The Hungry MouseThe Best Way to Roast a Duck (Hello, Crispy Skin!)
Intimidated by roasting a whole duck? Don’t be.
It takes a few hours, but it’s really pretty easy. You just need to know what to do with your bird. It’s kind of a labor of love, but it’s definitely worth it.
With this method, the skin is crispy. The meat is succulent, perfectly cooked, and not at all greasy. And best of all? You’ll wind up with about a cup-and-a-half of duck fat. (More on this in a sec.)
This article demonstrates a step-by-step master recipe for roasting a plain duck, and then shows you how to lacquer it with a mouthwateringly spicy molasses and soy glaze. It’s a take off on Martha Stewart’s recipe & method from her Cooking School book.
So you guys know I have a fair obsession with duck fat
Now, I’ve roasted my share of ducks, but I’m always looking for ways to improve two things (which luckily, are tied together): how crisp the skin is and how much duck fat I get. The method below gets a lot of fat out of the duck, and produces beautiful, crackly skin.
Wait, Mouse. What can I cook with all that duck fat?
Duck fat keeps for months in the fridge. Use it much in the same way you would use rendered bacon fat. Here are some ideas:
+Duck fat is a glorious companion to potatoes. Make some duck-fat hash browns. Add duck fat to mashed potatoes instead of butter.
+Rub a whole chicken’s skin with it before roasting. It’ll add a good, deep flavor to your bird. (A chicken in duck’s clothing? I’ll take it!)
+Slather it on root veggies and roast with garlic, salt, and pepper.
On to the duck!
I don’t buy duck very often. They don’t usually carry it at my regular grocery store, so I make a special trek to Whole Foods for it. That’s just fine. It’s a treat, after all.
How to roast a duck: The basic technique
Here’s the basic technique I use to roast a duck. Roast it as follows for 4 hours at 300 degrees. After 4 hours, glaze and blast it at high heat for a short time.
- Score the skin, cut off excess fat, and poke it all over
- Salt and truss
- Roast at 300 degrees for 1 hour, breast-side up
- Poke, flip, roast for 1 hour, breast-side down
- Poke, flip, roast for 1 hour, breast-side up
- Poke, flip, roast for 1 hour, breast side down
- Poke, flip, blast at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, breast-side up
- Brush with glaze
- Finish at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes
- Rest, carve & serve
If you’re a meat thermometer kind of person, you want your duck to register 165 degrees F. If you follow the instructions below, you should be just fine.
Read on for step-by-step photo instructions.
Master Recipe: Roast Duck
1 whole Pekin duck, 5-6 lbs.
kosher salt
Sweet & Spicy Glaze
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
3 Tbls. orange juice
1 Tbls. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbls. Sriracha chili sauce (adjust to taste)
How to roast a duck: Unwrap the bird & deal with the innards
Grab your duck and unwrap it.
Yank out all the little treats that are inside the duck’s cavity and set them aside. Sometimes they’ll be wrapped in paper. Sometimes they’ll be loose. If they’re loose, be sure to get them all out.
I freeze all the innards except the liver, and toss them into stock. (The liver is the brown-ish, squishy looking thing in the upper left part of the picture below.)
Sidebar: What to do with the duck liver
By all means, save the liver and use it in pate or some other yummy thing.
For a simple and rustic cook’s treat, fry the duck liver in a little butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mash it up, then spread it on buttered toast. It makes a lovely snack if you like that kind of thing.
How to roast a duck: Score the skin
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
When your duck is empty, rinse it under cold water. Pat it dry with paper towels. Set a rack in a deep-ish roasting pan. Put the duck on the rack. (Or, score the skin, then set it on the rack afterward. Up to you.) Sprinkle the cavity with a little kosher salt.
With a very sharp knife, score a diamond pattern into the duck skin on the breast. Slice carefully. You want to cut through most of the fat without cutting into the meat. Luckily, a duck’s layer of fat is fairly thick, so this is pretty easy once you get the hang of it.
Cut on an angle.
Slice through the skin and fat, but not into the meat.
You want your duck to look about like this:
How to roast a duck: Yank out any quills
Your duck might not have any quills. But if you do see any little pointy things poking out of the duck’s skin like this, just pull them out:
How to roast a duck: Trim off any excess skin (and render it, if you like)
Cut off any excess skin at either end of the duck’s cavity.
Now, you can toss that skin. But if you’re like me, and you want to get as much fat out of your duck as possible, save it.
Cut it into smaller pieces. Put it in a pot with a little water. Bring the water to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly and let it simmer for a while. The skin will let out most of its fat. Strain it into a jar and reserve.
How to roast a duck: Poke the duck all over & truss it
Prick the duck’s skin all over with a sharp knife. This is to create small holes that’ll let the fat escape more readily. The more fat escapes, the crisper the skin will be. Only prick the skin, don’t hit the meat.
Cross the legs and tie them together like this with a piece of butcher’s twine.
Fold the wings under the duck. (Please note, my duck here is missing one of his wing tips!)
I didn’t get a good picture of the wing folding for the duck, but here are some pictures of how to fold a chicken wing, which is similar.
Sprinkle the duck with salt and pop it into the oven. Roast just like this, breast-side up, for 1 hour at 300 degrees.
After the first hour: Poke and turn the bird breast-side down
After the first hour, yank the pan out of the oven. The skin will still be pale, and should be just a wee bit crisp when poked.
Prick the skin all over with a knife. When pierced, the skin should let out gloriously molten duck fat. Be sure to get the area around the legs, which is particularly fatty.
Flip the bird over, so it’s breast-side down.
Pop it back into the oven. Roast breast-side down for 1 hour at 300 degrees.
After the second hour: Poke and turn the bird breast-side up
After the second hour, yank the pan out of the oven. The skin will be browner, and more crisp, like this:
Prick the skin all over. Flip the bird breast-side up.
Pop it back in the oven. Roast breast-side up for 1 hour at 300 degrees.
After the third hour: Poke and turn the bird breast-side down
After the third hour, yank the pan out of the oven. Your duck should be noticeably browner and getting kind of crispy.
Prick the bird all over.
Flip it over so it’s breast-side down.
Pop it back in the oven. Roast breast-side down for a final hour at 300 degrees.
While the duck is roasting for its last hour, make the glaze
When the duck is roasting for its fourth hour, it’s time to make the glaze. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the honey, molasses, orange juice, soy sauce, and hot sauce. Bring to a simmer.
Whisk constantly over medium-high heat for a few minutes, ’til it gets thick and syrupy, like this.
It should coat the back of a spoon fairly thickly.
Set your glaze aside, off the heat, until your duck comes out of the oven.
After the fourth hour: Finish your duck!
Finally! After the 4th hour, yank the pan out of the oven. Crank the heat up to 400 degrees.
Your duck should look about like this:
If you’re saving the duck fat for cooking later, remove it from the pan now. (Pull the duck and rack out carefully and pour off the duck fat….or tip the pan and remove it with a spoon. Be extra careful here, fat burns are nasty.) Do this now, before you add the glaze, so the glaze doesn’t get into the fat.
When you’re done, put the duck back in the pan on the rack. Flip it over, so it’s breast-side up.
When your oven hits 400 degrees, stick the pan back into the oven. Roast like this, breast-side up, for 10 minutes or so. This is to help crisp up the skin a little more.
After 10 minutes, yank the pan out of the oven. The skin should be golden brown and crisp.
Brush the surface with glaze so that your duck is completely covered. (If your glaze has cooled and is too thick to spread, just warm it up on the stove and it’ll liquify right up.)
You want your duck to look about like this:
Stick your pan back in the oven, and roast at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes, until your duck is a beautiful mahogany color. Keep a close eye on it, and yank it out if it starts to burn.
Your finished duck should look about like this:
Let the duck rest for 10 minutes.
How to roast a duck: Carve, serve, and enjoy!
Transfer your duck to a platter. Carve just like you would a roasted chicken.
So, you wanna buy a duck? (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
Oh, oh, oh!
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to enter our contest to win Jamie Oliver’s Nintendo DS Game. I have 3 to give away.
Cheers!
Here are some of the best discounts and sales I’ve found this week.
***
Copyright 2008-2009 The Hungry Mouse�/Jessica B. Konopa. All rights reserved.
481 Comments on “The Best Way to Roast a Duck (Hello, Crispy Skin!)”
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Wow! The step by step photos are very much appreciated. I can’t wait to try this.
Thanks so much, hon.
(Let me know how it turns out!)
+Jessie
Hi Jessie!…here’s a Mir from the Netherlands…as always curious for you folks over in the States I found your how to roast a duck…I first checked out all the Chinese recepies..like blow dry the poor duck to extra dry it’s skin before roasting a.s.o….then I found you…dear hungry mouse…right now going to cover it with glaze and…..Thanks a lot for this…be thinking of you..Love Mir
Hallo Mir, Ik las het stukje van the hungry Mouse over het bereiden van eend en jouw reactie… Ik heb in mijn leven misschien 3 maal eend gegeten en ik moet zeggen: Dat smaakt naar meer! Hoewel ik erg van dieren hou vind ik een stukje vlees toch wel erg lekker op z’n tijd… Weet jij misschien waar je in de buurt van Utrecht een (ooit gelukkige) lekkere eend kan kopen? [email protected] Bij voorbaat dank!
Thanks so much for writing! I used Google Translator to translate your comment from Dutch to English for everyone:
Hi Mir, I read the piece in The Hungry Mouse on how to prepare duck and your response … I have maybe 3 times in my life eaten duck and I must say: It tastes like more! Although I really love animals, I think a piece of meat so nice in its time. You perhaps know where in the vicinity of Utrecht (ever happy) Delicious duck can buy? Thanks in advance!
Hey Mario,
Ik weet niet of het een jaar later nog van nut is, maar als je nog steeds een eend zoekt, biologische slagerij de Groene Weg verkeept eend. Verse eendenborst en bout hebben ze meestal op voorraad (mannetjes zijn groter dan de vrouwtjes), en hele eend ligt in de “self serve” vriezer. Verse hele eend moet je waarschijnlijk bestellen, kan een paar dagen duren.
Adres is Biltstraat 66, 3572 BE Utrecht. Slagers Carl en Gaby hebben altijd goeie tips voor saus
Doe ze de groeten!
Maaike
Here’s the translation for this comment from Dutch:
Hey Mario,
I do not know if it’s a year later is useful, but if you’re still looking for a duck, organic butchers Green Road verkeept duck. Fresh duck and bolt they usually have in stock (males are larger than females), and whole duck is in the “self serve” freezer. Fresh whole duck you should probably order a few days.
Address is Biltstraat 66, 3572 BE Utrecht. Butchers Carl and Gaby always have good tips for sauce
Maaike
Dear Jessie,
I haven’t cooked a duck in more than 25 years. Thank you for such a user friendly and wonderful site to rebuild my confidence.
Sincerely,
Another North Shore Jessie!
Used your method on the roast duck. AWESOME!!! THE BEST ROAST DUCK I HVE EVER MADE THANKS TO YOU!! It was so good I went out and bought another one for Christmas dinner along w the usual ham loo I figure family could have a choice or better yet both. Never could get the skin this crispy before. The Chinese restaurants in my area would be soooooooo jealous. Loo thanks again
Jessie, I have been waiting for a tutorial like this forever! I have always been terrified to try to roast a duck on my own, but those photos and always amazing instructions have me convinced I can do it now. I love duck and that glaze looks great, such good color on the bird!
(your posts are seriously subtracting days from my diet’s expiration date)
-emily
@ChicagoDining
Heee, oh I’m so glad it’ll help!
*quacks at you*
+Jessie
Finger duckling good! I love me some duck!
Regards,
CCR =:~)
I love duck so this is very useful information! Crispy skin…sigh!
Lovely! A perfectly-cooked duck is a beautiful thing!
Wow. That’s just stunning. I’ve always wanted to roast a duck, I’ll definitely try this method when I manage to get one.
Wow, I’m practically drooling at the sight of this duck. It looks stellar!
Great tutorial! Duck is my favorite.
Your one winged duck looks awesome! I love to order duck when we go out. I’m not sure where I would get one, Whole Foods hasn’t opened yet in Charlotte. This will be on my list to try! What’s the purpose of scoring duck? Is it also to release fat?
Oy! Now that’s a day’s long work!!!
When do you have time for all this EXQUISITE ART, Jessie?!?!?!
Gabi
Thanks, guys! It’s definitely a labor of love, but oh my goodness the results are yummy!
Zena–You’re right on. Scoring the skin helps release the fat as the duck cooks.
You could try ordering one online, but you’ll likely pay a lot more than if you found one in person. D’Artagnan sells a whole Pekin duck for about $27 (http://www.dartagnan.com/item.asp?item=FDUPE002)
If you do order a duck online and want to use this method, be sure to get a Pekin duck, which are nice and fatty. Lobels.com sells a whole Muscovy duck, but it’ll be much leaner, so I’m sure you’d need to adjust cooking time.
Gabi–I have a time machine. (Just kidding, but wouldn’t that be cool?
) Thanks, honey pie!
+Jessie
That is one magnificent bird! Thanks for the step-by-step.
Great technique. I’ve always roasted for a much shorther period of time at a much higher heat, and never seemed to get the crispy skin you get in Chinatowns the world over.
Would it be better if you hung the bird for a couple of hours to let it air dry thoroughly before cooking?
Thanks, honey pie!
Hmmm, not sure about the hanging, but that’s an intriguing idea. Let me poke around and see if I can find some info.
+Jessie
This looks amazing Jessie. Not sure where I would get the four hours free to roast the duck but what a treat.
Heh, yeah it’s definitely something you need to plan for. Good Sunday afternoon project if you can find the time.
+Jessie
What a great post. Probably the BEST post on preparing a duck that I have EVER read!
Thanks a million. My wife, Dr. E., and I really appreciate your sharing of your obvious outstanding culinary talent.
DocChuck
Oh gosh, thank you so much!
So glad it’s helpful to you guys.
Cheers!
+Jessie
Wow that looks amazing. Love how detailed you got with the photos! It’s been a while since I’ve roasted a duck because the steam/roast method I’ve used in the past is so fussy. I’ll have to try your method.
I use duck fat as a substitute for butter and even spread it on toast. Also great to deep fry things in. Oh and the best thing to do with it? Gently poach the liver in it’s own fat then sprinkle a little sea salt on it and spread it on bread.
Hehe, thank you, thank you! Honestly, I think duck is just a fussy thing to cook, not matter how you do it. All the poking and prodding and flipping. Totally worth it once in a while, though.
And duck fat! On toast! You’re a genius!
Cheers!
+Jessie
Beautiful photos and very concise instruction. Exactly what I was looking for, since I deem duck a bit intimidating but am readily seduced by the flavorful meat and fat. Thank you very much.
Thanks so much Artemas!
So glad it’ll be helpful to you. I’m with you. Love, love, love duck.
Cheers!
+Jessie
Duck fat rocks! I always have a tub of it in the freezer.
Thanks for a comprehensive guide.
I just made this duck yesterday for Easter and it turned out great! It was so easy thanks to your detailed instructions and photos! And it was yummmmy
I found the duck and I’m gonna try this today. Wouldn’t have the courage if not for the great pics! I’m keeping my fingers crossed and I’ll let you know the results!
*quacks at you*
Happy to be of service! Let me know how it goes!
+Jessie
Nice job, very informative & helpful. I was wondering if I use a duck that has been boned out, should I decrease the cooking time?
Thanks again for this excellent presentation.
You really helped this night owl learn how to roast a duck… Just finished a beautiful bird with your help. She’s resting now, and I can’t wait to taste it; it smells divine! I’m a fan of duck, love the taste, but have only ever made smoked duck (under the supervision of a friend who has done it many times before).
I wish the skin had been a wee bit crispier. I wonder if I didn’t prick the skin enough, or perhaps my bird was too big (closer to 6 pounds than 5). I scored my bird but I messed up a bit and scored all the way through the skin to the meat, so after that I was a bit timid in scoring the remainder of the bird. The skin’s a little less crackly toward the neck area, but she’s crisp, for sure!
I’m always cooking new things, because I like to entertain (and eat, heh) so thank you so much for this tutorial!! The photos and step by step instruction made the experience really easy, fun, and headache free!
Oh fabulous! I’m glad it worked so well for you. Thanks for stopping by and reporting in.
I’m guessing that fatty part near the neck was pricked a little less.
Cheers!
+Jessie
I tried this recipe last night with a 7lb bird I got from my local farmer’s market and it turned out amazing! Thank you for the photos and the step by step instructions!
One quick tip: it is much much easier to prick the bird after the first hour. The skin proved quite tough to prick when it’s raw. After the first hour, it dries a bit and becomes so much more easier to prick.
Cheers!
Izzy
Dear Mouse,
Thank you for the wonderfully detailed instructions and photos. I’m considering using this method on a wild duck, perhaps basting it with a red wine. Any suggestions?
Hehe, you’re very welcome!
One word of caution for you. I used a Pekin Duck for this recipe–not a wild duck. I’ve never cooked a wild duck before, but my understanding is that they’re much less fatty than Pekins. I did a quick poke around the internet, and Epicurious actually recommends barding or basting them as they cook. I’d hate to see you dry your bird out.
You might try some kind of red wine butter sauce. I think you definitely want to make sure you get some extra fat on it. Bacon would probably also be good, but might be too overwhelming a flavor.
I’d love to know what you do and how it turns out! Very curious about wild duck.
Cheers!
+Jessie
Thanks for the heads up. Now, off to find a recipe for red wine butter sauce…
Cheers!
James.
Let me know how it all turns out! Dying to know how it works with a wild duck.
Cheers!
+Jessie
On wild duck, go for Mallard or similar large bird. Might outdo Peking—-Ill raided on duck in Germany. Put turkey back in the zoo!
This looks great!
I will definitely use these instructions.
Thanks for your work! Cheers!
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I am suprized the neighbors didn’t call the police whilst I was devouring this incredible duck for Thanksgiving. Why would they call the police? The moans and sounds of OMG filled the house when I finally sat down to eat this incredible duck. Because of a whole bunch of reasons, I preferred to spend Thanksgiving alone this year. This crispy skin duck fit the “I’m indulging myself to the nth degree this year” criteria.
What a pure taste treat for me. Both dogs give it two paws up as well. It was accompanied by red skin smashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, butternut squash ( all grown by a good friend) and a dynamite bottle of Navarro Vineyards Deed End Pinot Noir 1999. Life doesn’t get any better!!
So my question is, what should I do with the left over duck? Any ideas?
Again…thank you!!
Tried this recipe before and was in love with duck for the first time! Going to make it again this weekend. Thank you!! I just can’t get into using the fat tho…is it bad for your health?
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Nadine,
I slather a bit of the duck or chicken fat on veggies or potatoes before oven roasting. The flavor is incredible. You’ll be glad you saved the fat. Remember, everything in moderation!
B.
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Can you freeze the extra duck fat? How long can it last?
Never mind, I see that it lasts indefinitely frozen.
Thanks so much for making this guide, it’s always helpful to see photos of how these things should look.
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I have always loved duck and have been waiting for them to at least go on sale so I could afford the couple needed for a meal able to feed our family of 7. Last week our local grocery which stocks the same brand duck you used in your photos decided they were a slow seller. They are getting rid of all of them. I could not afford them when they were selling at $15-17 each. Now they are selling them for $1.50-3.00 each. They are frozen which is perfect because I am stocking up my freezer. My mouth was watering looking at your photos. I am not even going to check anyone elses recipe. You have won me over. Great pictures. I can smell and taste each one.
Oh wow, yeah…you’d need a couple of ducks to feed a table of seven. That’s a great price on sale, though. Let me know how it goes?
Cheers!
+Jessie
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My husband is a duck hunter, but he does not like to eat it. I have only found a couple of ways that I can fix it where he enjoys it. I happen to love duck. Your roasting technique looks wonderful. I may have to give your version a try. Our wild ducks will be much smaller than the domestic duck you used, but I think I can adapt it okay. Thanks for sharing. I would love for you to join me for Crock Pot Wednesday whenever you can. There’s a giveaway going on.
Oh, seriously…love duck!
One word of caution: Wild ducks are supposed to be much less fatty than Pekin ducks (the kind of duck you usually find in American markets). If that’s the case with yours, just keep an eye on him when he’s in the oven. If he starts to look like he’s drying out, you might even want to baste him with a little melted butter. Let me know how it goes?
Cheers!
+Jessie
So my boyfriend’s favorite thing in the world is a nice, fatty, crispy skinned duck. I knew I could NEVER reproduce the authentic NYC chinatown experience but decided to make him a duck for Valentine’s Day, and this is the recipe/instructions I chose… just wanted to tell you it came out FANTASTIC!!!! I’m not even much of a cook, but everything went down like clockwork, the meat was delicious and not greasy, the skin was perfect and crackly, and it was a HUGE hit, so thank you!!!!
It was absolutely lovely
I think I scored down to the meat a little, so a section of the breast was a littttttle teeny bit dry, but everything else was perfect and juicy and delicious, and I actually liked it better than any other duck I’d ever tried 
a most excellent tutorial. doing it tomorrow.
however for the last hour, intend to put potatos (in cold brought to boil for 5 mins and roughed up) under duck to allow remaining fat to roast them. do this with ham and super.
this could be the best step by step instructions for a duck i have ever seen! i am going to my kitchen to do this right now, i’m hungry just looking at the pictures!! thanks a million
I HAVE BEEN PURCHASING HALF BREAST OF DUCK FROM LONG ISLAND FOR 10 YEARS NOW, I GET IT FULLY COOKED AND TRIMMED OF ALL EXTRA FAT AND I HEAT FOR 30 MINS. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I WILL BE TRYING IT ON MY OWN AND FIND YOUR WAY OF EXPLAINING THE ENTIRE PROCESS INCREDIBLE.
I LOOKED AT 8 OR 9 RECIPES AND JUST FELT THAT THEY WERE TO LONG WINDED AND I AM LOOKING TO DEVOUR THIS BIRD TOMORROW NIGHT SO I DON’T HAVE DAYS TO PREPARE. YOUR SAUCE AS WELL LOOKS INCREDIBLY EASY TO PREPARE, I HAVE NO DOUBT AFTER READING ALL OF THE DUCK LOVERS THAT POSTED THEIR THOUGHTS, THAT THIS WILL TURN OUT TO BE A HIT WITH MY GIRL FRIEND WHO LOVES THIS BIRD AS MUCH AS I. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO WRITING MY REVIEW AFTER DINNER, THANKS AGAIN FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SHOW STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PREPARE.
JAY
Mouse:
I just made the duck (mostly) according to your recipe, and it was great! My wife raved about it, and we made sweet potato fries during the last 20 minutes using some of the rendered grease. In a word, phenomenal! We didn’t go so far as to use the duck fat on our green beans, but don’t think we didn’t consider it! Great Easter dinner. I will browse your other posts to get some more recipes for future use! Thanks for being out there, assisting the aspiring chefs among us!
PaulieP
Great recipe, but after 4 hours in my electric fan oven the duck was overcooked – if you have fan oven suggest you turn down the temp at little..what I loved about the glaze is how the molasses with the orange juice actually produces a classic cantonese plum flavour
I made this recipe yesterday for dinner, two ducks because we were 6 at the table. They came out with a crispy skin and the taste was great as promised but the meat was way too dry. I suspected this would happen just reading at your instructions since lower oven temperature and longer cooking time usually means dryer meat. But I tried anyway because I have little experience with roasted duck (I usually make confit de canard or cassoulet with duck) and thought maybe I could be favorably suprised.
Duck takes a long time to cook but an oven at 300º for 4 hours or so isn’t the answer as I could experience yesterday.
I have plenty of leftover eventhough two ducks are considered just enough for a table of six. We had some at lunch and the verdict still was on the too dry a meat, even for the cold duck dipped in mayonnaise.
My oven has a thermometer in it and its temp is accurate, in case you wonder about that.
Next time I will try a recipe on Epicurious, it’s similar to yours but cooking temperature is higher and cooking time is shorter. I think it will yield a moister roasted duck.
Thanks anyway. It was worth trying and we still had tasty, beautifull looking ducks to put on the table for our guests.
I was searching for duck recipes this Easter and yours was by far the most helpful. I only made the slight addition of stuffing the duck with tart cherries, juicy orange wedges, and herbs. The result was excellent, especially for an apprehensive duck first-timer. My husband and his law school friend devoured the perfectly crispy duck with some leeks and couscous–I even got them to try the duck liver pâté I whipped up while the bird was cooking.
Many thanks for the helpful step-by-step instructions and photos!
Nicely done!
Thanks a million Jessie! Been looking for a duck recipe for going on 2 days now. I’m gonna give this a try right now. I’ll let you and your readers know how it turned out and any lessons learned, etc… Thanks again!
Update: Now be VERY careful with this recipe. While the duck is fully cooked and safe to eat, it should be understood that duck breast can be eaten just like a steak which ends up juicier. I cooked the duck according to Jessie’s instructions and it turned out great. My wife did not like the breast though as it was drier that expected. Not unedible (I thought it was delicious), but be cautious as the breast will dry out first. I would recommend checking the temp frequently (every thirty minutes after the first 1 1/2 hours)during the cooking process to make sure the temp doesn’t rise too much. I’d never cooked duck before so I prepared exactly as directed and it ended up about 15-20 degrees above where I needed to be. Not Jessie’s fault I might add because the glaze she produced saved the day, but pay more attention to the temperature than the cooking time. Thanks again Jessie, but I’ll be more attentive to the temp next go-round!
Wow.
People use the word “amazing” too much nowadays…THIS is amazing, THAT is amazing, HE is amazing, SHE is amazing…………its friggen annoying as hell. The word “amazing” should be used to describe things that are BEYONE wonderful, far past incredible.
THIS post………………………is AMAZING.
SO glad I found this post. We ordered a duck from Fresh Direct about an hour ago and my husband and I were searching the internet and our shelves for desirable recipes. You win!
If I wanted to do two ducks at the same time, how would I adjust the cooking times?
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This looks amazing!! I just wanted to let you know , Ill be roasting my first duck( Ive got a 4lb pasture raised duck) in the next few days , and have chosen you recipe to try !! Cant wait to try it!! Thank you
Rich
If it looks at a duck, and talks about a duck, it must be a great website. And, from the look of things, a great website with a great recipe. Trying this tonight. Thanks!
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Thanks for the Beautiful recipe!
I have bought my first duck(s) and am using your recipe for my first attempt. This is to be my “test Bird” for the holidays. Today is my birthday (11-21-1980) and we are having this for my birthday dinner. If it comes out as good as it looks and smells we will be repeating this for Christmas.
We used a wonderful “duck stuffing” recipe to fill the cavity, and we are making mash potatoes and duck gravy to go with it all.
As a guinea pig, we have invited our friends from mexico over to sample, and critique dinner with us!
Thanks!
Stephen & Jennifer
Ok, dinner is over, and WOW.
It was great! our friends loved it, as did our 10 year old daughter. She said it was “softer than chicken” and we all agreed the flavor and crisp skin was spot on!
Thanks again!
Stephen
Never made duck before until tonight with this recipe – it was delish! We picked it clean after carving. The skin was crispy and the sauce made it so yummy. We had a 3.75 lb duck so changed the time periods to 45 each instead of an hour, but did cook it for a little longer at the end to get the skin crispier. Will definitely use this recipe again and can’t wait to use the duck fat on roast chicken!
Never made duck before until tonight with this recipe – it was delish! We picked it clean after carving. The skin was crispy and the sauce made it so yummy. We had a 3.75 pd duck so changed the time periods to 45 each instead of an hour, but did cook it for a little longer at the end to get the skin crispier. Will definitely use this recipe again and can’t wait to use the duck fat on roast chicken!
Glad I read this first. Am going to try to do a beer butt duck, on the gas grill Like I do chicken. I have a rack that stands the thing up and has a reservoir for holding a liquid, (beer, wine,) to steam from inside, and chicken gets done in 45 min to an hour. Never cooked a duck, and am going to try this Thanksgiving as a side form the Turkey, so if it doesn’t work out I can dis guard. Glad I found out it will take more than an hour. Question! Do I still slice the skin? It won’t fall off will it? Glad to know about all that fat. Will have to make sure to suck out the fat from the tray to prevent overflow and fire. How often should I do that? Any other suggestions? Should I go for 3 hours, heat generally tends to get high on the gas grill.
Hmmm, honestly, I’ve never grilled a duck. Here’s my best guess. I would definitely still score the skin as I instructed–and also cut off any excess skin/fat. To get the skin crispy, the bird has to let out as much fat as it can.
A whole duck has a lot of fat, so I really would worry about fire. (Please be careful!)
I started to poke around on the web for you. Here’s how Bobby Flay makes his duck breast (which, granted, will have much less fat than a whole duck).
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spice-rubbed-grilled-duck-breast-with-grilled-peach-and-goat-cheese-salad-recipe/index.html
Let me know how it comes out?
+Jessie
I am going to try your tips on my first duck for our Thanksgiving feast – just my son and I, and he is very excited to see what duck is like. Thanks for the great pics and steps!
Hi Jessie,
Googled how to roast a duck and your website was 3rd!! How cool are you! I bought a duck the other day for Thursday along with a Turkey. So glad I found your tips!
Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Colleen & Brian
Incredible recipe for roast duck. Found you when I goggled. First time I made a duck (for Thanksgiving 2010) and everyone loved it. This recipe is a keeper. Saved the duck fat too but not sure what I’ll do with it:)
You rock! I don’t like turkey and many years ago when I had no gray hears I introduced my son to duck for the holidays. I had been introduced to the wonders of duck while stationed with the Air Force. I’ve over the years always tried to get that crispy skin and it was always a hit and miss thing.
Then I found your site and WOW! You were the hit of my Thanksgiving meal!!
Much Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Jane
I made this today for Thanksgiving! It was perfect! Thanks for such a wonderful tutorial!
I just have to say.. we just finished our Thanksgiving feast complete with a duck and I followed your directions 90% of the way (We all adjust for our kitchens, right?
). That was, hands down, the BEST THING I have made in my entire life! The duck came out succulent and amazing. The skin just melted in my mouth. Oh wow. Thank YOU for an amazing Thanksgiving treat. I’ll definitely be passing this recipe along to friends and family!
Jessie,
Lovely, detailed pictures!Ｉwas going to use a recipe for duck breasts but my grocer didn’t have enough so I searched frantically for a recipe online. This was my first time cooking a whole bird larger than Cornish hens (game hens). My bird was only about 4.2 pounds, so I shortened the hour periods to about 45-50 min, making the total cooking time about thirty minutes less. The bird was perfectly juicy after 10 minutes’ rest; a little more done than I liked but perfect for my family! I used an apricot-red wine glaze instead… 1/3 cup apricot jam, 1/4 cup red wine, a tablespoon or two of vinegar, a tablespoon or two of honey, a tablespoon of orange juice and some lemon zest. Thanks so much!!
I cooked two 5 pound ducks according to this recipe and they turned out perfect. I notice some folks said that their ducks turned out drier than expected so I would expect that there’s a sizable difference between a 4 and 5 pound duck; or cooking two versus one at a time, so I’d adjust the time and monitor closely. With two five pounders everything came out great and my son raved about it in comparison to ‘dry’ turkey for Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing; great pictures. Wes
We live in Minnesota and if you can come up with a great goose recipe I’ll send you a few hundred. They’re referred to as ‘sky carp’ around here….
Regards,
Wes
Did you use the same temperature and the same cooking time as if you were cooking only 1 duck vs. 2. Is oven better than grill? I am roasting 4 ducks which weigh 2.5 lbs. each. Do I multiply the cooking time by 4?
Thank you.
I made this recipe yesterday for Thanksgiving to accompany the turkey. My guests loved it and every bit of the duck was devoured. Thanks so much for a fantastic recipe and taking the mystery out of the process. Thanks so much!
This is the best duck I think I have ever had. We had it yesterday for Thanksgiving and could not get over how delicious it was. I am going to have to make another one for Christmas. Thank you do much for posting this!
For anyone interested in trying this out, I recommend serving roasted veggies on the side with it. It is a great combo.
You wanted to know how my grilled duck came out. Well, since I was doing a turkey dinner in the house I wasn’t able to watch it much. To begin with, when I cut through the skin, there was very little fat that I could see. First cut went into the meat. I wondered at that time, but stuck with your timetable to have it done the same time as the turkey. I only got maybe a half cup of fat out of it, and it was way over done in 4 hours. Dry and crispy to say the least. We all had a bite, but like I said, over done. Am using the carcass for duck soup now though, and will try the duck in the oven next time. It was just an added thought to try it anyway, so nothing ventured nothing gained.
Just wanted to say I used this recipe to roast a duck for the 1st time (Friday), and it came out very well! It was actually a little undercooked where the legs meet, but we popped it back in the oven for a few minutes and that was taken care of – it was later made into stew, which I plan to enjoy today.
This was the best tutorial I could find and the glaze – delicious! I would go with a little less molasses and a little more soy, but other than that, perfect! I used the left over glaze in the stew and it blended quite nicely.
Oh, and I also added rosemary to the roast along with a little salt and pepper.
Thanks!
Hey! Great recipe! I found my new favorite website!
…… (I’m pretty sure I poked it enough). However, it tastes great and the sauce is amazing! Thanks!!!!!
I’m just finishing the duck up – should have cooked it a shorter time – it’s a bit overdone, but the skin isn’t crisp at all
Worked perfectly the first time! I live in Asia, so the ducks are not as fatty (no winters on the equator), so I modified the scoring, but nothing else.
Thanks! Never cooked duck before, so hitting a bull’s eye the first time is gratifying….
Oh…I forgot….I only cook with gas: this may be why electric oven owners had a dry duck after 4 hours.
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Disappointing. Skin was not crispy. Duck totally fell apart. Did not work at all.
Great recipe. Worked fantastic. Used 2,6kg duck. Very crispy and tender meat.
Prepared the duck as described with a modification of the glaze. The duck turned out perfect.
I highly recommend thid recipe. Thanks.
Oooh! Never cooked a duck before but I could do this! Ordered by Whole Foods duck today!
Wanted to let you know that I tried this last night, and I am an avid cook, and it was excellent. I have only had duck in a Chinese restaurant once and this is the first time I cooked duck, succulent tender and juicy. Was a little skeptical about the glaze and was almost afraid to put it on, it was fabulous. Very glad I found this site and tied something new. Your directions and pictures are amazing. Crispy skin, perfect.
Thank You.
I looked at several web sites’ recipes and decided to try yours on my first duck. I think ill stick a meat thermometer in the breast and adjust the cooking time according to weight.
Gonna try it today, the Sunday before Christmas, 2010. Originally on today’s menu was roast leg of lamb (another cullinary delight), but when I opened the freezer and saw that duck, I had to choose! Will use your sauce and definately save the fat. I think I’ll saute the liver in it.Hmmm.. might season a batch of potato chowder with it too (usually use bacon drippings).
I like the idea of frying sweet potato slices in it (from a previous post).
Will report back after dinner!
Paul
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My husband used this recipe on a 4 lb. Muscovy duck, which is leaner than Peking duck. He reduced the roasting time and basted it with butter twice (at the 2- and 3-hour marks), but he followed all the other instructions precisely. It turned out beautifully. Thank you for this recipe – dinner was glorious!
Hi, I am giving this a go for Christmas dinner, along with a turkey and goose! With a million and one things to do can I make the glaze in advance? I hope so!
Thanks
Okay, we’re at the end of the second hour and my Christmas Eve guests will be here any minute. I am a huge believer in the thermometer so I’m not worried about drying out the breast. If it tastes as good as it smells my guests will be in for a real treat.
Made this last night. Huge success!! My duck was a little lighter than a 5 pounder so I reduced the cooking time. Tonight is braised lamb shanks with, you guessed it, roasted red potatoes in duck fat.
Jessie,
We just pushed ourselves away from the dinner table here, the two of us stuffing ourselves with parts of about a 5 pounder that we picked up in Chinatown LA for cheap, 13 bucks. The legs were moist, so were wings and breast. There’s more, of course, and we’ll be bringing that to a friend. I thought too, like the others, that temperature and cooking time may have been too much, but the meat was not dry and great tasting. I think I might try your recipe again, and use 250 degrees instead of 300. I’m not concerned that it won’t be cooked enough, but it might produce a more succulent meat.
By the way, I’ve cooked Peking Duck at home, using coat hangers in the oven and basting with a sugar solution as called for and drying the creature upside down a couple of times in the traditional manner. Complicated. Your recipe eases the whole process and produces the same kind of taste and goodness
We discussed brining duck, but I saw no reference to it when I googled roast duck. My lady said that her dad ( who is Chinese) brines his duck and goose, and that it brings out the fat and reduces cooking time. Could you comment on that?
Thanks again, guy, for the great job of researching, experimenting, and detailing your hard won work. It made our Xmas Day very special.
Hey Mouse,
Roasted up two ducks your way last night for Christmas dinner and they were crazy good. I was skeptical about the four hour+ roast time, expecting the breast meat to dry out, but it was moist and flavorful, and those crispy confit-like legs, wow. The glaze is also fantastic (sriracha, genius!). After years of trying to get a duck right, a recipe that can do no wrong. Thanks!
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I just made this today to celebrate the end of a wonderful Christmas holiday with my lady and two kids. I was intimidated at first, but it turned out sooooo good.
We had it Peking Duck-style on moo shu pancakes with green onions, hoisin sauce, Thai chili sauce and bean sprouts. It was incredible! And I’ve got a coffee mug full of duck fat sitting in the fridge as a bonus.
A word of caution, though. Be careful when scoring the fat. It is pretty easy to cut all the way through to the meat.
Also, Jessie, my duck (same brand as yours from WF) was missing one wing tip, too (???).
Followed the great pictures here using a 5.5 pound duck and has very good results… except the skin was not crispy. So I read the instructions over and realized where I went wrong: While I scored properly and poked holes at the beginning I did NOT realize I needed to poke holes again all over again *every* time I took out the duck (before turning it). My guess is that resulted in more fat being retained in the skin and so it did not crisp up like expected. I’ll try again and do it right this time.
As for cooking time, mine was definitely done and maybe starting to get a bit dry (even tho still more fatty because I didn’t prick enough), so if you are doing less than a 5 pound duck, definitely scale back the time per turn to 45 minutes instead of 1 hour. If you’ve got room in your oven for two ducks, the cooking time will remain the same. An oven, either electric or gas, is not like a microwave. Once you preheat it to the temp you want, that temp will affect however much food you can fit in the oven the same way, not need to increase cooking time for two ducks.
And the glaze in this recipe is outstanding!
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I made duck for the first time the other day. This recipe was a god send and my duck turned out wonderfull not gressy at all
This recipe was fabulous!
I just did it last night for New Year’s dinner for my husband and I…Boy was it worth the 4 hour wait!
The only issue I had was that I had to remove the fat that collected in the pan after each hour. That was a lot of work but in the end it was worth it. The glaze was righteous- I will be making it for other meals.
Thanks so much for sharing this and for the pictures- my duck looked just like yours! To a year of good meals.
Thank you for this post. Made the bird last night and it was fantastic!
Just made my first duck today using your recipe exactly. Duck turned out even better than I expected. The only problem – a mess in the oven. Apparently roasting duck makes the biggest mess of all – I’ve roasted chicken, turkey and various meats before.
Is there any way to modify recipe (i.e. cover duck at some point) to reduce the mess?
I am so thankful I found this website. I was so darn skeptic about cooking duck if not for my husband who insisted on it. my husband enjoyed helping me score the duck and even helped prepared the glazed.
the duck was SUPERB!!! for a first timer, it was a boost on one’s self-confidence. thank you for the step-by-step instruction and the detailed photos. hope you don’t mind I share this website to other Filipinos who loves to eat
Great picture tutorial, so I tried it last night. I got crispy skin and meat just shy of dry. This is likely due to my blast furnace convection oven. Next time I will follow the manual’s suggestions for truncating the cooking duration. I forgot to buy molassas so I used reduced balsimic vinigar instead. Perfectly pleased. GREAT duck. Thanks
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Thanks for the recipe – it was great! I’ve never even roasted a chicken, so the step-by-step directions with photos were very helpful.
This is great! I hope it’s okay with you but I’ve linked to this recipe from my blog.
The duck is smelling great! In the oven as we speak :-p
This recipe is amazing! I just roasted my first duck tonight and it was probably one of my most favorite things ever! I changed the glaze just a tad to fit our dietary needs, but other than that I followed the directions precisely and it came out perfect. The skin was crispy and the meat was falling off the bone. I’m so excited to make stock and render all the duck fat! I’m sharing recipes with my sister on a blog I set up for her and I’m going to point her in this direction to make this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
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Just put it in the oven….is it done yet? is it done yet? No! but update to follow.
Hour 2 and right on track! this is the first time I’ve cooked duck and NO FEAR!
FYI: the quills come out a LOT easier once the duck has cooked an hour.
Wish I would have known that before spending so much time with my eyebrow tweezers trying to get them all out!
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Everybody loves my duck, especially my daughter (she is very “problematic” with meet).
I just simmer the duck firs for 5 minutes, completely submerged into boiling water.
Skin was crisp and absolutely 0% fat. Delicious.
Glaze was simple honey and soy sauce.
And of course, on top Blueberry sauce with Onions, Port, Vinegar, Honey, Orange zest and Orange juice.
Thank’s again for the recipe.
Hi i live in Dubai, ovens here are very different. Just a quick dumb questions considering i have never cooked Duck before. My owen is max 270 Degrees (C)
when you say 300 and 400 you mean (F) right??
Yep, I meant F.
Let me know how it goes!
+Jessie
Thanks! This was a great step-by-step recipe for a first-time duck roaster! It turned out great!
I’m trying this out today, I normally cook my duck overnight in a slow cooker on low, lots of duck fat and an almost confit like result. I want crispy skin so it has to be this way. I’m trying a different glaze as I don’t have molasses and soy sauce to hand and all the stores are closed till tuesday. I’m using Fig Balsamic, Honey, Worcester Sauce and some Smoked Chipotle Sauce for the glaze.
Worked like a charm. Coupled with some home made hawthorn berry sauce (and a ice bottle of red), it was very close to perfect. Now I also have duck stock and duck fat to use later. Thank you for sharing!
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I am speachless, this is so good. Thanks for sharing. M
I Have never roasted a duck before–It turned out excellant!! A+++ Not greasy, very tender! I didnot glaze it, as I am not fond of glazes, not I still was just great! I think I’ll try a capon next!! Thanks
I have never roasted a duck before. I bought a duck yesterday and started my search for a duck recipe…. and found you… this is the BEST step-by-step instructions I have ever seen!! I am not in any way confused or have any questions! I am confident that it will turn out great when I make it today.. My mouth is watering and I can’t wait to try it!! Thank you ever so much!!
I plan on linking you and this recipe on my blog http://yelenasnest.blogspot.com/
Regards,
Yelena
Hi,
I just found your website and this is amazing!!! I love to cook and am very good at it but I’m always nervous when making new things, like duck. I’m so excited to try this tomorrow night for my 1920′s murder mystery dinner party. Just a quick question, how many ducks would I need to feed 11 people? Just wondering because I have a small oven and may try to cook two at a time…
Thanks!
Veronica
very very good i’m doing it now
The pictures really helped me get an idea of what it should look like at every stage! This recipe is also kind of a generalized look at what I’ve seen otherwise. All in all, very helpful.
I’ve only roased a duck once. (two at once ) Instead of flipping them, I placed them on a beer can chicken stand. It roasted them evenly and drained the fat perfectly!
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Thanks for the great post! I’ve never roasted a duck before — my wife doesn’t like dark poultry meat — but since she’s out of town I decided to give it a try. The results are SPECTACULAR, thanks to your instructions. I hope she goes out of town more often (just kidding).
Thank you so much for this, I remembered the basics of roasting duck from watching my Mum prepare the Sunday roast as a child but this post really boosted my confidence. I spent ages looking for a simple and informative recipe that I could adapt to suite my own tastes and this is definitely it.
This is an amazing step by step tutorial! I’ve never made roast duck before but I have one in my freezer and I cannot wait to make this!
I love your recipe.I cooked my duck in one of those benchtop glass bowl convection ovens and very early realized that it was cooking a lot quicker than your recipe so i adjusted it accordingly.I turned and pierced the duck about every houlf an hour or so and it cooked in about 2 hours approximately.I don’t cook by the clock i cook by feel and look.The skin was nice and crispy and crunchy and the meat was a little on the dry side so next time i will reduce the cooking time accordingly.Your glaze is simply genius it is brilliant.With some experimentation i’m sure i will get the duck perfect.The excess pieces of skin i cut off i put in a roasting pan in my regular oven and cooked the fat out.I then used that fat to roast potatoes – absolutely delicious.Thank you for your guide this is the first time i ever cooked duck and i enjoyed it very much and i have another half of the duck to enjoy tomorrow.
I just bought a duck today with no idea how to cook it. I am so glad i came across this site. that looks amazing and all the comments are awesome. Definately gonna have to plan for this one soon. my only concern is the glaze. im not a big fan of spicy-sweet flavor combos. Do you have any suggestions for a different glaze i could use?
A port wine glaze is awesome on duck:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/port-wine-glazed-roasted-duck-pureed-sweet-potatoes-haricots-verts-and-roasted-shallots-recipe/index.html
Easy enough, but Emeril’s roasting recipe isn’t nearly as well laid out or effective for saving the duck fat as this one’s.
Just used this recipe last night on a duck I bought from a local farm. Fannnntastic =) For the crispiest skin, dont skimp on drying off the duck inside and out with paper towels. The more moisture that is left on the skin, the more steam is created which softens the skin. I served this with a light asian-ish slaw and smashed fingerling potatoes boiled then seared in a pan with a a little of the duck fat, salt and pepper.
hey newbie. just think of the duck skin as your canvas. you can cover it with whatever you find delicious (sweet always helps, since it intensifies so much under the high heat – pommegranate syrup is a good starter).
anyhoo, have fun with it.
I tried this recipe, with a few changes, tonight. AWWW!! Dang!!!! So good! The glaze was epic, and I actually made another batch to drizzle over the cut meat. I added some orange zest and substituted brown sugar for the molasses successfully. Delicious. I made some people very happy tonight.
It’s pretty amazing how much fat can be rendered with 1 small duck. I have at least 1 1/2 cups from a small 4.5 lb duck. That will last me for a month or so. Big mahalo for the detailed recipe and great photos. Aloha!
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Trying your method…got my duck at the Asian market and I had to lop off his head and webbys..YIKES! Anyway only change I’m making is using some fleur de sel, instead of kosher….why the hell not? I am also not using the glaze this time because im doing a red curry sauce. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the no nonsense explanation.
Trying this for my dinner party on Saturday. I’ll be roasting 3 ducks to feed everyone and was wondering — could I get them all partially roasted (i.e. just the 4 hours at 300F) ahead of time and then finish them (400F+glaze) just before my guests arrive? I ask because I can only fit two at a time in my oven :-\ Has anyone tried this?
I tried this for dinner the other night, and it turned out really good! The skin was really crispy as promised
Thank you for the uber detailed instructions, all the pictures were super helpful and I don’t know what I would have done without this post! I didn’t even bother writing instructions on my blog- just included a link to your site! Again, thank you for the help!
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These are the best instructions I have ever seen – thank you!
Hi, i love your recipe it looks delicious!
I’m a newer cook so im not quite sure how to convert time and temperatures depending on the size of the duck..
If i have a non-peking duck and it only about 2lbs, do you know if i should only cook it for about 2-3 instead? But still taking it out about 5 times to do the processes you have layed out?
Thanks so much!
Hellooooooooooo Miss Mouse.
I just wanted to say, I’ve never made a duck before. It’s now thanks giving and I am using your method to prepare duck for my family. I’m on hour 3 and so far so good. Thanks for making this less of a daunting task. I hope it turns out! Cheers, have a good day!
It’s hard to find a nice duck here in Buenos Aires, but I got my hands on one and wanted to find a nice glazed duck recipe. I’m cooking for a belated Canadian Thanksgiving dinner (2 days late but who cares?) and am really looking forward to the finished product.
To those of you who are terrified of cooking duck, I have a method that takes almost no skill. I learned it by eating at a Hungarian restaurant in Toronto called the Blue Door. We would order a whole Brome duck and the chef would make it to order. Hard to believe, but they had some sort of extremely hot oven and he would just sprinkle it with salt and pepper, jab it all over, and stick it in at a VERY high temperature. Ready by the time we had finished our appetizers and started our wine, maybe 20 to 30 minutes max.
I’ve replicated this at home with my convection oven. I set it at 500, preheat the pan, put in the duck and just watch it until it’s all brown and cooked through. I think what happens is that this method gets it to its first stage of doneness, and the meat is tender. But if it goes on too long it toughens up, only to tenderize much later. Try it out if you dare!
Ron Smyth
I can’t wait to try this! My uncle is coming up from Sarasota this week and he loves duck. I have always wanted to roast a duck and now I’ve got step by step instructions. Thank you sooo much! Do you think it will go well with some Goat Cheese grits?
That is the most thorough, well photographed cooking (of any kind) tutorial that I have ever seen anywhere.
Thank you =).
I’ve got a quacker thawing now…
Thanks! We raised our own ducks this year and slaughtered our first one this morning. She is scored, rendering and crisping in the oven as I type. I appreciate your tutorial here, which has (hopefully) helped me to not screw this up!
Thanks again
Nowhere in this recipe nor in any of the other roast duck recipes I’ve looked at does it say whether or not the roasting pan should be covered during cooking. So here I am with duck in hand, wondering what to do!
It might be tempting, but don’t cover it! It’ll be just fine as is, just like in the pics.
The best roast duck ever! Thanks for the photos, too. The glaze was just perfect.
Probably won’t do the glaze for a couple of personal reasons (including we want the duck plain), but the directions will really help us. Visuals are terrific. A duck for Thanksgiving–we are so looking forward to it. Thanks!
Whole Foods is having a duck sale so I bought one. It has been years since I last broiled one and was thrilled to have come across this site while searching for a recipe. I wish to thank you Jessie for your truly easy instructions and the outstanding accompanying illustrations. Will let you know how it turns out.
omg i am so going to do this. it looks fantastic!
I made this fabulous recipe in September and am making it for the second time today. I love duck but was always afraid to ruin it so it was relegated to eating out. After making it with your step by step, I am looking forward to the long day in the kitchen, knowing the reward. Thanks for all the effort in posting this.
I’ve been searching for the perfect duck recipe for, well, feels like half my life (couple of decades anyhow). The process and the pics have convinced me I’ve finally found it. Thank you, thank you. lvb
I just made this and I’ve never cooked a duck in my life. My family loved it! Thank you so much! I appreciate the detailed instructions!
I just roasted my first duck yesterday with this recipe (practicing before I serve it on Thanksgiving) and it was fantastic! Lovely, crispy skin; a perfect sweet glaze with that little rooster kick- not nearly as intimidating as I was anticipating. And now I have a jar of precious duck fat and duck soup heating in a slow cooker. I love you for this!
I can’t wait to do that as well!!! With Asian Rice Noodle and some Bok Choy…YUM!
for the people who said the temperature was off I completely disagree…went with your time and temp and basically all your directions, oh how totally fabulous, my house smells like heaven and my tummy is so completely happy…thank you for such a great post…this was my first time making duck as it’s not readily available in the grocery around here…but I will now be making one every fall when the stores start stocking….thank you again for sharing this fabulous recipe.
Do not cook duck to 165, you will cook the living hell out of it! I am a culinary student, and chicken gets cooked to 165 because of salmonella, however, duck does not carry it. Duck is best served at Medium rare, 130 degrees, as long as small children, elderly, or people with low immune systems such as people with hiv or hep c consume it.
Have you tried brining the duck before going through the roasting process? Seems like a good way to add a bit of additional flavor and dryness insurance.
This is my first time cooking a Thanksgiving Dinner and my husband and I decided that duck should be the main meat. We love it, especially him, but we also know it can be easily screwed up. This would be my first time cooking duck, so I need to be on point. I searched high and low for a recipe that was easy to follow and well-detailed. I feel so much more confident once I saw your tutorial. The reviews say it all. I’m excited to begin my 7-person meal. It’s a bit ambitious, but I go hard
In addition to the duck, I’m making Jamaican Pumpkin soup, apple-pistachio stuffing, asparagus and broccoli (hopefully roasted on some duck fat), rosemary rice, and black truffle mashed potatoes. I think I’ll modify the glaze by using brown sugar instead of molasses so I don’t have to buy too many new ingredients that I don’t regularly use. I enjoy cooking and am looking for some opportunites to increase my skills. I’ll let you know how it all pans out!
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Can this technique be used for wild duck? I was giving 2 small wild ducks from a friend and would love to use this recipe. Thanks in advance.
I’m a single mom, and this year I’m a newbie to the state of SC. It’s going to be just me and my son, who I dream will someday like food. ANY food. Seriously…if he decided wood chips were good, I’d offer him ranch dressing to dip them in or see if he wanted me to coat them in chocolate (two things he’ll eat once in a while if they are “the right kind”). I love all the tips people give me, but this child refuses cupcakes, french fries, and noodles if they look at him the wrong way. Someone just suggested I put sweet potato baby food in his macaroni and cheese…I tried not to laugh and said “well that would require he eat the macaroni and cheese.” Anyway, turkey is fun with a group but not something I seek out on my own. But I loooooooove duck. It’s heaven. I have never made said heaven, but this morning I found this recipe. And just now…walked in the door with my duck (which my son promptly named “Turkey.” Might not have an appetite, but he’s got wit!). I’m beyond excited
So excited if that bird were not frozen, I’d be starting it now!
OMG! This duck was incredible. Perfect temp, perfect timing. Gorgeous crispy skin. Very little fat (got a touch less than 1 1/2 cups fat). Meat was not fatty, but moist and tender! Served with steamed organic carrots and wild/long grain rice. Made a little au jus with goodies from the pan and port and white wine (touch of flour to thicken). Didn’t use on the duck, but it was great on the carrots & rice. I will do this again! Thank you! (I got lots of things done during the cookings hours, so it was not a problem.
Hey Mouse, you are a beginner foodies dream. My fiance and I are staying home for Thanksgiving and my idea of rotisserie chicken just wasnt feeling festive. So, I bought a duck at the grocer today (without a clue of how to cook it) but I recently moved to an area where they hunt ducks so I thought this would help embrace our first thanksgiving in our new location.
Anywho, Your step by step makes this a breeze and the comments let me feel confident about following the receipe. I’ll have to go back out for some soy sauce and molasses. Are you a Chef?
This is a wonderful recipe. I made a goose last year for Thanksgiving & it was wonderful. I made a Duck for the winter holidays, and it wasn’t so fab. I followed the Joy of Cooking recipe to the letter– and still had a slightly greasy duck.
I will certainly be making this tomorrow.
One note on the duck fat– you can cook ANYTHING in it. Eggs in the morning in a little duck fat with mushrooms…to die for.
Thanks!!
Thanks! We’re roasting duck for Thanksgiving and using your method. Too easy, thanks to you!
I have tried this recipe twice and I must say it is effective way to get crispy skin. Thanks for sharing.
o.k. i’m going for it. film @ 11 !
O.K..You got me with the photos and the detailed recipe. This is going to be our Thanksgiving dinner…with a delightful Mediterranean orange sauce I found on another site. If the scent is any indication of what is to come, we’ll be eating very good this holiday. Thanks and “Happy Holiday’s” to everyone.
Tried it, work out great, thanks!
Doing this for Thanksgiving right now, just went into the oven!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for both the recipe and the step-by-step picture instruction! That helped a lot. I made this duck today for Thanksgiving, for my family, and was afraid at the end, on the last turning, when some of the skin from the diamond pattern ripped off and stayed on the grill, that I’d ruined it (I just put it back on as best I could), and after the glaze, I was afraid it was burned….but it was super yummy, juicy, and the skin tasted like orange caramel–YUM! It was a big hit.
Superr recipe!
The duck came out great. The glaze was soooo amazing! My duck was 5.09lbs and was a little too crispy in the end. It probably didn’t need that long in the oven. I didn’t mind because I prefer meats overcooked, but otherwise, it was a great recipe and easy to follow. Everybody seemed to like it. I would try it again, but probably not keep it in as long.
Made your duck for thanksgiving last night and it was fantastic! we only cooked it for 3 hours as it was done at that point and used a little less hot sauce which was a mistake I was worried it would have over done it and should have trusted you we didn’t use enough! It was perfect moist and not at all fatty and I love the glaze!
We used the duck drippings and gibblets for gravy for our stuffing and it was the most amazing gravy, such a great taste! Thanks for making all this so easy!
trying the exact recipe…on the 400 degree thing…using a hoisin sauce for glaze…yahoo, and should be a suprise… wife should be home from work soon. bob
I can’t begin to thank you enough for posting this great tutorial, it saved our Thanksgiving dinner.
I had decided to try a duck this year and found this site.
Having not started anything yet early Thursday morning, I took a fall down the stairs and ended up in the ER.
My teenage daughter dropped me off at the hospital, came back home and was able to follow the directions. When she brought me back home a few hours later, the house already smelled like duck. Because I was on crutches, she finished everything all on her own.
It was fabulous and we couldn’t have pulled it off alone. THANKS!
Thank you SO MUCH for the step by step!!! Instead of Orange Juice, I used a Pomegrante Grenadine…it was simply bliss. Thank you again!!!
Help!!! I followed the recipe to the letter but my duck did not have crispy skin? Any reason for this? BTW…5.6 lb duck and I got almost 3 cups of fat. Also, after the final 7 minutes at 400 degrees and skin not crispy, I put pack in for another 5 minutes at 425 and still not crispy? Duck ended up being very tasty and despite extra time still moist and not greasy. Thanks for any advice.
WOW!!! I’ve made my share of ducks and all I’ve got to say is this is the best way i have found. The glaze was the perfect thank you so much
I just tried this and it is absolutely fantastic! I didn’t do the sauce but did everything else. Making stock from the gizzards (roasted to browning first) and adding the carcass.
Thank you so much, Jessie! I would love to make ducks like this for Christmas. However, I will be cooking for thirteen, and I have a standard size oven. What do you recommend I do, two large geese, or several ducks? Do you know how many ducks can go in at once? I imagine no more than a couple? I don’t like turkey, not with the best intentions or lowest oven, I always find it dry. But what for this number? I’m making a beef roast the next day. Perhaps I could make a couple of ducks in advance and give them the last ten or twenty minutes at the time?
Many thanks for any advice!
Ana
I concur with all the other comments…was absolutely delicious, not a thing left but the bones and wing tips.
Will be making duck for the next few weekends. Thank you for sharing all your tips.
Hi Jessie, getting ready to try out your amazing recipe, but wondering if I should adjust cooking time down, as I have half a duck (weight 1 kg)?
I made this duck today. It was awesome, still moist, with a crispy skin, but not fatty. Will make again and again. my husband, who is not a fan of duck loved it. The glaze seemed rather spicy, but worked really well once it was on the duck. Thanks for posting this step by step guide, the photos especially helped on the scoring.
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Wow, any sugestion on how to cook duck that has no skin?
Hi Jessie, I’m on the quest to feed my family of about 30 for XMAS, my menu will include 4 ducks if you have any tips on how to set the oven for such enterprise I’ll appreciate the words, your tutorial is superb, the pics very good and short instructions make easy to understand the process. I’ll post my outcome for sure. Thank you.
Awesome! Thanks for the detailed information.
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Wow, Jessie! Thanks for the recipe! I love duck and this year have decided to cook it for Christmas dinner. We can get frozen Pekin ducks here in our small town grocery store. Since one of my friends is allergic to garlic and onions (what a shame! She goes into anaphylactic shock.), I’m going to try to hunt up a red wine glaze. You have removed any lingering anxiety I may have about cooking duck for the first time. Thanks so much! I’ll let you know how it goes. And for the person waaaay back earlier in the comments, what do you do with leftover duck? It’s great in salads (perhaps an Oriental-style salad), or simply reheated as leftovers with a few sides.
So I used this recipe today (first time cooking duck) and it came out amazing. I will definitely be using this again in the near future. For anyone to scared to try, DON’T BE. It’s surprisingly easy.
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Hi I just found this post while doing a search because I plan to roast a duck for Christmas this year. Great post! Very explanatory and easy to follow! I had one question though – can I score and prep the bird the night before so that I can just stick it in the oven on Christmas Day? Thanks!
Wow!! Came across this recipe because I got myself a duck to roast for Christmas!! Looks like I am not the only one!!
Thanks, your article was very informative! Information that I needed that you didn’t include in your article was: if one doesn’t have a rack, is there a way to improvise?
hiya looks ace going to try it tomorrow.
is it degrees centegrade or degrees faranheit?
can you make the glaze without the orange? my wife can’t eat orange due to ibs
cheers
Jessie, I used your recipe last year and hit was a huge success. I had previously never roasted anything before let alone a duck, but your detailed directions made it easy for me. We have decided that duck will be our traditional Christmas diner for years to come. Any suggestions on which wine we should serve.
Just a question. When roasting, are you covering the duck? Or, are you leaving it uncovered for all four hours?
frank
are you roasting the duck covered or uncovered?
frank
Uncovered, just as pictured!
I have a question, how many degrees of cooking duck? The recipe says 300 degrees, but Celsius or Fahrenheit? I’ll try to make this recipe tomorrow …
Please send me an answer … Thank you …
Fahrenheit! Good luck!
Thanks for the photos and step-by-step instructions. Going to attempt this for the first time for Christmas!! Can’t wait.
Thank you Jessie. That is a very detailed recipe, also I am kind of tired of the turkey thing, so I am going to give the duck a shot, or shot the duck
. Thanks again.
Mario
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What is the recipe for the glaze?
What is the glaze recipe?
Followed your recipe last year and we were so enraptured, we’re doing it again tomorrow! Thanks so much for the great instructions!
I tried this the other day and it came out so good !!! I like the slow and low method and today my wife wants to try it. Great intructions !!
BEST. DUCK. EVER. I made this tonight for our Christmas Eve dinner and was a little skeptical at first; however, it turned out beautifully and was surprisingly easy. It does require some effort in that it has to be flipped every hour, but even that was not a big deal. My husband was not so sure about having duck tonight, but he loved it.
I will definitely make this again. And again.
Thank you !!!
This recipe worked out better than several others I have tried. I’m now fully confident in roasting a duck without help or recipes. Thank you a bunch for the step-by-step with pictures! Happy Holidays!
Ryan
Oh, and for the person who found the glaze a touch spicey, I was worried about the same. And I hate siracha. I used a smaller amount of a chili paste, and also gave the bird a somewhat liberal dousing of Chinese 5 spice. The 5 spice gives me a better replication of the flavor profile of the ducks I get in Chinese BBQshops here in the city. Its my taste preference. I’ll try out other glazes as well now that I have the temperature and process figured out to my satisfaction with this recipe. Again, cheers!!!
Ryan
cooking right now looks good taste soon ready to put glaze on
I have never made duck before- but my family is eating ham this year for Christmas, and I can’t eat ham so I decided to try a duck. I have been scouring the internet trying to find a recipe to make and decided to go with yours because of your great photographic step by step instructions! I will let you know how it goes! I am planning to do a savory duck so hopefully it turns out! Happy Holidays!
WOW!!!! Just finished my great duck dinner I made for Christmas. The instructions and pictures were so helpful. Not a dry piece on the whole carcass and picked at it while carving to plate and carving the rest at the end of dinner. Didn’t leave much for anybody else LOL. Thanks again!
Thanks for this fantastic duck recipe. My wife and I began enjoying roast Christmas Duck, because we were tired of the boring christmas ham. This duck was a real winner with moist and juice meat and crispy skin. We did modified the glaze a bit. You are sure to have a new holiday favorite too!
Modified Glaze:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 molasses
3 Tbls. orange juice
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp of cayenne pepper
2 dashes of red pepper flakes
I made this tonight and it turned out fantastic. I had a smaller duck than you mention, so I turned the oven up to 400 degrees after 3.5 hours, but otherwise I followed the recipe. At 2.5 hours I put some cauliflower, onions, and carrots in the pan under the duck and they tasted great, cooking in all that duck fat. It was time consuming but worth it for a nice Christmas dinner. Thanks!
Hello,
We roasted two ducks for our Christmas dinner this year following your very precise and helpful instructions. Because our birds were smaller than yours, we reduced the cooking time but followed the routine of turning it over and poking it as per your directions. We made the glaze not with soy sauce but with red wine, because we were accompanying the duck with a red wine reduction (recipe below) that we very much recommend. We also put some onion and half an orange inside the cavity of each duck.
The result was extremely successful; thank you! The meat was tender and the skin crisp. We are delighted! Without your photographs of the successive stages we wouldn’t have known how much to shorten cooking times. Thanks so much!
Tom Valenti’s Red Wine Vinegar Reduction
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup sliced garlic
2 cups ruby port
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Pinch ground cloves
1 cup chicken or duck stock
Warm the butter or oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat
Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and cook until the shallots are nicely caramelized, 10-12 min.
Deglaze with the port and vinegar. (Be careful: this may cause a brief flare-up.)
Add the peppercorns, bay leaf and cloves, and cook until reduced by half.
Add the stock, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Skim off any impurities that rise to the surface, lower teh heat, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, strain, and reserve
I prepared the duck yesterday for Christmas supper. Because I had a smaller duck (3 lbs.) I adjusted the exposure time to 45 minutes before the duck was turned. That seemed to work well. The duck didn’t seem to crisp up all the way so I placed it under the broiler for 3 minutes and that helped a great deal. Do keep a close watch on it while the duck is under the broiler.
Very good receipe. Looking forward to trying it again.
everyone at home commented on how tender the duck was ,ive never cooked one before now im a legend ty jess
I just put the duck in the oven for the 1st hour of roasting and have the extra fat on the stove simmering….I was all over the web trying to find a good duck recipe and when I found your website, I flipped….not only a good recipe but the technique and photos really built up my confidence. I also love duck fat for cooking. I love to cook but rarely tackle a duck. Anyway..thanks so much for such agreat website…you’re on my Favorites now and will go to you for more recipes….
Excellent duck. We raised ducks on our farm this summer and this was the first one I cooked. Delicious and crispy. I liked the sariachi in the glaze. The skin was very tasty. Thanks for the recipe we will cook all of our ducks this way.
Hi!Your recipe is great!I have a question for you. What can I use instead of molasses?
Wow! I roasted my first duck today with this recipe, and it was fantastic! Well worth the investment of time. My wife didn’t talked during the meal, but kept making yummy noises.
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Thanks so much for this! I went looking for a duck recipe because I bought one for super cheap right after Thanksgiving and froze it, baffled by what to do. I didn’t use your glaze because the duck came with one (an orange sauce), and I put a few oranges in the duck cavity. I did it at a higher temperature for a little less time, though, because I didn’t have four hours. I am proud to say that your technique has left me with quite a lovely duck, the leftovers of which will make for some really nice lunches, and I am going to try what you suggest with the liver and other giblets, too. Next time, I’ll plan ahead a bit more and try to do it your way start to finish.
Watching bowl games today…my wife and I have had company for every football weekend……..fun, but today we wanted the house quite…and I have my duck ready to go into the oven for the first hour….we plan on enjoying our duck this evening with a nice Pinot Noir…I am very excited about this recipe …just beautiful…looked all over the internet and this was the best…love the idea of letting the fat drain out…duck has plenty of fat…thanks so much…maybe I’ll report back..but I’m have great confidence in this recipe…by the way..my duck was missing a wing tip also…could it be a tradition with the folks that raise duck’s?
Fantastic step by step description. I have never attempted a duck but I was kind of aware of the process. This description makes me confident that I could pull this one off. You get a TOP GUN recipe award.
THANK YOU!!!! My partner is Korean and when I brought the duck home for New Years, she just looked dazed…apparently it takes 3 days to roast a duck!!! Not anymore, thanks to YOU I’ll be roasting duck tomorrow
)
just ate that duck didn’t look as good but delicious!
I did it today for the last night of family visiting for the new year. Mine was done after three hours but other than that, it worked perfectly much to the delight of even fussy eaters- Thankyou!!!!
Thanks so much for your step by step directions! I roasted my first duck today and it came out great! I used just melted orange marmalade as a glaze (since I was lazy). Missed one of the giblets which I discovered while carving, but no detrimental effects. I also followed your instructions for rendering the extra skin and frying the liver with good results. The rest of my giblets got turned into broth. Thanks again!
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We’ve made duck more than a few times before. This was by FAR the best — crispy, crispy, crispy, flavorful skin that separates easily from what little fat remains; meltingly tender breast and almost confit leg. And, much easier than other methods. Plus, we won the bonus prize… a jarful of beautifully rendered duck fat for our potatoes! We started w/ pate from the liver too. Thanks for sharing the step by step, and for making your site so easily findable via Search. p.s. Friends and family call us the Bickersons because of how we snap at one another while cooking… didn’t happen so much with this recipe.
I just made this, and it turned out beautifully! Thank you so very much. I improvised on the glaze and it rocked. Mine was: Orange Juice, Soy sauce, Cherry Pepsi, honey, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger powder, lemon and orange zest. It really was amazing. I reduced it until it was quite thick. Well, thank you again, and my boys and husband thank you as well!
Thanks so much for the clear step-by-step directions! I roasted my first bird for Christmas Eve dinner for me and my boyfriend. It was mighty tasty and now I have a jar of duck fat I’m so excited about using!
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Your directions were fantastic!! I made roast duck for New Year’s Eve and it turned out divine. Thank you so much for this step-by-step guide. I even recommended your page to a friend. The only thing is I should’ve used a thermometer. I used a smaller duck and shortened the cook times, but it was almost on the dry side. But that was my fault for not using the thermometer. I just wanted to thank you for the great guide! I made my own apricot/chianti glaze which made a beautiful dark, shiny skin. It was a hit and there was nothing left of the bird! I also appreciated that this recipe was SIMPLE. All the others I was finding had bizarre instructions that included boiling the duck and then blasting it at 500 degree heat in the oven. I can only imagine the horrible smoking that would cause.
Yovanna, what a great idea about a Chianti-apricot glaze! I can also see a blackberry jam-Cabernet version. Happy New Year indeed:)
This was absolutely astounded by how detailed your recipe and instructions wwew! The taste was magnificent! Thank you somuch!
I know the in the comments you’ve said to roast in uncovered. Normally, I would because 99% of my life, all the cooking I’ve done has been in electric ovens. But the apartment I’m living in uses a gas oven and, it may just be in my head, I swear, anything I cook uncovered has a funny taste to it. What changes would you make to this recipe if one were to use a covered roasting pan?
Honestly, I’ve never made it covered. Here’s the thing. When you cover something in the oven, it does a really good job of keeping steam in. That’s great for things like braises and stews…but not so great for things that you want to crisp up, like roast duck. If you cover this duck while you roast it, it will cook just fine, but the skin will most likely wind up soggy and flabby.
I know this isn’t the answer you’re probably looking for, but I’d try to figure out why your oven is doing that. :/ I’ve had gas ovens for a long time and have never noticed a funny taste on food from mine. Let me know if you find out?
Good luck!
Jessie
To cook this covered would ruin!!!What she has given for excellent direction for Crispy Duck….Go with Crock Pot Duck for a Duck without CRISPY skin!!!
Made it today for the first time; great way to keep the kitchen warm on a cold day. Usually do a cut-up and fry in its own fat version, but this is very nice. I threw in a couple of endive and lots of garlic and shallots after the second hour and they caramelized beautifully. YUM!
I made two ducks; The livers and giblets together were just enough for this recipe for pate- quick and easy, too. Necks are roasting alongside the birds for stock!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Duck-Liver-Pate-105586
One of the best and comprehensive cooking instruction I have even seen. Pinned it on Pinterest and will give it a try for the Chinese New Year! Will keep you posted! Thank you! Happy Chinese New Year!
This is very close to the recipe at amateurgourmet.com site. Both look yummy…I think I will try this one. Thanks for sharing with us!
Wonderful directions, I thought I had followed to the letter…..I will highlight the mistake I made so others may avoid it. DO NOT POKE INTO THE MEAT. I poked and flipped and repeated all the while poking into the meat every time. The result was a disaster. Oh well, At least I rendered some wonderful duck fat and learned a valuable lesson. This was my second attempt at a duck. The first was a greasy mess as I roasted it as I would a chicken. The third time is the charm they say. I’ll try again next month.: (
Made the Crispy Duck a few alterations added Oranges, Lemons, Limes and a few spices but followed your roasting direction then changed the end to blend with my glazed sweet potatoes(Never use Marshmellows) made wild rice with orange and shallot for a Gluten Free meal(Husband is allergic) that is too die for!!!The kids went out…He ate 3/4 of a Crispy Duck, THANK YOU!!!Made duck many times in different ways for crispy skin….But, your recipe ROCKED!!! Wish I could share my pictures of the meal it was Gorgeous!!!
I made this recipe tonight and it turned out wonderfully! The skin was excellent. I loved the step by step instructions. I can’t wait to make another recipe from your blog.
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Thank you so much for these wonderful instructions. I was so intimidated by the thought of roasting a duck until I found your website. I did this tonight with a 5lb duck & it came out perfect! However, I didn’t use your glaze. I used my favorite barbecue sauce instead. Wonderful! I can’t wait to do this again. Thank you for taking the mystery out of roasting duck!
Can’t wait try try cooking my first duck tomorrow! The duck I already have is 1.7kg (about 3-4lb) and it seems your duck is a lot bigger. What cooking time would you recommend for the smaller size? I was thinking of maybe cutting each hour back to 45 or even 30 mins? As I love a good sauce with duck, can the glaze be somehow made into a sauce as well? Thanks for the easy to follow directions and pic’s, you’ve made a frightening concept look easy.
Dear Jessie,
I arrived at your web site via a recommendation from Not Just A Man’s World Blog, when I looked for clarifications on several recipes to cook whole ducks. Now that I’m here, all my questions have been answered and my duck is resting in the oven with beautiful diamond patterns (which I couldn’t figure out how to make exactly until I saw your pictures). Thanks for the detailed info! I am sure to use it again and I will post in on my Facebook page, so that all my foody friends can benefit from your web site, too!
I just wanted you to know I used your recipe for my Dad’s birthday dinner. He said it’s the best duck he’s ever had. I liked it too! it was f-ing delicious! We had it with wild rice and asparagus. and sorbet for dessert. Thank you so much, I could not have done this delicious dinner without you…
I’m currently making this for the second time. The first time is came out great! I’m not doing the glaze this time, but I’m following the cooking intructions exactly. It worked perfect last time. This is a wonderful tutorial, and the pictures make it much easier to follow than many recipes I’ve found online.
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I have this in my oven right now! I saw whole duck at my local grocery and had to try it but I had NO CLUE how to roast it! Thanks for the excellent step-by-step photos! I can’t wait to taste it!!!
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I moved to an asian neighborhood a while back so ducks are plentiful here but the few times i tried to cook it before finding this they turned out… not so good. But now that i’ve found it, I’ve used your process so many times- and its always delicious! (this technique worked well on other birds too)
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Thanks so much! Your pictures and recipe are a huge help. Thanks for taking the time to educate us. -Ryan Pasadena, CA
Just tried this tonight! SO good! Never roasted a duck before, never even had it, so me and my boyfriend decided to try, and turned out perfect
So crispy and tender wasent greasy at all. Tried to make duck gravy.. thats the only thing that dident work haha. Dident use the glaze , had our own that came with the duck, but wow! Next time i will be trying the glaze aswell , I will be keeping this recipe in my favorites, SO glad I found this on google, and tried it first 
THANK YOU 
I raise free ranged geese and ducks. And while I am a pro with roasting a goose, I have been slow with perfecting the roasted duck. A customer asked for a duck recipe and I sent her this page, because this looks great. And I love the step by step photos!
Thanks!
Connie
Well I followed the entire recipe step by step and it turned out a great duckup!
O M FRIGGIN GOOD DUCK !!
Excellent roasting technique .. changed the glaze up a bit as my molasses seemed strong.. so added more orange juice concentrate and Kecap Manis… but the detail on how to prep & finish was greatly appreciated.
I was worried they might be dry but not so
Doubled the ducks in the roaster and not a single bit left.. skin was scrumptous and over 4 cups of liquid gold duck fat rendered out
thanks a bunch !!
just made this duck,, and it turned out fabulous ,, well worth the time,, me and my son had a lovely Easter duck meal ,, i used a plum and ginger sauce to baste last 10 mins x
Awesome roasting process. Thank you so much. I was looking all over for clear instructions for my first roast duck. I would not be able to do this without proper instruction and I found it here!!!
Fantastic. We realized just how much we enjoyed your recipe when we were leaning over the counter eating what was left of the carcass.
Thank you
Presented my duck yesterday (Easter) to three skeptical diners (including myself) and OMG it was incredible. Thanks for the great instructions (followed to the “T”). The glaze was perfect. Served it with sauteed red cabbage and apple, asparagus – what a pretty plate it made.
Hello!
Sorry i have not read all the comments ,maybe my question as been asked before…
Wouls it be the same if i use a Rotisserie to cook my duck. sinc eitb juste goes round and round i’m guessing it’s the same as turning it in the pan.
If I do so, should I decrease the cooking time or just go with how the skin looks?
Thank you =)
Thank you so much for this in depth help!! I’m writing about my meal surrounding this duck and would love to link to you – perfect instructions.
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Jessie….. I made this duck tonight….. ohhhhhh my! The absolute best I have ever eaten!
Poking the skin to let the fat drain… the meat was absolutely perfect! Not dry at all… and in no way greasy!!! The glaze was neurotically addictive! My husband and I turned into “no mannered finger sucking heathens ready to start stabbing each other with a fork if one of us got a bigger share then the other from the serving plate”………….. *innocent grins and batting eyelashes* It was quite good! *grins* Only substitute I made was that I used 3 TB of FROZEN Orange Juice Concentrate. Much more then recommended I know…. but I keep an open can of it in the freezer for cooking and use that when calling for orange juice. I like a more intense orange taste, and it really did turn out beautifully. Probably helped keeping the glaze a little thicker too.
Thank you! It was a great meal night!!!!
Kat
What she said. Down to the fork-stabbing and even the open can of OJ concentrate lol!!!
I had never made duck before, and I have to say, straight out the gate: NAILED IT!!
Making my second one tomorrow. Which brought me back here to this post, which made me reply…..
Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Jessie,
my goodness this recipe was fantastic. I came across it and bookmarked it and now of course I am using it as my primary duck recipe. Used to make Duck a l’Orange for special occasions for my hubby and I. But with this amazing recipe I don’t think I will be turning back. The sweet and spicy glaze is better than any other that I have tried with Duck, (home made or restaurant) Making it again tonight for dinner with parents, and the moment I said I was making it, my hubby’s eyes glazed over just thinking about the last time we had it. Thank you sooo much for the amazing insight to crispy skins. Never again will anyone in my family have a slimy duck ^.^ And my mother is actually jealous that she has to ask ME for recipe’s now!
Hi!
I have started raising a french meat duck (Rouens) at my goose farm and have been looking all over for a concise and delicious duck recipe. I LOVE this recipe and the photos you took. Bravo!
I posted it on our facebook farm site, “Sassafras Valley Farm LLC” And look forward to making your glaze with our local molasses and honey tomorrow night.
Im going to go back and look thru your recipes- nice job. If you ever do a goose recipe like this, let me know!
Connie
Connie
Hello there, my husband has been dying to try a duck and every time we go to the grocery store he always looks at them. This last time we went we finally decided to splurge and get one. I had no idea how to cook a duck so I decided to search and came across your step by step instructions. AMAZING!!!! It looked and sounded so delicious so I decided to go with yours. Although there is a lot of cooking time I decided to cook the duck tonight for dinner. I started around 1:30 with all of the preparation work and finally got it in the oven around 2ish.. It is on its third hour right now and it smells wonderful. I am not one to try new foods, especially meats but this one I’ll have to try! Thanks for your wonderful instructions on how to prepare and cook a duck!
Woww, what a nice looking recipe, and very detailed too.
I love the sweet glazing of it.
I did also a variation of glazed duck but i added some Guinness, you can check it out for an opinion.
thanks!
Is your pan 9 x 13 inch and if so where did you get a rack to fit it?
Do any of you duck lover’s out there still have a copy of Martha Stewart’s Recipe for her Cherry Glaze for roast duck? I remember it had tart red cherries, hot Japanese mustard in it and red wine I think. It was wonderful and I lost my copy. Thanks for your help.
First time——-PERFECT!! Easy and perfect !
I was working with a smaller duck, so skipped the final hour. I didn’t have molasses and am not a fan of spice, so used the following on it as a glaze. It was all amazing! Got 2 healthy cups of duck fat out of it too! So happy, thanks!
-30mL maple syrup
-30mL honey
-20g wholegrain mustard
-50mL orange juice
-50mL balsamic vinegar
-10g crushed garlic
-30mL port
Simmer the whole thing while whisking occasionally for about 10 minutes. Brush over the duck before 10 minute blast in the hot oven.
My duck came out great. The skin was crispy and delicious.
My dad loves duck and my mom refuses to make it for him. He’s asked if I’ll serve it to him and some of his friends tomorrow and I’ve never made duck before. I was nervous but you made this seem really easy and almost fun! Thank you for your help! Wish me luck xx
This is by far the most helpful and delicious roast duck recipe I have ever found!! Making my 6th duck with it tomorrow and each one gets better. Thank you so much for making me look like a duck genius!!
Hello Jessie, Made the duck for lunch today for my Sister and Mother and it turned out fantastic. I put onion, garlic cloves, and lemon wedges in the cavity and that might be why the skin did not come out super crispy, but it still was crispier than any duck I have ever had. I also used some of the duck fat to make a huge shredded potato pancake (which was the best part of the meal). I am going to cut the little skin left and fry it in a pan. This was absolutely the best duck I have had in the past 30+ years, thank you soooo much for putting it out on the web. The criss-cross cut on the skin also made for a beautiful looking bird. -Rick
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Wow – what an amazing post. These step by step instructions are wonderful. Gonna try this recipe today!!
Great thank you we love to eat duck in any form but never cooked it before. This is our second go with your recipe and it’s looking sooo yummy! Just an hour to go……
I just picked up a wonderful 4 pound duck for around 11 dollars and am going to be cooking it this weekend using your methods. Thank you! Should be wonderfully delicious. i was going to rub it with chinese 12 spice.
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Thanks for the detailed instructions. I followed it to the letter and the duck came out just perfect! The crackling skin with the glaze was heavenly. My husband and I simply devoured it. Great recipe — this one is for keeps!
This is my first Thanksgiving (Canadian
)since my partner died so I’m just cooking for me. I wanted to do something special for it but didn’t want two weeks of leftover turkey – I only have so much freezer space. I was walking through my local grocery store yesterday and say they had a bunch of ducks for sale. I’ve never had duck but I hear it’s really fantastic. It’s a great size. I was still hesitant to buy though (and I haven’t yet) because all I’ve heard is how fatty it is and hard to cook.
Then I found this site. You have totally made a believer out of me just with pictures. I’m going home tonight and buying the duck and Sunday I will be cooking my duck! I’m totally excited. And the idea of putting parboiled potatoes in the pan for the last hour is fantastic!!
Thank you *so* much for this post!
A tip for those using previously frozen ducks: Make a small cut in the side of the bag the duck is in and do it in the kitchen sink. I made the mistake of poking the top of the bag in the sink and suddenly I had duck blood all over my kitchen and myself.
Also, if your duck comes with an orange glaze in a packet, you can use it instead if you like that flavor. If you don’t want to waste it but don’t like the intensity of the orange, you can dull it a bit by adding some brown sugar and honey from this recipe. I added brown sugar to the mix, basted it on, and then drizzled the honey over the top. It looked pretty amazing and tasted pretty good.
I normally wait 15 minutes for any roast or bird to rest after cooking it. This recipe calls for a 10 minute resting period. So I compromised and let it rest a little over 12 minutes. This resting period is absolutely critical – cutting meat too soon causes all the juices to flow out and you get a tough piece of meat as a result. 15 minutes is plenty of time to let the juices settle into the meat and creates a nice, tender result.
The only downside to cooking a duck is the time the oven has to run. It results in a big jump in the electric bill or the gas bill. But it is so tasty.
One of the things I’ve been wanting to try is a duck sandwich: Slice up some duck breast and put it on some bread, spread on some Miracle Whip (or mayo) and take it to work and have it for lunch with some fresh lettuce and tomato.
Hey Mouse, just wanted to let you know that I used your method for making my last duck and it was absolutely fabulous! I did omit the glaze as we really like unadulterated duck flavor and were pairing the duck with an amazing windfall of Steinpilz cream sauce (wonderful local mushrooms that we found in the forest). Duck is my husband’s favorite and we both voted that your duck cooking method is a “keeper” (our term for recipe that we should add to our regular routine : ). Thanks for posting. Also thought it would be nice to know your recipe is still circulating out there!!
I am just now trying out this recipe. The duck is in the oven as we speak. The end results just looked so mouth watering I cannot wait to try it!
Roasting the duck as I type…made this recipe several times and shared with my sister and we just love the duck fat…found it sells for about $7 1/2cup or so….so if you like the fat…you get the added gift of the duck meat and skin with a small cost. Absolutely wonderful, and too fun to cook, the time it takes is just a joy. Thank you for sharing. Just saw the recipe for the Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream….darn you.
Wonderful upcoming holidays to all.
virginia
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Duck was kind of tough. Maybe it was the duck. Lot of work for an OK result
I just made this for a bunch of friends. The only error was not buying 2 ducks. It was crispy, suculent and wonderful. This will be my go to recipie from now on. PS – I saved the duck fat and sauted some other suff in it and wow – duck fat rules.
How would you adjust this recipe to cook a larger duck? I have a duck that is about 9 lbs. Would I cook it for 7 or 8 hours or would I increase the temperature or perhaps this recipe won’t work for a larger duck?
This duck is wonderful! I’m making this a second time tomorrow. Thanks for the best tips for crispy duck skin, ever!
Just made this tonight and it was amazing! I cooked it about 3 1/2 hours and at about 290 degrees. Amazing flavor. My family is really picky about dry meat so I was a little worried about it cooking so long. No worries. My whole family loved it.
Great recipe, wonderful photos. My duck was moist and crispy. Added the zest from one orange to the marinade, and it was great! Thanks.
Absolutely the best duck I have ever had. The whole family loved it so much it is replacing our standard Thanksgiving Turkey.
My Husband and I roasted a duck for the first time and it was finger licking gooooooood. Thank you so much. Our daughter and her boyfriend are coming over for thanksgiving and we are going to make this the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Thanks.
practiced this today to prepare for the up coming US holiday and 4 visiting cynical family members. The recipe rocks. One thing: I shot two nice mallards myself which weighed in at about 8lbs each. I had to adjust the time to ~1.25 hr due to size of birds.
Seems to be an absolutely beaut dish as far as the skin goes. Well done and thanks for sharing. But honestly, how much ‘pinkness’ of the meat can I expect after all that cooking?
How does the duck taste prior to glazing it? I try to stay away from sugar and would like to use the recipe up until the glaze goes on it. If it is salted only, how does it taste?
Thanks!
If you’re really adventurous, you can also make duck fat soap. It lathers really well and doesn’t smell like duck, just like a clean bar of natural soap.
I made your recipe last year for Thanksgiving, and it was such a hit that it’s been requested again for this year! In fact, it was so popular, extended family members who weren’t present got jealous and invited themselves over this year so they wouldn’t miss out…
Thank you for the excellent instructions.
Hi there! I will be making duck for the first time this thanksgiving but all I could find was young duck. Whole didn’t have Peking duck. Will this recipe still work? Or should I make some variations…. It 5.71lbs
Thanks in advance
Question…can the duck be roasted for a the first 2-3 hours, rest while traveling and cook it’s last hour the next day after being refrigerated?
Giant Eagle has them and of all places I have found them at Aldi.
Me and my sister decided to cook our first duck for Thanksgiving and your step-by-step recipe looks like the one that will work the best for us. I will let you know how our duck turns out.
My daughter wanted duck this year; I have never made it before. Saw this recipe and the directions and pictures made it look so easy, and it was. With the salt and pepper I added a paprika lemon & lime seasoning and cooked according to these marvelous directions. I didn’t have the glaze ingredients, so I concocted a sauce using soy sauce, lime juice, a sweet Thai chili sauce, and a classic stir fry sauce. OMG!! It is beyond delicious. We are in roasted duck heaven. Thanks for the recipe and the simple to follow instructions. I no longer fear cooking duck. This is the start of a new holiday tradition.
It is Thanksgiving day 2012, and I am launching into this recipe. Very excited! I just put the duck into the oven, so we shall see. Thank you for the most excellent instructions here.
I used your directions for my first duck this Thanksgiving. My husband has travelled all over the world and he loves duck and has eaten it every way imaginable – he says this was the best duck he’s ever eaten. It was simply amazing. Not dry at all, anywhere. For the last hour and a half, I put cut red potatoes in the pan with the rendering fat and those were the best side dish I’ve ever made! A triumph all around! I can’t thank you enough for your excellent instructions and your fantastic pictures. Oh, and the sautéed duck liver with butter, garlic and sage was also a hit. We had it with goat cheese and my homemade pepper jelly on fresh bread. Best Thanksgiving meal ever!
I made this for Thanksgiving this year with a 4.5 pound bird, and it was overdone–but still quite tasty–when I took it out of the oven at the three hour mark. Not the fault of the recipe, but I thought I’d make a note if for anyone else who is attempting this with a smaller bird. The glaze was delicious.
I made this today, and it was absolutely fabulous. My only critique is that the glaze tasted a little molasses heavy, but that’s easily adjusted. I had never cooked a duck before, but with the ease of the recipe and how amazingly delicious it was I am sure to make this a tradition at my house! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Excellent recipe! I was afraid the meat was going to get dry by the time 4 hours was done, but it didn’t. Skin was fantastic.
Thanks for the detailed instructions.
Best Duck I ever made! Followed the instructions exactly, glaze and all. It came out wonderful and perfect. I thought I was going to be alone on Thanksgiving, however, plans changed and I ended up having my Mother and Brother over. Not a morsel left between the 3 of us. I used a Mapleleaf pekin duck about 5.5 lbs. I will always roast duck this way from now on.
tried it yesterday and it came out beautiful. thank you for the step by step recipe. it worked. very well. thank you.
I’m on the 3rd hour and so far so good! Best recipe to follow ever!!!
I love duck and cook it a lot!!, love your recipe but wow….4 hours is a long cooking time
I will try it…..let you know
Thanks for the great post
J
Hi! I just wanted to thank you for this recipe! I made the duck yesterday for Thanksgiving and it was delicious! Your recipe is really great, the step by step photos really helped. I took some photos of the duck heres a link to one of the photos (http://statigr.am/p/330654894209833402_4526989). Thanks again hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I was all set to execute this recipe yesterday. Due to number of pages to print (pics), I intended to use my iPad and follow steps that way. Unfortunately, your host site crashed hard. Couldn’t even get to the core site, much less the actual recipe. Not blaming you, not your fault, but you might consider posting to more than one site. I did try to locate your recipe every way I could think of. Not really complaining, just wish I could have use your recipe. Your’s definitely looked like the best of the lot. But, lesson learned, save offline so accessible regardless.
The recipe I did end up using was essentially a cheat. Basically 115 minutes baking at 450 degrees + some frying in skillet to approximate the crispy idea. A dissapointment for sure. Followed instructions and duck over cooked a bit even thought the exact size (6 lbs). It was fair, but not what it could have been. There’s alway next year or maybe Xmas.
Hi Charles, I had the same problem! I was freaking out. Luckily my husband knows computers and was able to download the recipe from my cache’ folder on my browser. I know it’s late now but just a tip for if it ever happens to you again.
Not only was the skin wonderfully crispy and the glaze delicious, but the meat was tender and juicy. thanks for a very good recipe!
this was the very first time i cooked a duck! it was a lot of work with the turning over every hour, but was so worth it, it was fantastic. i will always do it this way. thanks for all the help.
I printed out your roast duck recipe but not one of the pictures printed. I was kind of disappointed about that.
Anyway, I will try your recipe for Christmas and getting a little excited about that.
This was AWESOME. I cooked it in my kamado ceramic grill, was incredible. Thanks so much for this, I was provided with an orange sauce when I bought my duck and didn’t even touch it, your glaze made this dish!
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Your instructions to roast a duck seem to be of great use and would love to use it…BUT can I use this method of roasting in a propane gas grill? I enjoy grilling/smoking when possible and only use the stove/oven in the house when I must. Also, i have only tried roasting a duck once/twice and may have missed this in your instructions (since reading it a week or so ago and now ready to try this) but with slicing the duck skin/fat will this keep the splattering down or do i need a lid for this? If i can use the grill, i will be placing a drip pan under the duck so not to create a nasty mess and could you offer maybe a good wood chip i could use for smoking with the duck? Thanks…I hope to be cooking in the next day or two.
2nd year I made the duck. This is by far the best and clearest recipe for outstanding duck at home. The added plus is that it maximizes the duck fat you obtain. I use it year round for potatoes, eggs, and even popcorn. Your step-by-step illustrations builds real confidence. And the glaze at the end is perfect. I am now a subscriber to your blog as a result of this recipe. You are the best!!!
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I’m so stuffed! I just got done making this recipe and it turned out fantastic! The skin was crispy and the meat nice and flavorful. Now I have a ton of duck fat to fry with and duck stock is in the works.
Thanks so much for this recipe!
I saw your recipe for roast duck and was impressed by the clarity of the instructions and your wacky humor…(“who wants to buy a duck”, indeed). I had purchased a duck in a weak moment, and was unsure of how to proceed until I found your instructions. The success of my efforts, based on your knowledge, combined to top of what I consider to be a perfect day…or as close to perfection as I can imagine. My motorcycle started, I had a beer, the sun was out, and my wife rewarded my efforts in a truley stupendous manner. Thank you.s
Hi, I have used this recipe three times and it is always perfect,I am trying a goose for xmas this year for a change but I’m not sure how to cook it as all the recipes look so complicated.I was wondering if this method would work on a goose as it is so amazing. hope you can help,many thanks, Pat
I have used this recipea few times now and it is always perfect, A friend is giving me a goose for xmas but I am not sure how to cook it, all the recipes I’ve seen are so complicated, I was wondering if this one would work on a goose as well as a duck, or does that sound stupid, can you help at all ? I really hope so,
kind regards,
Pat.
I am so glad I found this recipe. Bought my first duck and was not sure how to roast it. Thank goodness this was first site with instructions I found. Will venture forth tomorrow following these instructions. Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Now, what to serve with duck?!
The roasted duck turned out fantastic! Especially the crispy skin. We had spent a minor fortune ($21) on an organic duck….this was brave as neither hubby nor I had ever had duck. I loved the whole process of cooking it. It isn’t hard to do, and sort of zen like. My only small issue was at the end it became tricky to flip the duck over and I lost a very small piece of that crispy breast skin; not a big deal. I have one of those roasters with a V rack. Any ideas on how to flip the bird? I used rubber coated tongs and a big silicone coated spatula. Not sure what else would have done the job gently. (could have used an extra set of hands but said hubby was detained elsewhere at the moment) Served it with savory roasted rosemary sweet potatoes which had garlic cloves roasted with it and field green salad with fig balsamic vinegarette. All in all, we are VERY pleased with how this turned out and this will be a great go to recipe to serve for intimate dinner parties. Thanks!
This is my second year using your recipe and the duck is on its 3rd hour. Last years was perfect and this one is looking to be just as good. Thanks much for this recipe!
Just finished eating our duck Wow! Your instructions were great, followed them to a T It was sooo delicious! Thank you so much
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Thanks so much for the clear instructions! I tried making duck years ago and it was a disaster.
Just tried again with your guidance and it came out delicious!
Excellent website, very good explicit directions. Now, to go out and shoot that big duck in the back bay !
Could you make one amendment please for us foreign folk and state whether your recipes are Fahrenheit or Celsius. I just nearly murdered my poor duck
Other than that, thanks for this great recipe and the blog too
I wanted to serve with mandarin pancakes but recipe was more Thani wanted to deal with. So…..I did my usual simple crepe recipe and added finely chopped scallions and roast sesame seeds to the batter. Served with hoisin sauce and extra sriratcha. Awesome.
Hi, I’m really looking forward to trying your recipe this weekend. There will be 9 people in total. Would you recommend 2 5-lb birds or do you think 1 will be enough? There will be sides served, but the duck will the only main dish.
Also, would I need to make adjustments to the roasting time if I placed them side by side in the oven?
Please let me know!!!
Thanks!!!
Hi, I made this 2 years ago for Christmas and was amazing. I havent had Christmas dinner at our house since then, but even though we are going to my mums this year, I’m going early so I can cook this at hers. AMAZING! x
I just made this and we just finished eating it. It was succulent with crispy skin and a tangy, sweet-sour glaze. From start to finish, including the setting period, it was five hours. The skin was crispy. My husband loved it but there was very little meat on it – he could have eaten it himself.
I took your advice and kept the fat. I halved some lovely red potatoes lengthwise, put some duck fat on the bottom of a glass pan then basted the potatoes with the fat the sprinkled with papriks and garlic salt. Served it with butternut squash and broccoli with a litte cranberry sauce on the side.
I am making duck soup tomorrow – thank you SO much for the recipe!!!
This method worked well with a traditional European stuffing of granny smith appless and prunes. Not to be eaten … flavoring only.
My son wanted me to cook a duck for Christmas and I said I’d see what I could do. He’d already gotten the duck. After I’ve seen your site I feel totally confident in this adventure. Thanks for the great instructions. I didn’t realize they were so fatty.
Tried this last Christmas exactly as you directed. Amazing, amazing, amazing!!! Everyone loved it so much I have to do it again this year.
I tried it again in the summer with a little twist. I used the BBQ and instead of turning it every hour I put it in the rotating spit. Just as good. Thank you for your web site.
Excellent! And Finally! A duck recipe that doesn’t scare
Thank you for sharing
Hey Jessie, this looks like a great recipe and one that even I can follow. I plan on using it this Christmas. As for the duck fat, “leavings” as my Grandma used to call it, we use it in the same meal with the duck. Our traditional Czech Christmas dinner is duck, dumplings and sauerkraut. We cook the potato dumplings and at serving, cut them up into bite-size pieces, smother them with caraway seed-laden sauerkraut and then pour a bit of the duck leavings over the top. It may sound weird, but it’s great! Most newcomers turn their nose up at the thought, but then wolf it down and ask for seconds after tasting… thanks again!
I am a cooking novice, but I did this recipe, and it was perfect. My duck was about 4.25 lbs., so I did four rounds of 45 minutes, ~8 minutes for the 400 degree crisping phase, and the full 5 minutes post-glaze. I upped the amount of Sriracha to 2 tablespoons, and the glaze was extremely tasty. The meat was moist, it wasn’t undercooked, and the skin was crisp. I’ll be using this recipe from now on.
By the way, it’s nice having a recipe online for a few years and being able to read all the comments about successes and failures. It really helped me anticipate potential problems.
I just made this tonight (for Christmas Eve). Its just the husband and I, but it was amazing! I was a bit hesitant at first with the glaze because of the chili sauce and molasses, but it came out very tasty and delicious. Your instructions were very easy to follow and the pictures were helpful. Thank you! This is for sure going into our family recipe book!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year =)
Happy holidays, Jessie! I’m making my first duck this Christmas, in fact i just put it in the oven. I have one question. I stuffed the duck with some slices of apples and tangerines. Does it mean that the cooking time should be a little longer? Thank you so much for such an informative and cool recipe. Cheers!
This is the third Christmas in a row we have followed this recipe to have the best DUCK ever! It has become a tradition here in Washington, DC
Thanks and Merry Christmas, Hungry Mouse!!
We don’t have a lot of holiday traditions but this recipe has become our traditional holiday meal. Thanks for making it so easy with the pictures and the simple instructions. Because I can’t leave well enough alone, I’ve altered it a little and I stuff the cavity with garlic cloves and a bundle of fresh tarragon/sage/rosemary.
I recently acquired a Cuisinart 4 in 1 MultiCooker and thought I’d give this recipe a go for hubby and my Christmas Dinner. Following the directions, i put my duck in on Roast 350F for 4 hours. The cooker was sputtering badly so I lowered the temp to 275F. When it came time to do the 3 hour turnover, i had potatoes all ready to put in for the last hour. Well, the duck fell into 2 pieces when turning it. It was done! Needless to say, I quickly raised the temp to crisp the skin and brushed the glaze on it. Left it for 7 minutes and set it on the table. My husband is still talking about good it was and said it was a “10″ – and 10 times better than he ever thought it would be. He has had a lot of duck in his life as his mother used to raise them so this is a real compliment. Thanks for a fantastic recipe and this Multicooker hasn’t failed to amaze us yet. Merry Christmas Everyone! (we didn’t even miss the potatoes)
Oh, yes. It was a frozen 6 pound King Cole Duck. We ate everything but the breasts and wings and were stuffed. It would have easily served 6 of us. We have enough for 2 more meals for the two of us.
Great, i have always loved duck… but this is an awesome way to cookit
I used this recipe to roast a duck in our wood fired oven for
Christmas dinner. The bird turned out excellent. It was nice and moist. This was my first attempt at roasting meat in the oven and I was very pleased with the results. I love how explicit the instructions are.
I am making this for Christmas 2012. Your step-by-step instructions and photos are great so far. I’m At the glaze portion. Wishing myself luck and you a very happy 2012 happy holiday season.
I’ve always enjoyed duck but have rarely found a satisfactory duck meal in restaurants over the years. Either too dry or too greasy and never with that dreamy crispy skin. Today for Christmas dinner I made my first duck at home for myself and my husband. I followed your recipe to the “T” except my glaze which doubled as side condiment was fresh cranberry, tangelo, maple syrup with soy sauce & fresh ginger.
Side dishes roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potato, pair with Brut Champagne.
This duck was cooked perfectly not greasy and moist with that heavenly crispy skin. Thank you so much this will be in my future festive menus.
I was planning on making Christmas goose this year, but it’s too expensive and too much food for just my boyfriend and me. I just started the last hour of cooking and the house smells AMAZING. Though instead of making the sauce, I made a cocktail which is kicking in nicely, thank you.
I used your recipe today for Christmas dinner – first time I’ve cooked duck, and it came our terrific. I added a bit of nutmeg and cranberry sauce to the glaze to give it some extra holiday flair. Thanks for the excellent write up and photos. Cheers!
Wow. This came out so-fucking-good!!!
I have never roasted a duck before and I found your pictures and instructions absolutely foolproof. Our Christmas lunch was delicious, thanks to you, and I shall definitely be cooking duck again. Even though the day was very hot indeed and my oven was on for four hours, the sweltering heat in the kitchen was completely worth it! Many thanks for your help. Robbie, Queensland, Australia
This…. is a fabulous success. An excellent duck has come of these instructions!!!!
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Many thanks for your excellent step by step guide to cooking duck, went faultlessly, made two fussy eating sons very happy on Christmas Day. Will never be afraid to repeat the process
Thank you – thank you – thank you!!!!! I made the most amazing duck ever!!!!
Thank you kindly Jessie, I have never roasted a whole duck before and your instructions were PERFECT. I would suggest using a meat thermometer from the 3rd hour onward as I have a very hot oven and I reached 165 degrees at 3 hours 15 min.
Your duck was the highlight of our dinner!
Made the Crispy skin duck for Christmas supper. My first time making duck. Results were great! Made a little slideshow of the prep and cooking of the duck for my families amusement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtLdqIMh8Zc
Thanks,
Joe
Hi Jessie,
Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!! This was my first time cooking a duck and your directions and recipe was awesome!! The skin was so crispy, and the meat was done perfectly. The glaze was just awesome. I squeezed 2 juicing oranges instead of the juice and added a tablespoon or so of orange marmelade. This was just a fun duck to make, and so glad the first one turned out so well. Looking forward to making this again.
I made this today. It was incredibly easy and resulted in the best duck we’ve ever had. Better than restaurant ducks. My sister, the only one who didn’t eat meat, said she was getting creeped out by the fuss we were all making over the duck. Crispy skin, tender meat, it was amazing. I will be making this very often from now on. My guests suggested making two next time, as we had no leftovers.
Jessie:
Thank you for publishing a wonderful, easy to follow recipe for perfectly roasted duck! I bought three of them from Whole Foods; one to test before Christmas and the other two for Christmas day. I followed all of your steps and they came out AMAZING! The meat was so tender that when I carved it, it slid right off the bone. I am already getting requests to make them again! Keep up the great work on your site!
I just wanted to thank you for your great step-by-step instructions. I decided to make duck this year for Christmas as something different, even though I have never made duck before. I followed your instructions and it came out perfectly and looked stunning! I also tossed the potatoes in some of the duck fat before roasting them and OMG best roast potatoes ever! Thanks a million!
Thank you for your excellent directions. My ducks (I made two) came out very well for our holiday dinner. Now I have plenty of duck fat and consume to play with
OK, I made this Christmas day…actually, I made two. The ducks were 5.25 lbs each. I was nervous. Let’s get that out of the way first. I hadn’t made duck in 20 years, and the last time I did I tossed them in the oven with some sort of glaze and they were great. I winged it (no pun intended) then, but I didn’t want to wing it this time. Did I mention I was nervous? Why, you ask? 4 HOURS!?!?
I was a wreck. So was a dear friend who joined me for Christmas day and has been cooking amazing things since before I was born. He looked at the recipe online and proclaimed the following: “It’ll be dry.”
Well, I followed the recipe to the letter. It was the most amazing meal I have ever made. I’ll never do it any other way. The only reason I can think of as to why my skin wasn’t as crispy as I would have liked was I think I was a bit tentative with the poking. I was nervous about hitting the meat. I’ll poke with reckless abandon next time.
Thanks so much for sharing this. Three years later and you’re still getting comments.
Wow!!! Simply a terrific receipe for success!!! Tried it for Christmas dinner and it came out perfect with very, very little fat.!! Thanks!!!
I’m not one to comment on anything but I had to regarding this recipe. It is simply fantastic. Perfectly described. So easy. I made it the first time and it was picture perfect. Thanks very much for a GREAT duck recipe.
Just made this duck recipe and it came out exactly as you showed in the pictures…thank you so much for the excellent instructions and the glaze. Delicious! Happy New Year!
Leena
Came across your Site the other day. You make roasting a duck so easy…and yummy. It made for a wonderful New Years Every dinner. Thank you.
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I came across your recipe, and I am in the process of cooking my duck as I type. I am on my last flip/roast hour and am also preparing my glaze. Because I work with limited resources and have a limited budget, ( I got the duck from my mother… ) I was not able to make the glaze as per your recipe… So I improvised with what I already have and am hoping for the best! But thus far, out of all the ducks I have ever cooked, this method is by the far the BEST! It was really nice to see such awesome results from the beginning. I have never scored the duck skin before, GENIUS! ( Although I did accidentally cut down into the meat a little on the first slice! ) I also love cooking with duck fat! ( Just a poor white/native american girl, and I like to save and use everything! ) I was really amazed at how much sense it made to score and continually poke the duck to encourage the fatty glorious flow! At first, I was skeptical because I thought the duck would be dry… However, the past three hours all I smell is deliciousness and everything is going perfectly, just as your pictures and method are! Thank you so much for sharing this!
Jenn
I tried this recipe today and it was delicious so easy to do and cooked up perfectly. I will be cooking duck much more often now as it was not one bit fatty. Loved it. thank you for sharing.
We had goose for Christmas and for New Years we have a duck roasting in the oven. It has a spinach stuffing and I will be making a bourbon and molasses glaze.
The salt rub, scoring, and poking are all really important in order to lean out the duck and give you that delightful crispy skin.
This is an excellent recipe and description of how to cook duck, something that is not as common as it was during my youth.
Thank you so much for this post. Our son went hunting today and is bringing home 2-3 ducks and we’ve never eaten duck, let alone cooked it. Thanks to your post I think I can figure it out.
This is the first time I have ever cooked a whole duck.
The step by step pictures were very easy to follow, and cooking for a over four hours in a very slow oven, ensured the meat was very tender and the skin was very crispy and looked golden just like in the picture.
I also managed to collect a jar of duck fat, great for roasting potatoes.
I had previously looked at other cook books and websites, for which they gave a shorter cooking time, but this was definitely worth the wait.
All of the family loved it and I would recommend this recipe to anyone who has never cooked a duck before.
This is a delicious way of cooking duck. I have begun to experiment with the glaze, and also stuff the cavities with quarters of oranges dusted with 5-spices. Retain some of the glaze & dark meat for a warm duck salad sandwich, the next day, with a bowl of broth, made from a slow simmered stockpot of carcass & vegetable leftovers, strained and served with some pre-soaked pearl barley. Two delicious meals for the price of one. Yummy
Awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to work on this comprehensive post…it is by far the best I’ve seen. Followed everything including the pate, broth and saved the fat! Only difference is that my 6 lb bird only needed 3-hours as internal temp hit 165 degrees. The meat was perfect but the skin could probably have been much more crispy if I followed the recipie exactly…had a bad experience with over cooking duck so went conservative. It was a perfect early lazy Sunday thing to do while doing laundry, cleaning up and playing with my son…then eating it for lunch! 2013 — and this post his still helping people like me build confidence and enjoy cooking!! Thank you again!!!
Awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to work on this comprehensive post…it is by far the best I’ve seen. Followed everything including the pate, broth and saved the fat! Only difference is that my 6 lb bird only needed 3-hours as internal temp hit 165 degrees. The meat was perfect but the skin could probably have been much crispier if I followed the recipe exactly…had a bad experience with over cooking duck so went conservative. It was a perfect early lazy Sunday thing to do while doing laundry, cleaning up and playing with my son…then eating it for lunch! 2013 — and this post his still helping people like me build confidence and enjoy cooking!! Thank you again!!!
It was simply the best duck i’ve ever had! Thank you again from Italy (:
Hi. I used your directions last Christmas for a Pekin duck and it turned out fabulous!!! My questions is…will this same “procedure” work for a Muscovy duck? I know they are a good bit leaner than Pekin and didn’t know if I would over cook the duck by following this recipe? Look forward to your response.
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Hi. Tried this last easter. I loved how it turned out, and everyone else loved it too. I just started a food blog and included your link with the picture of how my duck turned out. Thanks.
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I have to tell you this was the most amazing duck I have ever eaten…. I cooked it just like you said. My husband and I ate the entire duck for dinner and actually wished there was more. It was my first time even eating duck and I will certainly make this again. The sauce was incredible! Thank you so much
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My husband snuck a duck into the grocery cart last weekend. I wasn’t thrilled since my last duck attempt was not thrilling, so I decided to google a look for instructions to roast a crispy duck. I was thrilled when I found A Hungry Mouse recipe (the whole family loved that book). I have a convection oven so I modified the oven temp down 25 degrees to 275. But thank heavens for the pictures! It was totally done after 3 hours…so a quick prep of the glaze and only 4 minutes at 375 (another convection temp reduction) and it was fabulous! I took your advice and have the duck fat…and some left over duck. I am thinking about either scrambled egg with duck and duck fat hash browns or maybe just make it all in one for breakfast while we watch the inaugural prep tomorrow. Mmmmmm. I think we will very quickly be addicted to your recipes. Thanks so much.
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My family LOVED this … I made a different glaze, but the tutorial you posted was awesome. Thank you!
I followed your excellent instructions a few weeks ago and made the most perfect duck. I have never even tried duck before and my husband wasn’t a huge fan, for the typical reason: Too fatty and greasy! It was so moist inside and crispy outside. He was thrilled! Today I am making it again for my Mother-In-Law’s 60th birthday dinner. Can’t wait! And thanks!!
I was finally able to get one on sale. I haven’t had duck in years and my mouth has been watering for one with the orange glaze. I came across your recipe and it brought back memories of the smell of molasses and oranges coming from my grandmothers kitchen. Gave it a try and just pulled it out of the oven. I couldn’t even wait for it to rest, I had to have a slice right then and there. Need I say your recipe has earned its way into my special occasion file. This dish is definitely not your average dinner. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful, flavorful, and easy meal.
Wow! This step-by-step pictorial guide is the best tutorial for a perfectly-roasted duck! A word of caution for those posters here who want to try this method for a goose: don’t. Geese are best steamed, and only roasted at the very end for crispiness (recipes are available online).
Other than not glazing I followed your instructions to the letter. This is the best duck I’ve ever made. Juicy, flavourful, crispy and so much crystal clear duck fat. I’ve already told two friends.
Thank you!
Best duck recipe ever! I have used it twice this year already (one for New Year’s and one today). So happy that you have posted this wonderful guide. Truly, over the moon for your recipe, Jessie. Thanks so much! <3
Hi. My husband shot a duck but I don’t think it’s 6lbs. It’s probably more like 2 or 3. Do I still use the same cooking times? Thanks!
My fiancé just bought a duck, and it scared the crap out of me. I didn’t know what do with a duck!!! Now I do. Thank you! I am very excited to give this recipe a try.
Thank you so much! I decided to roast a duck for Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner, so I followed your recipe and my duck turned out perfectly just like the photos you posted. All my friends were loving it, and we finished the duck in seconds. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Thank you so much for this brilliant step-by-step posting. I have been intimidated by birds for far too long. Your step by step guide was exactly what I needed to fall my fears. I’m even going to take my duck innards and carcus and make duck stock (http://jenncuisine.com/2009/06/homemade-duck-stock/)!! Thanks again. Loving the blog
I tryed your recipe today for my girlfriend on Valentine’s Day and it turned out great. It was juicy and the skin was crispy, although it could have been a bit crispier but that may have been due to me taking the duck out of the oven a bit too soon. All in all it was delish and I made quite an impression on her! I asked what would be her ideal Valentine’s dinner and she wanted duck, this could not have turned out any better, thank you, Joe.
I just wanted to say thanks for this amazing recipe! It was very easy to follow, and everything came out spectacularly. Aside from the awesome duck and crispy skin, the DUCK FAT was the best part. We’ve been dropping a little in everything we can to see if it works. IT DOES! IN EVERYTHING!!
Thanks again!
I am not a cook. But I love duck. I did an Internet search and found your recipe first and quite interesting. I just placed the delicious sauce over the duck and it is in the oven. Okay, now I am getting it out of the oven to eat. Yea!!!
10 minutes later:
OMG! So this is how you cook a duck.
This is the best duckling recipe ever. Fantastic!!!
Thank you.
Cameron
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Hello from Victoria B.C. Your version of roast duck looks very promising. I have cooked it many ways (a favourite in our house) and will try your version tonight as it is our anniversary and I want something special. The bird is thawing – ready to go. Thank you for your careful instructions.
From
Love a duck.
The step by step was very easy to follow. I used convection and cut the time waaaay down tho. I made the mistake of trying this on a work night. I didn’t have any OJ so I used cranberry juice. No chili sauce either but Tabasco and BBQ seasoning worked just great. My first duck and it was excellent. Thanks!
What a visual feast! I like the pictures. They help make it easy to understand the instructions and worth a thousand words. Can you recommend a less acidic substitute for the orange juice?
Thanks in advance.
My first attempt at cooking a duck and am trying your recipe because of your easy sounding recipe and great pictures… Love eating duck, but it is not often available in sleepy hollow in South Africa….
Our first whole duck is sitting in our freezer awaiting roasting. Duck is not commonly found here in African shops, but I found some in our local supermarket on special and couldn’t resist the opportunity. Your detailed blog will be very useful when we cook it as we’ve never cooked duck before!
i made this duck last easter ,, for me and my son,, was the best meal we had all year,,, and having it again ,, on easter sunday can’t wait ,
I made this recipe for Christmas ’12 and it was awesome. I took off about an hour+ of cooking time and rotated it about every 40 minutes. It was perfectly cooked. Wife asked me to cook it again for Easter.
When given the choice between ham, lamb, and duck for Easter dinner, my husband choose his “anniversay duck”; I gave him the duck as an anniversay present =)
It was a joint effort in our labor of love to make this the best duck dinner ever, following you instructions to the T. Amazing, wonderful, delicious, tender, melt in your mouth duck! I served it with creamy mashed potatoes, oven grilled asparagus (since we had the oven @400F anyway), stuffing, cranberry relish, and a fine Amerone wine. I know all good, and aspiring cooks want to knowall these details, so in that respect we had followed the step by step directions completely with excellent results. I would definitely use this method again and recommend it to others. Great website! Thank you so much
I just finished serving this recipe for Easter. It was my first time cooking duck. I loved the easy to follow instructions and it turned out really well. The meat was moist and flavourful. I roasted a 5 lb duck. I reduced the cooking time by approx 15 minutes. Being from Canada…..I added 1/4 cup of maple syrup to the glaze and simmered until thickened. The skin was crispy in areas that I scored deeply enough but I was a bit hesitant in my cutting. Next time I will score more consistently. It received rave reviews and will definitely make this again. Thanks so much!
Cooked this yesterday. Very nice. I stuffed the bird with spring onions, garlic and an orange. Next time i think ill drop the cooking time to 40/50 a turn. Shame i cant post a picture because the bird looked amazing!
I’ve cooked duck for years for my family – always searching for the perfect crispy skin. Your method made ABSOLUTELY the best duck ever! The meat was moist and not greasy. The skin was amazing. Your glaze was delicious. It was the centerpiece of a wonderful Easter meal. Thank you so much!
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Found this recipe just a few days ago. Bought my duck about a week ago and have been dying to cook it. I love duck and it’s hard to find in rural Ontario, Canada. So it’s now in the oven for its second hour of cooking following the instructions. I hope it turns out ok. Usually when I follow recipes the end result is pretty good considering I’m no cook. The pics helped.
Loved everything about this post! Tried it our today and the duck turned out amazing. Thank you for taking the time to put this together it was awesome!
the duck turned out quite well. I learned two things: I can reduce cooking time by 30 minutes and I need to learn to convert farenheit vs celcius since I bungled doing the roasted potatoes; I had the oven on way too low! other than that, the duck was beautiful and I can’t wait to do it again.
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The tutorial is awesome: my family is cooking our duck this weekend. Too bad other recipes are not complete with such a good tutorial. It is very helpful to have such good illustrations. We have had duck in the past, but many times it was too greasy: I’m sure with the constant poking and earlier slicing this will turn into the succulent dinner that everyone appreciates. It’s a labor of love as said at the beginning.
My wife made this last month, followed your directions to the letter and it was Spectacular!!! She is making it again today but with a Mango Cranberry Salsa Glaze. Thank you so very much for such a great posting (with the pictures and all the details)! I never even liked duck till my wife made your recipe. The only duck I had ever had was from a typical Chinese buffet place. Your recipe rocks! Again, thank you
Kindest regards, “grateful, loving husband of a wonderful wife that is also a wonderful cook”
ohhh, p.s. I forgot to add that what can make this recipe even more crispier is if you let the thawed duck “dry” Inside the FRIDGE for 3 days….of course make sure the expiration date gives you plenty of wiggle room for this AND keep the meat very cold at all times before cooking …. (either by turning over every 12 hours on a rack or standing it up on an empty 16oz can (similar to how they do “beer can chicken”) or tall empty drinking glass so as to let the skin dry evenly all around and yet keep the inside moist because the can or glass is holding it up. It’s “aging” the duck and then after the 3 days in the fridge then do the skin scoring, remove can or glass and proceed with the instructions from this wonderful recipe. Of course the original recipe on this site works fantastic too!
I did a google search for roasting a duck and came across your site. What a wonderful walk-through you gave of how to do it! It was my first time, and I was simply delighted. It was a Monday spontaneous decision to have duck, and my husband was so pleased with how delicious it was! Thank you!
Your recipe is amazing! Duck came out just like your pictures. Incredible skin and great taste! The family wants me to make them duck every day now :>
Hi Jessie,
Great site and love the step-by-step instructions for making the duck. I can’t wait to try it out.
Quick question – what is the unit of measurement for the molasses? Is it 1/4 cup? 1/4 tablespoon? Your recipe just says “1/4 molasses”.
Thanks!
Just a quick question, is the duck roasted uncovered for the entire amount of time? I didn’t see it in the instructions, and I didn’t read all of the comments.
I have a duck thawing in my fridge currently. I can’t wait to try it.
Yep, uncovered the whole time. Let me know how it is!
+Jessie
Your roast duck was just as you said it would be, except for one thing. You did a Pekin duck. I had a less fatty duck that weighted 5 LBs. The problem, you had over a cup of duck grease, I had just a small amount on the bottom of the roasting pan. Hardly enough to even attempt to save. So……my duck ended up very nice and crisp, but very dry also. I even made the wine basting receipe and basted it a couple times between the hour changing breast or backside up. It was flavorful and very pretty, but very dry. I gave all the meat away, didn’t even want it, and wonder what I would get out of the carcass for soup. Hate to be negitive, but you must know what kind of duck you are cooking, and the Pekin I understand is a very fatty bird.
Well it sounded good and it looked good but it was dry as old leather. I followed the directions exactly and would never do it again.
Thank you for the detailed instructions. I am making this for Mother’s Day today!
I made this once, AMAZING. Making it again today actually, so stoked, and I even brined the duck in garlic thyme, and orange and pineapple juice. Thank you for this!
I made this once before and it was amazing. I also brined the duck for a day before roasting it. It was in a mixture of orange juice, pineapple juice, thyme, garlic, and peppercorns. It was so damn good. Thanks so much!
Made this for the third time. Tonight I got compliments from an especially good cook friend of mine that breaks things down to a chemistry composition level. It was delicious- savory, not dry, and very tasty. We even hand picked it to a bone carcass. Got the most duck fat out of this duck, 2 full cups! Previously it took two ducks to get 2 cups of fat.. This time was crazy good.
Good luck, everyone that tries this!