Roasty and crispy skin … Juicy meat … Stunning aroma … Cooking duck in the oven – this is something that you definitely need to learn to do it!
In my family, this recipe has been tested for years! From holiday to holiday, an oven-roasted duck recipe conquers the hearts of my guests. The results are very juicy, flavorful, with a golden and crispy skin that attracts attention, causing an appetite by its appearance.
To cook a perfect juicy duck in the oven so that to get a tender, original flavor and not too fat meat, it’s rather difficult, trust me. The most important thing is to listen carefully to all my recommendations and tips.
How to choose a good duck for baking?
The right chosen poultry is the key to a delicious dinner. The wrong chosen poultry is a guarantee of a spoiled mood. Of course, you can easily pick up from the market whatever you will find but don’t get angry with yourself for the wasted money and time. The important thing is to choose young high-quality poultry. You can identify such a young “lady” by property having a look at it: the fat should not be thick and dark yellow color (the brighter it is the fresher poultry is). Choose small size duck rather a bigger one, the skin should be whole, without darkening. If you have the choice then give the preference to unpacked poultry: who knows what is hidden under a sealed vacuum film in which the duck is tightly wrapped? Organic ones are healthier than most packed ones, but keep in mind that such fresher ducks are more expensive. I consider that it’s worth any money. Here the quality really counts, and we should not be afraid to spend more for a good qualitative duck.
How to marinate whole duck?
So, when the choice of the fresh high-quality duck has been made, it is time to choose the recipe. What do you personally like? What are your family preferences? What to cook so that everybody will eat with pleasure? I always opt for simple and easy recipes to cook and try to avoid too sophisticated recipes: for example, I try to avoid stuffed ducks. It is definitely not my territory.
First, if you bought frozen poultry meat leave it at room temperature to defrost, before marinating. Wash the whole duck and dry it well outside and inside with a paper towel. Then put the duck on some paper towels to soak up any excess of water.
Meanwhile, I make the marinade. I do not love sweet marinades for meats and always opt for something classic. The most frequent marinade I use to do has the main ingredient – the mustard. I like to use it in many of my marinades, as I like the final marinated taste to any kind of meat.
Let’s prepare the spices for it. Mix 1 tbsp of salt, 1 tbsp of ground garlic, 1 tbsp of ground coriander seed (these species go perfect with poultry) and 1 tsp of pepper with 7 tbsp of mustard. Mix all ingredients well. Rub generously the bird with the spices mixture inside and outside. Place it in a glass bowl and top it with a piece of cling film. Then leave it in the fridge for at least 24-48 hours to marinate. The more you marinate the duck, the softer, tender and juicer it will roast. Actually, if you do not have so much time in advance leave it for at least 4 hours to marinate at room temperature.
How to roast a duck?
Before serving, make sure you have enough time to cook your poultry. For roasting, you will need about 2 hours. Remove bird from the fridge for about 30 minutes before you start working with it. For flavor, I use to stuff the duck with one big quartered onion and 6 halved cloves of garlic. Place the stuffed with veggies duck in a baking sleeve with the breast-side facing downwards. Close hermetic the sleeve and arrange it on a roasting pan. Preheat the oven at 360 °F (180°C). Different recipes give you different values, but from my practice, this temperature is perfect for roasting poultry. Roast the bird for 2 hours trying not to open the oven, so to maintain a constant temperature. If you have in your kitchen oven-safe meat thermometer then use it to ensure a fully-cooked duck. Your duck is done when the internal temperature of the duck has reached 160 – 165 °F. However, do not worry because if you have chosen young fresh poultry, 2 hours of roasting will be more than perfect.
Once it is done, remove the roasted duck from the oven. Carefully open the baking sleeve, take out the bird and place it on a serving plate. Leave it uncovered to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
Prepare the best side dishes for it like mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables or even some tagliatelle. For me the perfect combination to the best-roasted duck is Sauerkraut.
And voila! The best supremely flavorful poultry dish is on your tablet! This fabulous recipe is perfect for your family dinner or ideal for any holidays or parties.
How to store the oven-roasted duck?
From my experience I have to refrigerate roasted duck not so often)). This dish is from that category that is eaten too fast in my family)). But in any case, if some meat has been left, make sure to cool it down before refrigerating. For easy storage, you can slice the bird in smaller parts and put them in a glass hermetic container. Refrigerate meat for no more than two days. If freezing, the procedure is the same and it can be stored for a couple of months.
Roasted Duck Tips:
Roasted Duck Tips:- For a tasty marinade, you can use any herbs and spices you like.
- To make sure the poultry is perfectly cooked, use an oven-safe meat thermometer.
- Do not higher the temperature while roasting, the skin will burn and the meat will remain uncooked.
- When cleaning the duck keep in mind not to throw the fat, because while roasting it will keep your meat tenderer.
- Do not throw away duck fat obtained after roasting. You can use it instead of oil to prepare the best-roasted potatoes, ever.
- If you didn’t find a whole duck you can easily use duck legs.
Crispy Duck in the Oven
Equipment
- Bowl
- parchment paper
- baking pan
- cling film
Ingredients
- 1 whole Duck
The Marinade:
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground garlic
- 1 pinch ground coriander seed
- 1 pinch pepper
- 7 tbsp mustard
Stuff the Duck:
- 1 onion
- 6 halved garlic cloves
Instructions
- Wash the whole duck and dry it well outside and inside with a paper towel. Then put the duck on some paper towels to soak up any water excess. (If you have bought a frozen poultry leave it at room temperature to defrost).
- Mix 1 pinch of salt, 1 pinch of ground garlic, 1 pinch of ground coriander seed (these species taste perfect on the poultry) and 1 tsp of pepper with 7 tbsp of mustard.
- Rub generously the bird with the spices mixture inside and outside.
- Put the duck in a glass bowl and top it with a piece of cling film. Leave it in the fridge for at least 24-48 hours to marinate.
- Before roasting the duck, remove it from the fridge 30 minutes ahead.
- Stuff the duck with one big quartered onion and 6 halved garlic cloves.
- Place the duck in a baking sleeve with the breast-side facing downwards. Close hermetic the sleeve and arrange it on a roasting pan.
- Preheat the oven at 360 °F (180°C). Roast the bird for 2 hours.
- Once it is done, remove the roasted duck from the oven, open careful baking sleeve and withdraw the bird from it and place it on a serving plate. Leave it uncovered to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
- Garnish this mouth-watering poultry with Sauerkraut, mashed potato or any other side dish you like.
- Enjoy your meal!
2 comments
awesome skin, mouth-watering….it looks so appetizing
It looks So delicious! I plan to make a special dinner for Christmas for my 8 member family. What if I use separate parts of the duck, the baking time remains the same?
Thanks! Keep up with the great delicious job!