klwalton? kightp? <lj site="li

[serene]

Okay, so here's the plan for the (six-pound) duckling so far:

It's on a little rack inside my glass baking dish. I plan to roast it, unstuffed, breast-side-up, for 2-2.5 hours or so (I may have a meat thermometer around here -- if so, do you pull it based on temperature, looks, or some combination?). Should I put water in the dish so the fat doesn't burn up? Am I right to leave the stuffing out of the bird so it doesn't contaminate the fat? Can you tell I want to get some usable duck fat out of this process?

Comments

[berkeleyfarm.livejournal.com]

Duck cooking advice: drain the fat frequently. They have a lot of it

I'd use a thermometer for doneness.

I'd not stuff the bird - it would be very fatty.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

What temp on the doneness, please, O Most Benevolent Foodie?

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

165 in the thigh meat. I'd take it out at 160, cover with a bit of foil and let stand for at least 15 minutes. There will be carryover, and the internal temp will reach at least 165.

Also agree with drain the fat regularly. It's pretty amazing how much fat comes from one of those things ;):). Don't forget to prick the skin well with a fork before roasting (try to avoid also piercing the meat, but piercing the skin will help with getting the fat from the bird).

Dinner sounds yum!

[jwg.livejournal.com]

Let's see we found 15 min / pound, 20 min / pound, and 30 minutes per pound in several recipes; so that was lots of help. We're assuming 1 3/4 an hour for our 5.5 lb duck and we're aiming for 180. It's in the oven now.

[rsc.livejournal.com]

Although, as it turned out, the thermometer said it was done when it pretty clearly was not. It eventually came out after 2½ hours; it probably was ready earlier, but it tasted fine and wasn't dried out. (I basted it a few times with the pan drippings. Oh, and we did stuff it. Yes, the stuffing was fatty, and very good.)

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Same here (thermometer said done when it was still a little bloody in spots; didn't dry out despite cooking longer than that).

Glad yours turned out well, too!

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Coming in a little late here, but:

Yeah, don't stuff the bird. I sometimes shove a cutup onion, apple and /or lemon in the cavity to flavor things, but sometimes not.

Yes, put some water in the bottom so the fat doesn't burn up. Baste periodically with something - the drippings, or whatever - for a more even browning. If the legs and wings start getting too dark before the torso is done, put some little pieces of foil over them, loosely.

Pierce the skin all over with something sharp so the fat will run out as it melts and you'll get a crispy-er skin. And cut off any big pieces of fat around the neck and tail cavities while you're at it.

(Me, I slash the skin in a diamond pattern and steam the duck in the roasting pan, covered tightly with foil, for half the cooking time, then uncover, glaze and roast for the rest, but that's probably more fiddly than you want to bother with.)

If the skin turns out too fatty to eat, strip it off and add it, along with the excess fat, to the roasting pan with more water. After dinner, put it on the range over low heat and let it simmer - adding more water if needed to keep it from burning dry - to render off every bit of that yummy fat. Skim if it gets foamy, and when it's done put the pan in the fridge overnight. The good fat will float to the top and solidify, and you can spoon it into a container and freeze it.

Was that more than you wanted to know? I'd best go start working on my own duck!

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! For the big piece I'm cutting off, I thought of rendering it the way my mom makes schmaltz (low heat in a cast-iron skillet), but I may just stick it in the pan with the drippings and see how that goes.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

That would work. I'm just too lazy to stand over the stove while the fat renders, so I use liquid and let it simmer without risk of scorching.