Why not roast some duck?

Question

Roasted chicken is a very very popular dish in US. I made one last night for dinner. Why isn't roasted duck popular in US? before I try it this weekend with just salt and pepper, I'd like to ask. Can I roast the duck the same way I do with chicken? I roasted chicken at 425 degree on a bed of root vegetables in a 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet. I assume roasted duck done in a same fashion will be tasty as well? and I assume roasted root vegetable cooked in duck fat must be ultra delicious?

Answer

I do not consider duck as simple as chicken, not by a long shot. No "set it and forget it". It will throw off a lot of fat so has to be watched carefully. Should be raised up on a rack or screen and monitored on a regular basis. 

Also for the skin to come out right, you have to brown it well before even putting it in the oven. I think these are more the reasons that you don't see it as often in home cooking, rather than price. Duck meat is more like beef and the price is cheaper than that. It's a little tricky, not impossible, but do a little research before attempting is my advice. some of the best duck I've tasted was cooked low and slow for 5 or 6 hours, not saying you can't do otherwise but if you want the full experience, there is a knack to it.

Answer

I slash the skin to allow the fat to escape. definitely use a roasting rack so it is not swimming in its own fat.
I also scald the duck briefly (and then air dry it) to get the skin a little crispier. A quick honey/soy/5 spice/sesame oil/ginger/garlic marinade, roasted a little lower and slower (to prevent scalding)....Good stuff.

Answer

Google "5 hour duck". They are slightly more work than chicken, to render out the fat, but little efforts spread over more time, and worth it. Later, you have duck fat and maybe leftover meat for duck hash. Also, I agree with the comment above about skipping the cloyingly sweet packet of orange sauce. Start saving and freezing the livers for a batch of duck liver pate.

Answer

"Why isn't roasted duck popular in US?"

In addition to what others have said (e.g., it's a darker meat, more fat means more attention needed, etc.), I suspect duck is less common than chicken because America's poultry producers have not industrialized duck production to the same extent as chicken production.

Answer

Somewhere on an old HC thread, it was suggested to loosen all of the duck skin before putting it in the oven, to allow the subcutaneous fat to drain away more thoroughly. However, the explanation was unclear. It seems to me that you'd either have to make some strategic skin cuts, or roast the duck vertically, which would not be easy in a typical home oven, given that ducks are proportionally longer than chickens. The top of the duck would be very close to the cieling of the oven. Most people just score the skin thoroughly all over, for better crisping. 

The Frugal Gourmet recommended steaming the duck first, then roasting it over sauerkraut. The steaming is supposed to get out most of the fat.

Answer

IMO, you can't roast a duck like a chicken and expect it to come out well. Putting it in a pan on top of a bed of root vegetable would be one of the last ways I would cook it. 

Duck can take on long cooking better than chicken due to its higher fat content, but its not easy to do well.

I like to either break the duck down into quarters or debone it and cook separate halves. 

I like to make confit with the legs or use them for a ragu. Sear the breast slowly at first to render the fat and avoid cooking the meat too much or you can do a higher sear to crisp the skin and finish in the oven. I would say that I've never treated a duck as though it was just the same as a chicken.

As to why Americans don't eat much duck, you could ask the same about (peter) rabbit, (bambi) deer or (billy) goat all of which I love. Most American insist on eating the same 4 proteins: beef, chicken, maybe pork and rarely lamb.

Answer

A recipe I've had good success with, is Alton Brown's:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mighty-duck-recipe/index.html

It seems rather complicated but once you've done it a couple of times it's quite easy.

Answer

Unless you render some of the fat before roasting any veggies under the duck could be swimming in a pool of fat... And turn out more soggy greasy than delicious

Answer

Sure! Why not? One of my favorite ways to roast duck is with black olives. I've also bastardized coq au vin by substituting a duck for the chicken. C'est magnifique! And the best place to buy quality duck at the lowest price is in a Chinese/Pan Asian market.

Oh! And when I roast duck I slice "shark's gills" on each side of the breast, being vvery careful not to cut into the flesh, JUST the fat! The problem with the traditional method of pricking all over with a cooking fork or a skewer is that as soon as the fat begins to render, it seals up those holes!

Answer

In my experience, duck is trickier to do than chicken if you want it to come out non-greasy and with that gorgeous crispy skin that's one of the main points of roast duck. 

The main difference between duck and chicken is that duck has a thick layer of fat under the skin (to keep it warm in the water). For crispy skinned, non greasy duck you need to render out the fat while it cooks, otherwise it can be kind of nasty. The two biggest issues are if you don't render out the fat well enough (leaving your dinner coated in a thick layer of rapidly congealing grease), or splattering of the fat as it roasts (leaving you with a kitchen full of smoke). 

The way I do it is to first steam it to start the fat rendering, and then to switch to roasting, on a rack so it doesn't end up swimming in fat. 

I wouldn't do veggies under the duck, because of the amount of grease that's saved. Plus, I love duck fat at a cooking ingredient, so I carefully save it for later use. 

What I do with duck if I don't want to go through the effort of roasting is to break it apart. I peel of the skin and fat, and save for later rendering (which will give me duck fat and crispy skin bits as a garnish), stew the hindquarters, maybe with tomatoes and black olive), and use the breasts seared, maybe on a salad of bitter greens. Maybe not the usual duck three ways, but it it highlights the best of each part of the duck.

Answer

I roasted a duck once years ago when I lived near a specialty poultry market. All I remember is that there was a lot of fat and not that much meat. I've never thought to do it again. It's not that I dislike duck. I had canard à l'orange awhile back in a restaurant and it was wonderful.

Answer

I used to roast duck frequently - it's what Mrs. O and I used to have every Christmas. One year we were having company so we bought three. "Three ducks?" asked the checkout girl. "Yes," I said. "Huey, Dewey and Louie." I thought she was gonna cry …

All I did was defrost, season, prick all over and roast at whatever temperature James Beard recommends, and of course check for fat overflow periodically. My best shot, though, was when I cooked two over indirect heat in my Weber grill on the front porch. It was a very cold day so I didn't hover over it, just went out to check and add charcoal now and then. What I did not think to do was to put any newspaper down on the concrete floor. So unless it's been resurfaced, I'll bet there's still a grease ring on the porch floor at 2804 Brightwood, Nashville. But the ducks were stunningly good.

Answer

I did one on the barbecue once, it was really good. IIRC, I used this recipe as a guideline, changing the positions of the duck seemed to be a key in its success:

http://www.sfgate.com/food/recipes/detail/?p=detail&rid=16196&sorig=qs

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Why not roast some duck?

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