Chicken, pork chops, steak, and fish can get a little old – even when you’re swapping them out regularly for dinner ideas. If you’ve run out of ideas for dinner meats, you only need to venture as far as duck to get something that’s delicious, easy to cook, and healthier than most other meats. The most common type of duck to eat in the U.S. is Pekin Duck, which is high in protein, vitamin B3, and iron.
There are a couple of different methods for cooking duck, and they’re all quite tasty. One of the more popular ways to cook duck is to roast it. Another popular cooking method is braising (which means frying the duck lightly and then letting it stew in a closed container) although to keep it healthy, roasting is your best bet.
Before you start, it’s important to know that duck does require a little bit of prep work before cooking. Take the duck, rinse under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels. Since duck is very fatty, it’s important to cut off some of the excess fat around the neck and the body cavity. You can do this with a knife or poultry shears. Once you do this, you’re ready to get started. Here’s how to cook duck like a pro.
How to Roast a Duck
To roast a duck, start by preheating adding a layer of foil to the bottom of the oven. Because duck is so fatty, there will often by droppings, and this will make cleanup infinitely easier. Next, preheat the oven by 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prep the duck by taking a small paring knife and make small slits in the skin. Put the duck in a roasting pan with a tray inside and rub skin with a mixture of salt and pepper.
Put roasting pan in the middle rack of the oven and roast (breast side up) for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and flip duck, and put back into the oven for an additional 45 minutes. After that, remove duck from oven and flip once more. You’ll want to continue roasting the duck for another 30-45 minutes or until skin is crispy and brown. After you remove the bird from the oven, let it cool down before carving (approximately 15 minutes)
How to Braise a Duck
To braise a duck, you’re going to also need to do some additional prep work. More specifically, you’ll need to cut your bird in half lengthwise after you’ve washed it thoroughly. The good news is that you can leave the excess fat as it will render into the pan during the braising process. Once you’ve cut your bird in half, rub each half with salt and pepper to season. Use a saute pan large enough to fit both halves in the same pan. Lay the birds skin side down in the pan and cover. Braise over low heat for 1 hour. The duck fat will render into the pan and provide the liquid for braising. After an hour, flip the duck halves over, cover again, and braise for another hour. The meat should be tender and slightly brown.
Remove duck from pan and save the fat in a glass jar. Use 2 Tablespoons of fat (or oil, if you come up short) and add into saute pan. Heat fat or oil to medium high heat. Place ducks in saute pan skin side down and saute for 4-5 minutes or until skin is crispy. Remove duck halves from skillet and let cool before carving.
