinary adventure.
In this article, we’ll walk you through each step, from preparation to serving, to ensure your whole duck is perfectly juicy and delectable.
Ingredients
- Defrosted Maple Leaf Farms whole duck (5-6 lbs.)
- Pots of Boiling Water
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- oranges, sliced into quarters
- 1 garlic head, paper removed and top clipped
- celery stalks, chopped into 2-inch chunks
Choosing the Ideal Duck
The choice of a high-quality duck is critical to the success of your dish. Choose a fresh, plump duck with smooth, moist skin. Examine the skin for a healthy layer of fat beneath it, as this will help to its succulence while roasting.
Directions
- If the duck was previously frozen, you need to ensure that it has been thawed completely. (Let thaw in the refrigerator for two to three days.)
- Put a large saucepan of water on the stove and bring it to a rapid boil. The water in the pot should be deep enough to accommodate an entire duck. Turn the temperature on the oven to 425 degrees.
- Take the duck out of the bag. Take out the packet of orange sauce, the giblets, and the neck from the interior. Giblets and the neck should be saved for creating stock.
- Reduce the amount of fat in the body cavity and the neck. Dry the duck with paper towels. Prick the skin all over with a large sharp fork (approach at an angle), being careful not to pierce the meat (the meat will dry up if it is perforated).
- Place the duck in the pot of boiling water with care, and allow it to cook for ten minutes. This will assist in releasing some of the fat from the meat. Take the duck out, and allow it to cool. Dry the duck with paper towels.
- Combine the paprika, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Apply the spice mixture all over the duck, both the interior and the outside.
- Position the duck so that the breast side is facing up on a rack inside of a roasting pan. Place the orange quarters, the celery pieces, and the whole head of garlic in the cavity of the duck.
- Make sure to clip the top of the garlic head. The hollow can be concealed by folding the skin of the neck under itself. Skewer it to make it secure.
- Put the roasting pan in the oven to get it ready. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature in the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After forty-five minutes, take the duck out of the oven.
- It is necessary to scrape the bottom of the roasting pan to remove any fat that may have accumulated there. Turn the duck over carefully, then place it back on the rack in the roasting pan and put it back in the oven for another 35 minutes.
- After the 35 minutes have passed, remove the duck from the oven, scrape off any fat that may have gathered on it, and then carefully turn the duck over so that the breast side is facing upward.
- Put back into the oven. Cook the duck for a further 15 minutes if it weighs 5 pounds; cook it for an additional 20 minutes if it weighs 6 pounds (the total amount of time spent cooking the duck should come out to roughly 22 minutes per pound).
- Take caution not to overcook the food. At the junction between the thigh and the leg, the internal temperature should be at least 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the duck out of the oven.
- Place the duck on a cutting board, and let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Take the oranges and celery out of the cavity, then dispose of them. Remove the head of garlic; the roasted garlic head makes an excellent spread for bread if you remove it first.
- Carve the duck, and then serve it.
The Roasting Method
Roast the duck in a preheated oven according to a temperature and time chart based on the weight of the duck. Cooking at a low temperature causes the fat to gradually render, resulting in delicate meat.
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